Deepest Bunker?

[Jeff_Brauer]

I'll nominate the bunker in the bottom of the quarry fronting the 7th hole at The Quarry@Giants Ridge in Biwabik,MN.

Much, much deeper than the Sand Hills bunker plus it's in a quarry far below the 7th green. You can't explode it up to the green from there! Direct contact with the ball will be necessary. The bunker in question is about 20 feet below the green side bunker, which is 10 ft. below the green.

This monster can be viewed in the Quarry Virtual Tour site at:
http://www.giantsridge.com/QuarrySiteVT/q-vt.html.

Just click on the red dot at the 7th hole and view it from both the green and from the tee options.

Brutal!!

Thanks for the nomination, John Sr.  That bunker is so deep, that if you are at the bottom of that bunker your feet get warm because you are so close to the center of the earths core!  Its so deep, you can actually hear Chinese voices coming from the other side of the earth!  That bunker is so deep,................well, I could go on, but you get the idea.....

[PThomas]

there's also some bunker on the front 9 of a British Open course that is very long and deep...can't remember which course...it's on the right side of the hole.....

[Philip Gawith]

The depth of the bunker - at least as the golfer experiences it - surely depends on whether it is greenside or not. The 6th at St Enodoc is a great bunker, but I don't think getting out of it is that daunting, as I recall, since the green is slightly to the left of the bunker (in other words, you don't have to clear its highest point to get to the green).

The most consistently deep and daunting bunkers I have played are at Woodhall Spa. There is on very heavily bunkered short-hole, in particular (round about 5 or 6 I think) that sticks in the mind. There is a huge bunker on the right of the green with steps down to it.

[Sean_A]

Philip

The hard part about getting out of the St. Enodoc and Sandwich bunkers is the stance.  The faces are so steep that one causes an avalanche just by trying to swing, especially at Sandwich.  You are right about Woodhall, these are the most difficult set of bunkers I have ever encountered.  As for an Open course, Muirfield's bunkers are numerous and punishing.

Ciao

Sean

[Brian_Sleeman]

Count my vote for the deepest as also being #11 at Tobacco Road.  I've only played it once, but of course went for it in two and promptly popped it up and directly into the bottom of that monster.  I'll also remember it as being one of the best bunker shots I've ever hit, but it took everything to get it up enough to get out of there.  The face of that thing is quite steep, and as others have mentioned, the pictures don't do it any justice.

There are some other huge bunkers on that course, most notably along the left side of the par five 4th, surrounding the landing area short of the green on the par four 5th, and the one short-right of the green on the long, uphill par four 9th.

Beautiful work by Strantz, one of my favorite courses.

[Marc Haring]

Here are the Royal St Georges bunkers.

Those wooden faces are vertical and even overhanging in the case of the right hand bunker. This brings up some serious health and safety issues.

I know one should suffer a penalty for a poorly played shot but severe concussion would appear a little harsh.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Many of Charlie "Steamshovel" Banks's bunkers would qualify.

The Knoll, Essex County, Hackensack, Forsgate, Montclair and others are replete with DEEP bunkers.

[BCrosby]

The bunker front left of the 17th at The Honors Course is as deep as I've ever seen.

There are several extremely deep bunkers at Sand Hills. The 4th, 7th, 16th, 18th.

Bob

[Andy Hughes]

The bunker on #11 is definitely deep....the picture Scott posted doesn't due it enough justice.  My friend likes to joke to first-time players that they filmed the opening scenes to Saving Private Ryan in that bunker.
To this day I haven't had the stones to go for that green in two

Brian, I think you are exactly right, that picture does not relate how deep it is, or at least how deep it felt standing at the bottom, looking up with a wedge in my hand.  
I did have the stones (which translates to "stupid play for someone like me who doesn't hit it far or high enough for what that shot requires")

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

the 16th at the Ocean Course is nasty too

And then there's No. 11:

[Brian_Sleeman]

Tisk tisk for bringing the bag into the bunker...

[Willie_Dow]

Please tell me what is wrong with a shallow bunker ?  Especially with a down slope one the green ?

[Willie_Dow]

My one meant on !  And on means closest to the hole for a quarter !

Willie

[peter_p]

There is no tsk tsk for bringing the bag into the bunker, but there is for the way it was put down. Laid flat no penalty, but propped on legs tests the condition.

Add the grenside bunker at Bandon Dunes 15 and Pacific Dunes 6. I've seen but not visited many of the pictured ones.
The Cardinal at Prestwick was daunting before my days there.

[Brian_Sleeman]

Laid down flat with the iron heads sticking into the sand, could that also be construed as testing the condition?  

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

The bunker on the front of the first par five at World Woods is pretty deep. I'd also suggest there is a bunker at El Diablo in Florida, a Jim Fazio design, that is remarkably deep, though it is also quite small. Kinda like an extreme version of Devil's Asshole at Pine Valley.

I am assuming that you are refering to this little beauty fronting the par 3 15th at El Diablo.  It is tough to see from this angle exactly how deep this one is.


I threw a ball in there and played out of it, and it is a tough little devil (all puns intended).  A fun little Amen Corner section of the course.

[peter_p]

The rules allow you to do that. It is the first exemption to rule 13-4. Similarly, you don't gain anything laying a rake in the hazard.

[michael j fay]

The bunker to the right of the 17th green at Oakmont has to be 12 feet deep.

It is positioned in a manner that if you go for the green and hit the ball too far you get to visit this pit. Adds another dimension to risk/reward.

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

There is no tsk tsk for bringing the bag into the bunker, but there is for the way it was put down. Laid flat no penalty, but propped on legs tests the condition.

No problem with testing on The Ocean Course.  That's not a bunker, it's a transition area where grounding clubs and taking practice swings are allowed...

[james soper]

medalist- #17

[CHC1948]

yale for sure

[mike_beene]

if we count nonbunkers at Ocean Coursewhat about the beach below 8 at Pebble?

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

Tamarack has 3 or 4 bunkers that might be a couple feet deeper than 2 and 8 at Yale.  Though there are some tree issues, this is  very good Banks layout.

[Tom_Doak]

The bunker on #16 at PGA West is eighteen feet deep; I remember because I drew the grading plan.  The bunker to the left of #6 at Pacific Dunes is slightly deeper than that.  Really it depends on what you mean by a "deep bunker" though; elevation up to the green, or just to get out of the pit in question?

The tallest bunkers I've seen are the ones at Sandwich and St. Enodoc as previously mentioned, plus possibly a bunker at Joondalup in Perth, Australia.  I was actually in the bunker at St. Enodoc last spring as I skulled my second shot to wreck a great start.

[Gene Greco]

Paul Turner rests his case.

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