Best 18-holes with only 1 bunker

[Thomas Dai]

There’ve been a couple of recent threads about bunkerless holes and intelligent bunkering and comments about how few bunkers ANGC originally had.
But what are examples of the best holes that only 1 have bunker throughout the entire hole?
Atb


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[John Kavanaugh]

17 is TPC Sawgrass.

[Thomas Dai]

Not as easy maybe as it seems! Head scratching time?
I can think of a couple of examples at a famous course in Georgia but they, the 11th and 15th, like the hole mentioned by JK above, have a water element, significantly so, in addition to the sand.
Atb

[Ben Hollerbach]

7 & 11 at Ballybunion


I think the 6th at Panmure only has that one greenside bunker, but i'm not 100% sure


9th at Lahinch

[John Kavanaugh]

The 2nd at Victoria National.


Disqualified. 3 bunkers total. I need to get back home.

[David Stamm]

IIRC, the 16th at RSFGC has only one bunker and it may be the best hole on the course.

[Tim Martin]

3 and 7 at Yale

[Matt_Cohn]

5 at Riviera
7 at LA North?
8 at Spyglass
12 at Riviera (or Mayacama)
13 at Riviera

[Bret Lawrence]

1st, 3rd and 5th at Hotchkiss School Golf Course


17th at Wyantenuck Country Club in Great Barrington, MA.

[BCrosby]

3rd at Woking.

[Niall C]

Can I suggest a further stipulation, and that is that the bunker be relevant to making the hole great. For instance the 3rd at Silloth is a great hole and while I understand the logic behind the single bunker, I'm not sure it makes it any better a hole and arguably if it wasn't there it would provide one more interesting option.

Niall

[BCrosby]

Tom Simpson called the bunker fronting the green on the 3rd at Woking a "controlling" bunker. He was quite taken with it. A single bunker affected every shot on the hole.


Bob

[Michael Felton]

I think 6, 8, 11 and 15 at Augusta all only have one bunker. 14 at Pine Valley I think technically has one bunker, but it's a bit of a stretch.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Wolf Point's 16th
11 & 12 share a single bunker
5 really only has one giant bunker broken into four pieces
Peace

[Tyler Kearns]

#4 at Woodlands in Australia

[Ira Fishman]

I like Grove Park Inn 11 because the single bunker is well placed in the fairway and the greens is bunker less.  Waterville 15, and Primland 11 are good ones because the bunker is well placed and the green really comes into view after the tee shot so there is some drama. Lahinch 9 has a very well placed bunker given that left of the green is a real problem. And Pine Needles 9 similar became the swale short and right brings the bunker left into play (but I may be forgetting if there is second bunker long).


I can think of only three Par 5s: Brora 8, Woking 15, and Broadmoor East 3. All good holes but not among the strongest on the respective courses.


Waterville 12 and Crail Balcomie 13 my favorite of the Par 3s. Primland 12 is a good one too. I believe that there are three at Bandon Dunes, but my memory of my one play is not distinct.


Ira

[Thomas Dai]

A few some links courses, just links courses.
Tried to select one hole from Scot/Eng/Ire/Wales.
Only used the same course once but struggled with a 5 from Scot.
Took a while! Hope they’re all correct!
Par-3’s - 4th at Cruden Bay, 17th at St Enodoc, 17th at Dunfanaghy, 6th at Ashburnham
Par-4’s - 3rd at North Berwick, 8th at Carne Hackett, 1st at Southerndown, 6th at Pennard
Par-5’s - 13th at Burnham & Berrow, 8th at Hoylake, 4th at Carne Hackett, 14th at Ashburnham
Atb

[James Boon]

Niall makes a good point. There are potentially 2 types of hole that fit the description. One type has 1 bunker that is essential in making it a better hole. The other type have 1 bunker but could probably do away with it and be bunkerless. Interestingly most of the holes I can think of for this list are ones I often think of as bunkerless and the lone bunker doesnt always add much?
13th at Burnham
6th at Deal
12th at Hollinwell
5th at Brora
So does one bunker on a hole show restraint from the architect from not having more or a dull sense of trying to conform with sand as a hazard when no bunkers would have been better? 
Cheers,
James

[Michael Felton]

Niall makes a good point. There are potentially 2 types of hole that fit the description. One type has 1 bunker that is essential in making it a better hole. The other type have 1 bunker but could probably do away with it and be bunkerless. Interestingly most of the holes I can think of for this list are ones I often think of as bunkerless and the lone bunker doesnt always add much?
13th at Burnham
6th at Deal
12th at Hollinwell
5th at Brora
So does one bunker on a hole show restraint from the architect from not having more or a dull sense of trying to conform with sand as a hazard when no bunkers would have been better? 
Cheers,
James

Into which bucket would you put the 15th at Augusta? I think you very rarely see the pros in that bunker. I feel like if that was some kind of mounding, that you'd see more people miss it up there and leave a treacherous chip down the green. Not sure that would be in character though. The other holes with mounding around (8 for example) there is no water there. The water laden holes all have bunkers around them (11, 12, 13, 16)

[Ally Mcintosh]

Tom Simpson called the bunker fronting the green on the 3rd at Woking a "controlling" bunker. He was quite taken with it. A single bunker affected every shot on the hole.


Bob

Perfect example

[Thomas Dai]

While putting together my examples mini-list above I was pondering how many of the holes were actually enhanced by having 1 bunker present and on how many was the bunker largely irrelevant. Some of the examples fell into one or the other category but some fell into other categories such as the perhaps more thought provoking category of the real penal hazard is on the opposite side hence a player playing away from the bunker may have a more taxing next shot  Having deliberately chosen links examples I also pondered how many of the spots where the lone bunker is were once open, scruffy sandy areas subject to blowout or washout that were built into formal bunkers essentially for reasons for upkeep and maintenance. Just some random thoughts.
Atb