grass bunkers????

[PThomas]

Sir Bob's thread on bunkers makes we wonder if these should be used more...I would think less maintenace involved and certainly more difficult for the top player than playing out of perfect sand in bunkers which are designed to roll the balls away from the lips

[Dave Bourgeois]

Paul,

I had the same thoughts as well.  I doubt I'll see this in the public or muni market anytime soon as I think pace of play would suffer greatly.  This would of course depend on the length and type of grass, and mostly thinking that the play delays would be due to looking for lost balls.

At the muni's I play bunkers are still hazards so its really not an issue there.

[Mark_Fine]

Paul,
If they are designed properly they are a great hazard.  Some guys like Hanse will only use them if he can surface drain them.  I agree with him as I hate to see basins in the bottom of grass bunkers.  Frankly, I don't like them anywhere near greens or in the playable areas.
Mark

[Scott Witter]

Mark,

How does one go about surface draining a grass bunker, which I would understand to be a hollow/hole in the ground in some form or another, unless it was built on sand soils?  Or, would the shape of the bunker be such that it had a sublte creative outlet that allowed surface runoff water to escape, but looked as though it fit the bunker and its surrounds?  If so, would it then really be considered a grass bunker...guess it depends on ones definition of a grass bunker and since I haven't reached that point in your book, maybe I should shut up and go read!

[TEPaul]

If so-called "grass bunkers" were used I for one would seriously question if such a feature shouild be classified as a "Hazard" (bunker) under the Rules of Golf. I do not mean by that the feature could not be an effective one, however.

[JohnV]

Tom Paul,

They definitely are not a "hazard" under the Rules of Golf, merely a part of the area that is "through the green".  Of course, if they aren't drained properly they could become water hazards under some conditions.

To me the reason pros like bunkers rather than rough is that they are so consistent and perfectly setup on tour that they know exactly what type of shot to play vs rough where there are too many variables and they have to think about and execute different shots.  

I believe David Fay got tired of hearing players say "Get in the bunker" and so the USGA has tried to make them tougher in the past few years.

[Mark_Fine]

Scott,
Your second sentence answered your own question  
Mark