Minimal bunkering designs

[Ran Morrissett]

We are about to post the Cuscowilla write-up and I have been looking at all the stunning photos of these great jagged bunkers. Same with getting the Coore Interview ready - Sand Hills and Kapalua both feature bunkers on the same huge scale as the property.What about at the other end of the spectrum? What are some favorite designs with minimal bunkering?As an architect,Donald Steele seems to build fewer bunkers than any other with which I am familiar. I believe Red Tail has maybe 40 bunkers - that's it. There are chipping areas galore that actually (of course) can make life much more difficult than if there were bunkers.For a links course, I seem to recall Brora relying much more on the bumps and hollows than on bunkers - and with great success. Same with Pennard.What are some other good designs/designers who shy away from bunkers (and let's face it - many bunkers today are just eye candy)?

[John Morrissett]

Ran--I am about to finish up (finally) the write-up of Bandon Dunes (yes, the one about which you keep bugging me).  That course has relatively few greenside bunkers, which is interesting given the large size of the greens.  There are several holes (e.g., 11, 12 and 15) where one bunker visually dominates the approach.Apache Stronghold is also relatively stingy with bunkering.One intersting point with both of these courses is that you are not aware of the  small number of bunkers.  It is only on reflection that you realize this feature.  Part (or much) of that is due to the abundance of naturally-sandy areas on each course.  I wonder what would happen with a parkland course (and don't mention R. Ashdown Forest).

[Sean H.]

Ireland's European Club is not overrun with bunkers (don't ask me how many -- I am not as anal as you guys).  There are a few holes without any (8 and 17).  We can thank Pat Rudy for this.  But when he did build bunkers, he made them count, with sleepers!

[JohnV]

While they certainly aren't of the same quality as the courses you are mentioning, the two courses at the Reserve at the Vineyards are a contrast in style.  The Cupp course has 23 bunkers while the Fought course has around 140.  Also many of Cupp's are aiming bunkers that really don't come into play.While both Cuscowilla and Kapalua have large bunkers and quite a few of them, there really aren't that many around the greens compared to many courses.

[Josh_Taylor]

John V, you took the words out of my mouth.  I was about to talk about the stark contrast in both The Reserve courses.  I got side tracked, came back into the website and you had posted your reply.Chipping areas galore on the Cupp course as well.  I quite enjoyed the Cupp course.  I felt that the bunkering was a little bit too much on the Fought course, especially with the bright white sand staring right at you.

[T_MacWood]

The most famous example has to be Augusta NGC, Bobby Jones' influence I presume. I don't believe Peachtree, his other design collaboration, has many either--especially for Trent Jones, although I'm not sure.I have a routing map dating from 1923 for the four Pinehurst courses and Pinehurst #4 has 6 bunkers. I don't recall Linville having many bunkers either. The Cascades has more than the other examples but far fewer than than most of Flynn's other courses. It seems if the terrain is somewhat severe with interesting natural fearures, like a stream or streams, the less the need for bunkers.Another common thread between the courses described of Steele, Coore and Cupp is their emphasis on interesting green complexes in lieu of bunkers.

[Scott Kraus]

If bunkers are artificial, does that makes those designs more "pure"?

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Great point by all.First off, yes the Reserve's Cupp course is a very different course then the Fought.  I think it makes for even more enjoyment whilst a memeber of the club, the chance to play two very different designs.  I also think that if the term "Forced" could ever be used for an example of modern day architecture "The Cupper" comes directly to mind.  It is just to pushed into a huge bag of tricks (gimmicks)for me.  A triple green?  Whith the land he had, it is completely understandable, but unexcusable for an architect of his stature.  It is clearly evident who was spending time in the Northwest while the planning of the courses was going on.  For the record, I think most Architects who have participated in this Discussion Group would have had the good sense to walk away after seeing what they had to work with.Now, on to the bunker thing!Scott brings up a great point.  I feel that a great example of this is the work of C&C which is really the handywork of Dave Axeland, Dan Proctor, Jim Craig, and Jeff Bradley.  If you look at their bodies of work, the bunkering looks natural to the site, even though it has drawn gasps from the gallery of critics like Ron Whitten. Each and everyone of their bunkers looks to be like a scrape of some sort and isn't this how bunkering was originally concieved once golf courses were starting to be built and not evolving naturally from the dunes??So if we take for instance a course like Sunningdale whose stunning bunkers today look like they have been there since the Normans and Saxons.  (Colt just had a way of doing this didn't he?)Then you look at a course in comparison like a Cogs Hill or The Dunes and see how much so called age of Robert Trent Jones which unleashed the majestic free form bunkering that has enamored so many of the unknowing and unknowledgable up to today, you get that feeling of "What happened?"Bunkering is simply this for me:-Placement is everything.-No matter what type of edges, that they must be naturally looking to the site and the area and are ardent to strive for.If your golf course is built on a crushed marble pit, make it look like snow.If your golf course is located on top of the King Waiamaii active volcano, make it black as the pumice.ETc, Etc, Etc.

[Tom_Doak]

My own preference is to let the contours of the fairways and the greens dictate play, and keep bunkering to a minimum.  High Pointe was my best effort at this -- and everyone liked Black Forest [and all its bunkers] better.Most of the bunkering on most of the courses being built today are nothing more than "eye candy," never placed somewhere that it really makes you think.  Even Ran said of Lost Dunes, after he loved the course and the bunkers, that it was too bad they weren't more pinched into the fairway.  [Of course, he was playing the white tees!]