“These bunkers are perfectly placed to catch Annika’s drives…

[mike_malone]

 But Leta can’t reach them”. Judy Rankin on US Women’s Senior Open telecast.


   I say that’s a weakness. It’s not putting bunkers where the land dictates.


 Fox Chapel looks like a game board from the air.

[Mark_Fine]

Mike,
Remember “where the land dictates” is architect dependent.  Flynn for example didn’t like blind bunkers but many other architects did.  Fownes for example as well as Fowler would put them wherever they wanted, blind or not blind, if they believed they impacted play.  GCA is full of variety which is why it is so special.  It evolved from basically digging a hole in the sand and sticking in a flag to moving 2,000,000+ cubic yards of sand/dirt to build courses like The Lido. And we love them all, or at least many of them 

[mike_malone]

Natural or artificial——which one is golf?

[Matt_Cohn]

From the back tees, are the bunkers also similar distances from the tee on many holes?


If so, then that’s how the course is.


If not, it sounds like a potential setup issue given that they played the course around 5,650—nowhere near either the tips (6700) or the far forward tees (4800), meaning that flexibility in tee boxes was widely available.

[Mark_Fine]

Mike,
You asked - Natural or artificial, which one is golf?  Not sure what you mean by this.  Golf has always taken place on layouts containing both. 

[mike_malone]

Mark,


I mean “ looking”.

[Buck Wolter]

But Leta can’t reach them”. Judy Rankin on US Women’s Senior Open telecast.


   I say that’s a weakness. It’s not putting bunkers where the land dictates.


 Fox Chapel looks like a game board from the air.

Sounds like a weakness in Annika's game was exposed.

[Kalen Braley]

 Fox Chapel looks like a game board from the air.

Mike,

I'm looking at the aerials right now and was curious what you meant by this?  Perhaps all the rectangle/squared off bunkers?  That looks fairly unique, but how does it present from the ground view?

[mike_malone]

I meant that the bunkers look like pieces in a board game. I haven’t played it.