Muirfield's rakes...........

[Dean Stokes]

seem's to me to be a darn fine idea by Jack. Since tour players in particular sometimes aim at bunkers due to the ease of the shot, I like the idea of making them more penal. After all they are called hazards.

What thinks the GCAer's? Maybe this could catch on everywhere - wouldn't that help pace of play issues

[Chris Garrett]

Hasn't Jack done this for a couple of years now?  Bunkers are supposed to be hazards, not a safety spot for the folks on Tour.  I say bring back the furrow rakes that Fownes used at Oakmont.

[Criss Titschinger]

Yeah, they've been doing this for a couple of years now.  It was funny, because I heard a lot of complaining before the first tournament they used the rakes.  When I attended the Memorial a couple of years ago, the very first bunker shot I saw resulted in a hole-out for birdie (#17, can't remember the player).  Guess the bunkers aren't all THAT bad.  I would guess a fairway bunker shot would be more difficult.

[John Moore II]

I would like to see this type of bunker raking done on some of the upscale private clubs on a daily basis. I agree that bunkers are meant to be penal.

[Matt Varney]

I think the rakes with furrows are great and in addition for tour events more native grasses need to encroach on bunkers so that aiming at them can be very penal.  Most of these tour venues are manicured with firm and fast conditions prducing tons of roll for tee shots and greens that roll fast but, are also very receptive to approach shots into the greens.

I think I read somewhere that Friar's Head (C&C Design) has a scorecard that is plain and just says Par 4 or Par 3 or Par 5 no yardages it is all played by feel.  To top that off the bunkers don't have rakes you walk into them hit the shot and walk away.  If the next guy playing hits his ball in your footprint tough play it down and hit the shot.  World Woods Pine Barrens I think also does something like this also that the sandy waste areas are not bunkers so they don't have to be raked they are just natural and you should be happy your ball is on sand and not in a bush or at the base of a pine tree.

[mike_beene]

I don't recall ever seeing any unusual rakes at Muirfield.Are you referring to a real estate course in America named Muirfield Village?

[Dean Stokes]

I think the rakes with furrows are great and in addition for tour events more native grasses need to encroach on bunkers so that aiming at them can be very penal.  Most of these tour venues are manicured with firm and fast conditions prducing tons of roll for tee shots and greens that roll fast but, are also very receptive to approach shots into the greens.

I think I read somewhere that Friar's Head (C&C Design) has a scorecard that is plain and just says Par 4 or Par 3 or Par 5 no yardages it is all played by feel.  To top that off the bunkers don't have rakes you walk into them hit the shot and walk away.  If the next guy playing hits his ball in your footprint tough play it down and hit the shot.  World Woods Pine Barrens I think also does something like this also that the sandy waste areas are not bunkers so they don't have to be raked they are just natural and you should be happy your ball is on sand and not in a bush or at the base of a pine tree.

I think the idea at Friars is that you at least make a good attempt to 'rake' the bunker with your foot. That is nothing new as most of the bunkers growing up back in the uk didn't have rakes - I actually believe we did as good a job with feet as some do with rakes.
Good news for the caddies as well As for the scorecard and lack of yardages on sprinkler heads - I believe the thought process is that if they are going to have a caddy program then the golfers need to rely on them for yardage and pin positions. It works very well actually.

[Ryan DeMay]

A photo of this year's rake and raking technique courtesy of Dr. Karl Danneberger of The Ohio State University.

[PThomas]

i believe the furrows are not as severe as the first year it was done at MV

[Matt Varney]

Sweet Picture!

I love it and these furrows make bunkers tough to control ball spin.

[Ryan DeMay]

Here is a comparison photo from 2006.  This years rake has tines that are spaced closer together so as to reduce the furrowing effect.  Again this photo is courtesy of Dr. Karl Danneberger.

[Chris Garrett]

Ryan,

Thanks for the pictures.  It's quite nice to see this happening.  I always find amusement when Tour players complain about bunker conditions (too soft, too little or too much sand, etc).  What's next... "the rough wasn't very good, I kept catching flyer lies!"

[Carl Rogers]

I kind of doubt that for typical member play these rakes are used.

The bunker designs illustrated here do not look to penal (high lips, lots of capes and bays, severe internal sand slopes, etc.)  It would seem that the bunker re-work option was not considered.

[Ken Moum]

seem's to me to be a darn fine idea by Jack. Since tour players in particular sometimes aim at bunkers due to the ease of the shot, I like the idea of making them more penal. After all they are called hazards.

What thinks the GCAer's? Maybe this could catch on everywhere - wouldn't that help pace of play issues

The rakes have been changed a bit over the last couple of years.

According to Paul Latshaw they pulled every other tooth from the bunker rakes in 2006 to create 2 ½-inch furrows in the sand, and then eased up to 1 ¼-inch furrows in 2007, then spread the spacing out to 1 ¾ inches this year.

Ken

[Scott Stearns]

I've played MVGC the week before the tourney each year for the past three.

they don't use the rakes for member play-they use the std short-toothed rakes with a round top the other 51 weeks per year.

but in 2006 and 2007, they furrowed the bunkers on the day i played.

I thought 2006 was perfect greenside, and maybe a little too penal in the fairway bunkers.  Interestingly, the bunkers were very firm in 2006 and the furrows sort of layed on top of a hard base.  The lies were ranom.  some could be controlled, some not.  Fairway bunkers were a penalty--tough/impossible to make contact with the ball first.

2007 was no penalty at all, but the bunkers were turned so the sand was fluffy

course wasnt furrowed when i played this year but i hung around for the monday practice round.  seemed like players had no trouble greenside-ball sat 1/3 down in the furrow..  They all were turned the night before the tourney, but nowhere have i ever found sand that was more consistent, or that produced a firm lie like MVGC.  Fairway bunkers were raked toward the green, and they looked like a penalty, but nothing like 2006.

Rough this year is minimum 4.5 inches and thick.  Any place the mower couln't get a clean cut will be longer.  Oakmont last year had nothing  MVGC doesnt have this week.  i'd be aiming for the bunkers. Curious to hear from anyone who has watched the telecast, because that  that rough looked like pitch out quality (quantity?) to me.