GCA Mythbusters - The subconscious effect of Langford's topped shot bunkers

[Dan Moore]

I think Langford went a bit too far with the bunker in question on 10. It's 239y par 3 with trouble left, right and over the back. Do you really need a bunker 60y short that obscures the landing area for a lot of golfers?

You can't see the ball land off the tee on 1,2,4,5,6,8 and you follow that up with the same feature on a par 3? Not much imagination if you ask me.

Mark,

How many times have you played Lawsonia. I ask because you can see the ball land on three of the six holes you mention-1,4 and 5. you can see it land on 6 if you hit it right of the bunker and you see the ball land on 10 if you hit the green.  Personally  I feel the blind tee shots at Lawsonia keep it interesting the more you play the course because of the amount of discipline it takes to select and play to the correct line when it's not simply right in front of you.

Jason, interesting premise. However I feel the purpose of the bunker on 10 at Lawsonia  is to create mental uncertainty rather than force a play to the left. In one of my 4 rounds last week I played with a shorter hitting player who maxes out at 170 who played up to the bunker on his drive and then had a short pitch on like 2 of the other 3 players in our group.

[Mark Pavy]

Dan,

I spent a week with Jeff Kleinke at Lawsonia. I filmed the course from the players perspective in 3D.
You can see Lawsonia Links in 3D on my website (ask Jeff for some 3D glasses) or in 2D here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnlSgKp091Q

1st- You can't see the ball land from the plates- forward tee yes
4th- Par 3 up the hill. You can't see the green surface apart from a slither on the right hand side. Has the top of the trap guarding the green been lowered?
5th- If the tees are forward you get a better view. Off the plates you can't see the ball land.
6th- Maybe from the forward tee, from the plates you can't see the bunker you're referring to.

Great golf course, however, I'd still take a dozer to the trap on 10

[Jason Thurman]

Mark, I disagree about the bunker on 10 at Lawsonia. While it may not cause the subconscious pull that some of us (including me) have long assumed it would, I think it actually adds interest for the shorter hitter, as Dan pointed out, and also adds some general visual appeal and intimidation to the hole. The 4th at Clovernook (photo below) is another 230-ish yard Langford par 3 with bunkers left and right (the right one has been grassed over but still is certainly in play as a grass hazard) and a huge, contoured green. As a long par 3, it's a clever way of quickly getting past one of the least interesting sections of the property with a shot tough enough to grab the player's full attention. Still, it's not nearly as interesting for the shorter hitter who plays a pretty dull layup off the tee. It can be a bit of a slog for them. The 10th at Lawsonia is much more engaging for that player thanks to its configuration.



Dan, I noted several people on the much shorter 6th playing layup shots out to, around, and over the bunker. There was a notable group of three older women and a young child that came through during one of the times I was observing. All four hit solid shots, but none were long enough hitters to reach the green. The women all played left of the bunker and left a straightforward pitch, while the young man loaded up and slapped a drive over the top of the bunker. The bunker also clearly factored for a lot of shorter hitters who hit lower, running shots toward the green. While only one ball ended up in the bunker, there were plenty that only cleared it by a few feet in height before landing 10-15 yards beyond and running up near or on to the green.

Going back to Emil's question, this is the first GCA Mythbusters thread but I hope to do more in the future and would invite others to do the same. It takes a while to observe enough rounds to come up with even an interesting set of data, let alone one that's statistically meaningful. Still, I like the idea of trying to figure out whether architectural concepts work as conceived or not.

[Dan Moore]

Mark. Thanks for the link, the video looks great and is very cool.
I'll get some 3 D glasses from Jeff next time I'm up there. Lots of trees removed since you shot it.