[Mark_F]

An instruction article in Golf Digest from Phil Mickelson about how to play from hard-packed sand caught my eye, because my home course has several bunkers cum natural erosions that have fairly thin crusty bases in comparison to most of the others on the course.

I quite like the variety of this, and I assume it was intended on the part of Misters Doak and Clayton, but is this a common feature?

Has it ever been, but current maintenance practices/howls from members have led to more uniform conditions?

Is it a legitimate design tactic?

[Shane Gurnett]

Mark, the modern private club member will tell you that it is "unfair" and that the bunkers should be consistent, which is a pity.

Bunker inconsistency and variety ought to be part of the game and a skill to be acquired.

[TEPaul]

"I quite like the variety of this,"

MarkF:

So do I. Unfortunately it's generally unpopular amongst membership. Many feel consistency of sand and lie in bunkering should be striven for. It would be very interesting to see some top flight golf courses institute a policy that the only ones to rake bunkers are those who play the golf course.  

[Tom_Doak]

Mark:

I'm not sure where you were making reference to the work of myself and Mike Clayton above, but here's my take:

I've never done anything to deliberately vary the bunker sand on a course.  However, at Pacific Dunes we decided to try using the native sand in place for the bunkers, instead of bringing new sand in to make them consistent [mostly because we figured the new sand would blow away!].  It may be radical but it's also perfectly natural, and no one has ever complained to me about it except where a few bunkers are blown bare down to hardpan.

Since it worked in Oregon, we've done the same thing at St. Andrews Beach, Barnbougle and Ballyneal.  We did it at Sebonack also, although we had to screen the rocks out of the sand and then put the sand back in the bunker.

But I don't think I would do it artificially, i.e. deliberately put different sand in some bunkers than in others.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Mark,
Sometimes it's a blessing in disguise to be under-maintained, such as we are here at Hotchkiss. You never know what condition the traps might be in so you really try to stay out of them.


 
 

[TEPaul]

"and no one has ever complained to me about it except where a few bunkers are blown bare down to hardpan."

TomD:

I'm sorry to hear that someone has complained to you about that. In my opinion, particularly at courses with the look and style of a Pacific Dunes 'down to hardpan' is the way those bunkers that naturally get that way should be left and played.

(Don't you think it's at least encouraging that in the first sentence of the initial post on this thread Mark Ferguson mentioned there's a new instructional article in Golf Digest by Phil Michelson explaining how to play that "hardpan" bunker shot?)?

[Tom_Doak]

Tom:  You're probably right that the article is encouraging; that just went right over my head.

Actually I haven't even heard many people complain about the hardpan bunker lies when I've seen them in play.  For most shots it isn't that tough a recovery, although I have seen people on hardpan in that deep bunker to the left of the first green ... a friend was in the middle of the fairway off the tee and made 8 that way.

[Joe Hancock]

Tom D.,

It may be a detail that you didn't rmemeber, or possibly didn't know when you came to do the photography at Landfall, but all the sand we used in bunkers there was on-site sand. That was a looong time ago!

Joe

[Tom_Doak]

Joe:

Actually, now that you mention it, all the sand at Long Cove was on-site sand as well [although the whole course had been flip-flopped, and probably Landfall, too].  

I hadn't thought about that for a long time, but when I first went to Long Cove, it was a surprise to me to find out that the whole course was built out of sand and then everything was planted except the bunkers, which were already done!

PS [before someone asks]:  Pete Dye used "flip-flopping" on many SE courses twenty years ago.  They would take trackhoes and dig down several feet and bring clean sand with no weed seeds up from below, and bury the topsoil at the bottom of the hole.  There are several courses where this was done for the entire area of the golf course.

[Mark_F]

Hey Shane,

You are all obviously a bunch of wusses down at Commonwealth.  It's not Chris complaining the most loudly, is it?

Tom Doak:

I didn't mean to intimate that you may have done something deliberately, since I don't know how you constructed them.  Maybe when you do the Fingal, I can come and watch.  Assuming...  

The front green side and far right fairway erosion on Number 2 at St A are the most common areas that have this thinner crust.  I just wondered that, since it was a short four, it was part of the design decision.  It may be easier to play from in some cases, but leaves you in two minds as to what sort of shot you try - chip, pitch, blast, skull with a wedge, the sly kick with the toe of your Footjoy's as you pontificate about your options...

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