When did this happen?

[Ken Moum]

I know y'all have talked about the fact that American courses has ended up with all of their bunkers in the rough, but has anyone tried to firugre when and why it happened?

Having recently played some courses that "resemble" links courses here on prairie I have begun paying attention to the bunker surrounds.

It bothers me that they look like links courses, but all that darned rough, especially around the greenside bunkers, is unaccepatable.

Whose idea was that?

And when did it start?

Ken

[Jimmy Muratt]

As many clubs try to make their courses more difficult, two of the first things they often do is narrow the fairways and grow the rough.  Those bunkers that used to be on the edge of the fairways are now 5 or 10 yards into the rough.

Fairway bunkers shouldn't only collect balls that fly directly into them, when the fairway is cut up to the edge of the bunkers and somewhat sloped towards them...they effectively play much larger than they actually are.  Even a well placed tiny pot bunker in the middle of the fairway can be far more strategically interesting than huge bunkers flanking the sides.  

[Eric Pevoto]

Another factor:  early irrigation systems, often single row installed down the middle of the fairway, tightened fairways as the area outside of coverage was left to rough.  

[Ken Moum]

Another factor:  early irrigation systems, often single row installed down the middle of the fairway, tightened fairways as the area outside of coverage was left to rough.  

So, the theory is that in the UK they didn't start using irrigation until recently, and that allowed them to retain the look?

That still doesn't explain the greenside bunkers being buried in rough. After all, most of those areas were getting water from the sprinklers that irrigated the greens.

In the 50s and 60s many of the courses I played only irrigated greens and surrounds, and they all had the greenside bunkers cloaked in rough.

K

[TEPaul]

K:

Some years ago I tried to do a study of rough rings around the bunkers of American courses, particulary Ross courses, and when that practice started.

It seems like the rough rings around bunkering have always been there compared to GB golf. In the old days they didn't appear to be as long as some are today but they appear to have always been there.

It's probably got to do with American agronomy compared to agronomy over there.

Some say over here we've always tried to get grass to grow while over there they've always tried to stop it from growing. I'm sure there's probably something to that.

[Ken Moum]

It's probably got to do with American agronomy compared to agronomy over there.

Some say over here we've always tried to get grass to grow while over there they've always tried to stop it from growing. I'm sure there's probably something to that.

I think that's fascinating.  Especially the Ross issue.

Given the way they mow Dornoch, it's odd that his courses would be like that.

I know this... I like the look of the short grass and think that short game complications it creates are endlessly amusing.

Ken

[Jon Wiggett]

I would imagine it has to do with the irrigation, grass type and amount of money in the game in the US. In the states they had wall to wall irrigation much earlier than in Europe. This allowed them to grow a different, more aggresive grass type within the narrow irrigated corridor which futher resticted the width of the fairways due to the amount of cutting that it needs.

In Europe most courses couldn't afford a large greenstaff or irrigation therefor the courses were left much more to natures whims. The greenkeepers had no desire to get the grass growing more than was neccessary to produce a good putting surface.

[TEPaul]

K:

At my golf course we have tried for quite a while now to get the rough collars around the incoming side of bunkers cut down so the bunkers will receive the balls hit at them more easily.

The primary problem according to our super and other supers is the matter of turning fairway mowers around these bunkers. If the angles are too sharp the tires on the mowers begin to wear out the grass. If the angle of turn is more gradual it seems the wear isn't as bad.

Most golfers probably aren't aware of the damage mechanized equipment do to grass when they turn. This includes fairway mowers, green mowers, rollers etc.

This may be the primary reason so many American bunkers have rough rings around them.

On the other hand, I keep asking what do they do in GB and courses like the sand belt of Australian to keep the grass so low around bunkers.

I keep wondering why we can't do it if they can do it.

So maybe it does have something to do with the types of grasses we use over here and the rate of growth over here compared to over there.

On the other hand it seems like a couple of the Donald Steele courses over here maintain their grass very short around bunkers like they do in GB.

This is a good question and I'm going to continue looking for some solutions so hopefully we can get our grass shorter on the incoming sides of our bunkers and other hazards.

[Rich Goodale]

I spoke a few years ago to a member involved in a sympathetic restoration of a very good Old Dead Guy course in the US, and asked him why many of the well placed bunkers were surrounded by thick rough.  His answer, in effect, was:

"Some influential members didn't like their (slightly off line) tee shots rolling into bunkers."

 

[TEPaul]

That could be the case Richard, but unfortunately it doesn't get around the maintenance problems created by trying to cut the grass short around the incoming sides of some of those bunkers.

Those maintenance problems are certainly not bogus. We've experienced them ourselves as have others.