Using texture as a hazard

[jeffwarne]

I recently played a Heathland course in England where there were multiple holes where fairway bunkers were surrounded by heather and or native rough thus increasing the severity, definition and beauty of the hazard,
BUT many were contained WITHIN the fairway OR the rough had been cut short beyond the hazard on the outside side. i.e. a wayward shot 10-40 yards right of the fairway outside the bunker had a great chance of being found/playable.

I thought it was a very unique feature and a way to create strategy/interest of the ideal shot without unduly punishing wayward shots or adding to the time spent hunting for balls.
This is also a feature which can also be combined with some randomness by simply mowing.

Most commonly bunkers surrounded by rough/heather/native define the outside boundary of the shite and a player simply plays to stay in the shorter cut corridor and doesn't really fear simply the "hazard complex" itself.
i.e. they give you plenty of room but it's always contained by shite on every side making the golf a repetitive slog with the shot requirement consistently being to simply hit it pretty straight all day as once leaving the fairway corridor neather or native hackout/lost ball search awaited. Swinley Forst, despite its beauty, felt a bit like this to me.

a separate issue of course is that the surrounds of the bunker are as hazardous as the bunkers themselves, but I have no problem with that especially with playable area on all sides of the "hazard complex"
besides it was quite attractive


Thoughts?

[Doug Siebert]

Why even have the bunker in that situation? A grass bunker of heather and longer grass would be just as effective, and easier to maintain.

[Jon Wiggett]

Doug,

I have often wondered about the lack of variety in hazards on the golf course. Seems today the bunker is used to the exclusion of almost all else. I have reed grass bushels on my course. You know exactly where the ball is so you can find it and if the ball ends up close behind its a chip sideways. I did have 5 sand bunkers when I opened with the idea of adding as time went on. Now I have 3 and will probably only add grass bunkers in the future.

Jon

[jeffwarne]

Doug,

I have often wondered about the lack of variety in hazards on the golf course. Seems today the bunker is used to the exclusion of almost all else. I have reed grass bushels on my course. You know exactly where the ball is so you can find it and if the ball ends up close behind its a chip sideways. I did have 5 sand bunkers when I opened with the idea of adding as time went on. Now I have 3 and will probably only add grass bunkers in the future.

Jon

+1
someone on the front lines in the fight against homogonization


Doug-see Sunningdale (but it wasn't Sunningdale)
but to your point that would be another way to do it(no sand)-it would have to have some maintenance though otherwise a return to forest
The (slog)situation I describe is COMMON at many courses, especially modern links courses and many heathland courses.
a widish fairway and flanking bunkers that have shite(native, heather, etc) outside them which then continues indefinitely
perfectly "fair" yet endlessly boring.


I just found it strategic and shot/target selection inducing but never made it an endless search-and very attractive