[Tim Pitner]

In the Denver area where I live, there are a number of good, public courses that might be described as prairie links.  These aren't in the mold of Sand Hills or Ballyneal--they're not sand-based; they mostly claim the links label because they're treeless, but the better of these courses (e.g., Riverdale Dunes, Buffalo Run, Heritage at Westmoor), are sometimes reminiscent of authentic links courses.

I wonder why anyone doesn't a build a course here (or in other, similar areas) that features pot bunkers, particularly as center-line hazards.  It seems to me that one could create a course that could evoke a Muirfield, Carnoustie or Royal Aberdeen or even Bandon Dunes (I'm thinking of holes like 8 and 14).  Such a course would have a unique look for the area and, while it might not play exactly like a links, it would cause a player to think a lot more off the tee.  

Why don't people use pot bunkers that much in the U.S.?  Is there some reason related to agronomy/maintenance or is it just that people don't believe golfers would appreciate the penalty of a pot bunker?  Since so many courses like to call themselves links-style, why not build more architectural features that are typical of links courses?

[Tom_Doak]

Tim:

I've seen a lot of smallish "pot" bunkers in the USA, but not many of the sod-wall variety.

Sod-wall bunkers are very labor intensive because the sod walls rot over time and have to be rebuilt from scratch.  

In the UK clubs like Muirfield and St. Andrews rebuild their bunkers on a five-year rotation ... every fall they rebuild 20% of the bunkers.  But that's better than dealing with the wind erosion.

In most US climates the sod wall bunkers would break down even more quickly than that because of hotter weather, so it's hard to justify building lots of them.  We did build one at Riverdale Dunes (at the 14th green) but I'm sure it's gone by now.

The other reason I haven't built a lot of sod-wall bunkers is that they look puny and out of scale on a big American golf course.  In Scotland that rationale is minimized by the fact you don't see much of the bunker at all on many courses.  Few clients are fond of them, either ... even Mike Keiser believed that the "retail golfer" didn't like being penalized to that degree, although some of our ragged bunkers at Pacific Dunes are every bit as penal as a sod wall bunker!

[Patrick_Mucci]

Tim,

The Medalist has done a nice job with sod-walled bunkers.

I hear what Tom Doak is saying, but, I think it's more cultural than visual.

Most country clubs won't accept the harsh penalties they extract, whereas, golf clubs, like The Medalist have a different mentality, a different culture, one that's more "golf" oriented.

[Tim Pitner]

Tom,

I don't think you'd call the bunker at Riverdale Dunes #14 sod-faced anymore, but it's still a devilish bunker on a great, short hole.  

Maybe my question is more:  why don't people build more center-line bunkers?  They would seem very appropriate in many of the (for lack of a better term) links-style courses that are so prevalent in the West.  An architect could do a lot worse than emulate holes like #8, #11 and #14 at Bandon Dunes.  It doesn't seem like these would be that expensive to build or maintain and would really add some spice to these types of courses.  

[ChrisHervochon]

At Scotland Run, in New Jersey, I can think of at least one "sod-walled" pot bunker that was employed successfully.  The thing was, Stephen Kay used old carpet stips instead of sod.  The course has been open around 7 years I think, and to my knowledge it still has yet to be redone.  Is this way practical?  Do such bunkers always have to be small?  I would think that you could use firm fairway ground around such bunkers to effectively enlargen them.  Also, using the carpet method I would think that it would be slightly less uneconomical (does that make sense?) to build bunkers of the larger variety.  These bunkers can be built shallowly, are flat on bottom and thus the sand itself requires less maintenance (at least one would think) and arent necessarily that hard to get out of.  I would think they are harder due to the mental factor more than to the talent factor.  Any thoughts?

[Tom_Doak]

Chris:

I think Michael Hurdzan was the first to use carpet remnants for a sod wall bunker, in that environmental demonstration course of his in Massachusetts.  Probably where Stephen Kay got the idea.  I think it's a great idea, if it works.  I've never actually seen them myself and neither course has exactly jumped onto the list of great courses.

There is no point to having a sod wall bunker unless you are trying to make it hard to get out of.  Muirfield's are far and away the best in terms of their shaping ... the height of the sod wall varies as you go around each bunker, creating real variety and strategy for the recovery shot (i.e. I can get out safely if I play twenty feet right of the hole, but if I want to play for the pin I have to nip this perfectly).

[Don Dinkmeyer]

My recall of Arcadia Bluffs is at least two holes with pot/sod bunkers. It seems they were installed more for show than strategy. Since the course opened in 1999, it would be past due on any rebuilding efforts.

I'll take pictures if i am the first up there - might be late April.

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