[John Connolly]

When it comes to level of integration between bunkers and fairway, there seems wide variation. Some are well off the edges of fairway and are completely surrounded by rough while others partially extend into the line of play and have large segments interfacing with short grass. Some holes will have both flavors! What factors influence how much proximity or integration bunkers and fairways should have?

[Tom_Doak]

Nearly all fairway bunkers should be CLOSE to the fairway.  When you see one that isn't, 98% of the time it's because the fairway has been shrunk or realigned over the years, either to save mowing expense or to make the course harder via narrow fairways and more rough.


However the surest way to integrate fairway bunkers is to not build so many of them.  Perry Maxwell, to name one architect, typically built only a few, and nobody thinks his courses aren't testing enough as they are.

[Jon Wiggett]

In my opinion, all fairway bunkers, indeed all bunkers should have an influence on the general play of the hole for some of the players but not necessarily all. This means that bunkers should be placed close to the line of play as it would be if there were no bunkers. On most inland courses less is more and most 18 hole courses would be served just fine with between 10 and 30 bunkers in total.


Jon

[Tom_Doak]

This means that bunkers should be placed close to the line of play as it would be if there were no bunkers.

Jon:


Not sure I understand this quote.  Did you mean as it would be if there was no defined fairway?


One of the few useful design tips I learned in college was to think opposite.  You can imagine that everything is rough and just put fairway where you need it; or, you can imagine everything is fairway and just put rough and hazards where they make it more interesting.

[Thomas Dai]

A related question - should they be surrounded or part-surrounded by fairway or by rough? (ie 'Fairway' bunkers or 'Rough' bunkers?)


And isn't there a Tom Simpson line something akin to "the centre of the fairway should not be the best place to play the next shot from"?


Atb

[Jon Wiggett]

Tom,


Firstly, I should say that my opinion is that bunkers primary reason should be there to influence a players decision making not to punish a wayward or mishit shot. If you have laid out the tees, greens and playing corridors the line of play will usually become apparent. For a bunker to be relevant then it should be on or close to this line so as to influence the players decision making.


I should also stress that the fact that this line of play will be different for the different standards of player this will also entail going through multiple lines of play. So in general, placing bunkers should be relevant to multiple different lines of play though sometimes just to one.


I hope this helps make it a little clearer.


Jon

[Sean_A]

I think there is room in architecture for the buried in the rough bunker(s).  I can see it used to great effect when the archie is trying to create an exciting visual feature (carry bunker set in rough dunes etc) or perhaps create an island like effect for the green.  However, in both these cases the bunker(s) must be dealt with by the golfer.  Like Tom, I think one of the best ways for an archie to retain his intentions is to use less sand and provide more ground features and to provide the meat at the green end of the hole.  However, I have seen many a time where interesting ground features were marooned in rough, both around greens and fairways....so there are no guarantees. 

It really is a sad thing to see filled in sand pits on the wings of fairways.  Not so much because they represent lost bunkers, but because they represent lost width. 

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Central fairway bunkers, those right in the middle, eg 2nd and 6th at Carnoustie, 16th at TOC etc have there place as well (although use of them has been debated herein before).
Atb

[Jon Wiggett]

Central fairway bunkers, those right in the middle, eg 2nd and 6th at Carnoustie, 16th at TOC etc have there place as well (although use of them has been debated herein before).
Atb

Thomas,


what all those bunkers have in common is that they are right where most golfers would be hitting if they were not there. What makes them interesting rather than punishing is that room is given to go around them though this has been misguidedly reduced in the case of TOC 16th.


Sean,


I often find that many of those out of the way features refer back to earlier versions of the course when another tee was in use creating a completely different angle or an old routing.


Jon

[Ben Malach]

I have spent a lot of time over the summer thinking about this concept and have come to the conclusion that the more a feature ingrates into the golfing landscape the stronger a golf course is in the long run. Obviously there are some features that need to exist on the edges of play. But the more integrated the contours of are found in fairways, bunkers and greens the better the golf course is in my opinion. The main issue I have found in this concept is explaining it to golfers. When I start to discuss mow lines, trees and the incorporation of contour or bunkers into lines of play. It is almost like I have switched from conversing in English to French. The more and more I think about this I think it is because most golfers feel that bunkers in the fairway should be for aiming and providing lines off the tee and that lies in the fairway should be flat and fair. This is counter to a lot of what can be seen as strategic golf prescribed by Tom Simpson and Alister Mackenzie. Where bunkering and contour is integrated into play to create lines of charm that are drawn from the land forms existing on the site.That over time become charming and highlight the ground. I hope this is of value.

[Thomas Dai]

In these days of detailed course planner yardage books, green contour mapping, satellite distance finders etc should more bunkering be made invisible rather than visible to the player?


Seems like things have perpetually been getting easier over the years so maybe it's time to make bunkers a bit more hazardous once again by hiding there locations.


The use of dead ground seems to have always been an acceptable, even widely admired, method of architectural deception, how about dead ground with bunkers hiding in it?


Light the blue touch paper and retire behind the sofa time?


Atb

[John Connolly]

I have spent a lot of time over the summer thinking about this concept and have come to the conclusion that the more a feature ingrates into the golfing landscape the stronger a golf course is in the long run. Obviously there are some features that need to exist on the edges of play. But the more integrated the contours of are found in fairways, bunkers and greens the better the golf course is in my opinion. The main issue I have found in this concept is explaining it to golfers. When I start to discuss mow lines, trees and the incorporation of contour or bunkers into lines of play. It is almost like I have switched from conversing in English to French. The more and more I think about this I think it is because most golfers feel that bunkers in the fairway should be for aiming and providing lines off the tee and that lies in the fairway should be flat and fair. This is counter to a lot of what can be seen as strategic golf prescribed by Tom Simpson and Alister Mackenzie. Where bunkering and contour is integrated into play to create lines of charm that are drawn from the land forms existing on the site.That over time become charming and highlight the ground. I hope this is of value.

Agree with all of this, Ben. Too often, as mentioned by a response earlier, I think fairway bunkers serve as penal outcomes for poor shots, rather than as a consequence to a strategic play that didn't come off well enough. They should be the deterrent to the line of charm. If you take the chance and strike it well, you bypass them and are rewarded. The line of charm entices, the good fairway bunker gives you pause, you make a decision and accept your fate. Fairway bunkers should be part of a push-pull dynamic.

[Jon Wiggett]

 Fairway bunkers should be part of a push-pull dynamic.

+1

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