The Angle of Repose, or Brown Rice

[Tom_Doak]

Paul:

I recognize that making the sand flat-bottomed, combined with a very steep bunker face makes the recovery shot exceptionally difficult, but I really think that's too contrived.  I like a variety of slopes within the bunker so there is some "rub of the green" and you are never sure what kind of lie you're going to get.  

Years ago I believe Nicklaus had the floors of all the bunkers at Muirfield Village sloped so that you had a downslope when recovering toward the green, which was beyond the pale, and the players got him to change it.

For the benefit of those not in the business, all sands are somewhat different and the provision of sands for bunkers is now quite an industry.  Many architects throw around statistics for bunker sand like it's rocket science ... I generally just have the contractor deliver some different sands and test them by throwing golf balls in.

[JWL]

Once again, the only time I post on here is when I read something that is not true regarding something Jack supposedly has done.  I am not trying to be defensive, but I can't allow false rumors to gather credence.

If Jack had sloped the bunkers so the players would have a downslope to the green, I would absolutely agree that that was "beyond the pale".  I don't know how rumors like this get started, but let me set the record straight, that the bunkers at MV would slope 2/3 away from the green and then tie back in on a slight upslope on the outside of the bunker.   So, the only downhill bunker shot that a player could possilbly get in a bunker at MV would be on the very outside portion of the "bowled" bunker shape.

The "edges" of the bunker also flashed up the slope around the entire bunker up 8"-12", compacted to insure as much as possible, that the ball would get away from the bunker edge.  Compacted,angular sand,  didn't completely eliminate "plugged" lies, but did so as much as possible.  

The argument about whether the bunkers were too "perfect" or should be perfect is another discussion

[john_stiles]

Flat floors with firm sand are okay.

Flat floors with firm sand is much easier than flat floors with a soft sand.   Firm sand also allows the ball to sit up a little.  Soft sand lets the ball sit down a little and you have to get down and really dig it out.  I like a firmer sand.

Would like to mention that firm sand with near vertical grass faces is a bit of a problem.  A firm sand will allow the ball to roll around and often ends up near the faces.  You need a little bit of upslope in the firm sand at the grass face to avoid contrived difficulty.

[Bob_Huntley]

I may have mentioned this in a post some years back.

Sometime around the late sixties or early seventies, the folks running the Bob Hope Desert Classic at Indian Wells, decided to have red, white and blue bunkers on the first few holes. I believe the material used was some sort of ceramic and may have come from MMM.

Dose anyone have a photo of this?


Bob

[Bill_McBride]

I may have mentioned this in a post some years back.

Sometime around the late sixties or early seventies, the folks running the Bob Hope Desert Classic at Indian Wells, decided to have red, white and blue bunkers on the first few holes. I believe the material used was some sort of ceramic and may have come from MMM.

Bob, I'll bet this was in 1976 for the Bicentennial.

I was then in the tradeshow decorating business and I very well remember my boss ordering several thousand yards of red, white and blue shag carpet   to use for aisle carpet on some of the shows we decorated.

I think that carpet is probably still in use in half the trailer houses in Northern California, at least owned by our crew that installed the stuff.