Grass Bunkers

[David Sneddon]

Berkhamstead GC in Herts, England, is completely devoid of sand bunkers.  They have grass bunkering and it is used to great effect.  

I believe it is less intimidating to a high handicapper, however depending on the length and thickness of the grass, places a higher demand on shotmaking to get close to the hole.

Grass bunkering that is varied from short to almost rough-like, would, IMHO be extremely interesting.

[Joe Hancock]

Jim,

In that doctored photo, would not the same purpose be achieved if there was no terrain change, just a row of hedges? Effectively, you've made it an issue of trajectory rather than lie/surface/stance.

So, isn't that bunker nothing more than a horizontal tree? Unless, of course the ball gets hung up on the face of the bunker.

Joe

[Ryan Crago]

Jim,



So, isn't that bunker nothing more than a horizontal tree?

Thats funny joe.  I believe it was mackenzie who referred to trees as vertical sand traps, or "sand traps in the sky".

[T_MacWood]

Adam

This is why I generally don't like this style of bunker.  There is only one recovery shot.  Perhaps I could accept it if the bunker was attractive, but this bunker is a visual nightmare.  Remember that line from that California course?  This falls under the motto of "keep it simple".

Ciao

Sean

Sean
I assume you are not a fan of the Redan at North Berwick.

[Sandman]

There has been a huge push and trend towards having the sand bunkers play consistant and be perfectly maintained when in fact............they are........HAZARDS.  We can thank the touring pros for this since they are spoiled premadonnas that can offer no other excuse for a poor shot other than "poor maintenance".  I am not sure who said it earlier in this thread but grass bunkers offer a huge and different challenge when playing a shot from them and are a shot I would rather not have.  To know how the ball is going to come out of a grass bunker is so much more unpredictable that YES, it will play more like a hazard which is infact what a sand bunker WAS supposed to do...............

[T_MacWood]

I agree with Carl.

Sean
What options do you have if you are in that Redan bunker?

[Dan Moore]

Sean,

I think you would love Lawsonia if you played it.  Its one of the best public access courses in the MW if not the best for the price.  The bunker photo is 45 degrees to the line of play so is a little deceptive.   The course profile on this site contains a lot of pictures that give an overall idea of the style of this course.  Generally treeless, wide and strategic with some great undulating greens.

Though maybe the 14th at 154 yds suits your eye better (the only hole in the trees on the course).

http://www.lawsonia.com/images/links/links%2014.jpg

[Doug Siebert]

Jeff,

I really like them if they are done right.  The grass needs to be long enough that the ball will catch on the slope and leave you with an uncomfortable shot, but not so long that you are more likely to find someone else's ball rather than your own.  When they are more funnel shaped so they are all sides and no bottom I think it is a harder recovery for good players, but easier for poor players (not that such a shot is easy for them but they have much more confidence hitting out of grass than sand)  Exactly the sort of hazards courses need more of!

There's a really good course a few years old about 10 miles north of me that has only two bunkers, but has some really nice grass bunkers (I don't know if it was intended to have more bunkers and the grass bunkers are the leftovers or not)  One par 5 in particular has one that dominates layup strategy for shorter hitters in much the same way Hell dominates TOC's 14th, but isn't the disaster it would be if it was filled with sand.  I'd post some pics if I had 'em.

[Jim Thompson]

Joe,

I think you can hit off that face a lot easier than you can hit out of a hedge though.   The seventh at the Ravines has one of these and its a pretty cool feature and unnerving when your in it even though the lie is great.  More of a mind thing than anything else. Just like amatuers and sand.

Cheers!

JT

[Mark_Rowlinson]

There are some great grass bunkers on Royal Ashdown and Berkhamsted, both of which are entirely free of sand bunkers, and the low, grassy areas abutting the 5th green at Royal Worlington are far more terrifying to most classes of golfer than almost any sand bunker.  There are marvellous grassy depressions on many of our famous links courses and I can remember a number of players having great difficulty with such hollows on the right of the 5th green at Royal Lytham during Open Championships.