Your favorite "Natural" bunker.

[Norbert P]

  This is a complex of natural bunkers in southwest Washington State in the Palouse formation. . . 




  Do you have any images in photo or literate description that stand out as remarkable?

[Ken Moum]

I'm sort of fond of this one at Brora




Ken

[Norbert P]

 Ken, Just big enough for an angry man and his niblick. 

  If I didn't get to see the background I would have thought that was from The "Other" Gleneagles in  Brora.

[Ken Moum]

Ken, Just big enough for an angry man and his niblick. 

  If I didn't get to see the background I would have thought that was from The "Other" Gleneagles in  Brora.

I believe the key to success in this one is avoiding the sheep poop.

K

[SPDB]

I'm partial to this big blowout. Despite its proximity to great golf, it doesn't figure in
any course.

Extra credit if you know its location.

[Alex Chehansky]

the above is between troon and prestwick, no?

[TX Golf]

Is that between Troon and Prestwick??

[D_Malley]

Here is one which is across the bay from N&P in Donegal

[Norbert P]

 Thanks, nice stuff.  That Narin and Portnoo bunker looks like a meteor impact crater!

Please pardon the abhorrent hue in this photo image . . .



This is a natural bunker feeeerociously marked and guarded by a corgy-badger hybrid creature (Canis x. taxidea spp. Miloi) that escaped from a government research laboratory at the Hanford Nuclear facility. 

[SPDB]

Is that between Troon and Prestwick??

the above is between troon and prestwick, no?

You both are correct.

[TX Golf]

Woops... I guess I was a little late with my comment.

[Joshua Pettit]

Here is one which is across the bay from N&P in Donegal

I believe that site in Donegal was proposed for a golf course at one point in time. 

[TEPaul]

My favorites are on the Florida East Coast on old AIA between the Jacksonville Naval Base and Amelia Island, Florida. There are about 3 miles of them on either side of the road on either Big or Little Talbot Island. I've spent hours in those things photographing them and just taking them in. The very best time to be in there is in fairly high wind as it gives you the opportunity to see a natural force of Nature at work slowing molding and remolding her amazing natural architecture. You are actually looking at Nature's architectural formulae of material (and its weight) going through evolution and devolution simultaneously in the form of the shapes we relate to as a natural golf sand bunker. One of the coolest things (that you can see in some of the photos above) is how all this works with and looks with some rugged natural vegetation. (According to the Park Rangers down there that cool looking rugged vegetation can sustain itself on just about zero nutrition!

[Alex Chehansky]

is that bunker accross from N and P the dingle coast project?

[Buck Wolter]

This one might get marked down for having trees in the bunker 

[Tom_Doak]

Alex:

Dingle is about 200 miles south of Narin & Portnoo, although there were some pretty good natural blowouts on the two sites in Dingle.

[Neil_Crafter]

Blow outs in sand dunes are relatively common - but this eroded 'bunker' I found in Tasmania on a recent trip down there has to be a little more rare. I reckon the exponents of the eroded bunker look would be rather proud to have created this.
cheers Neil

[Kevin Pallier]

The big one to the right off the tee on the 2nd at Nth Berwick 

[Norbert P]

Kevin, is that the same bunker that's connected to this one?


Neil, nice choice. What was the cause of erosion? Creek, wind, cattle, or... ?

Buck, I assume that's in Australia somewhere.  I'm intrigued by those small clumps of vegetation at the base of the bunker wall in the middle distance. Perhaps they volunteered in the footsteps of some intrepid explorer.

[Buck Wolter]

Buck, I assume that's in Australia somewhere.  I'm intrigued by those small clumps of vegetation at the base of the bunker wall in the middle distance. Perhaps they volunteered in the footsteps of some intrepid explorer.

It's actually Sleepng Bear Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore in Michigan about 15 miles up the Lake Michigan coast from Crystal Downs. This is in the 'Dune Climb' so it gets some considerable foot traffic which probably explains the lack of vegetation compared to what you see in the distance.

[Jed Peters]

I like the one to the right of 13 green at Pacdunes....

[Neil_Crafter]

Slag
I believe it is a drainage line and so water and sheep would be my best guess.
cheers Neil

[Mark Chaplin]

The Brora sheep fold is how I guess most of TOC bunkers started out in life.

[Ken Moum]

The Brora sheep fold is how I guess most of TOC bunkers started out in life.

Some might argue that, but one thing to note about that one is that it's facing the "wrong" way for the hole.

It's on the downhill leading to a green on the inward nine, amd I assume it offers protection from the prevailing winds. It is, in fact, much like the bunkers on the 12th at TOC. They, too, face the "wrong" way and they offer protection from the prevailing wind.

The explanation in St Andrews is that they were ideal for the clockwise routing, but isn't it possible that they're that way because the sheep found them comfy?

Ken

[Ron Farris]

I have a real passion for the "Party Pit Bunker" located in the Sand Hills of Nebraska.

Naturally created by cows and wind!