I get the USGA Green Section Record via email and thought I would share this article from an old version, stored at the MSU turf library:
There has been a lot of discussion among players regarding bunker treatment. Some clubs believe in filling the traps with grooves for important events. Worcester last year during the National Open left the traps smooth and the players were apparently more puzzled than if they had been grooved.
As a matter of fact, traps that are left smooth require a greater variety of shots than traps that are ridged or grooved. If the traps are left smooth, the player may be faced with anyone of three shots; the ball may be lying perfectly clean, where it can be chipped out; it may be under the face of the bunker, when a cut shot would be required; or, as is very often the case, it may be resting in a footprint, where an explosion shot would be demanded. With the grooved or ridged type of treatment, it is invariably an explosion shot that is required, and variety is almost entirely eliminated. The British rarely, if ever, smooth or manipulate the sand traps, preferring to let the element of luck be the deciding factor.
Nothing has been definitely decided as to how the bunkers will be conditioned at Scioto for the National Open Championship. In my own humble opinion, however, any hazard, no matter what its nature, if well placed is, regardless of conditioning, perfectly able to give a good account of itself.
Another one to file in the "Things never change much" dept. Thought it was interesting, though.