[Bill Brightly]

Long time GCA readers know that Pat has been harping on clubs to remove the thick rough that "protects" bunkers. Well, under the direction of Gil Hanse, Ridgewood is well into a process of bringing back selected rough lines, which will allow the ball to reach bunkers. Here is one example: 9 West. This is a tough, long par 4 where the vast majority of players cannot fly the ball to the green and therefore must use the ground game to reach the putting surface. The green is elevated and there is a significant right-to-left tilt. If you look at this photo, you can see the new transplanted fairway that was formerly all rough:






Obviously, this bunker is going to get a lot more business!

[PCCraig]

That looks fantastic Bill.

How long does this conversion take? Is it expensive for the club?

[Patrick_Mucci]

Bill,

It's important to make me happy 

This is exactly what I've been talking about at Mountain Ridge.

This practice will dramatically alter play.

Yes, it will generate complaints from golfers who will bitch that their ball rolled into the bunker, but, it's a purer form of golf, absent absurd safety nets of intervening rough.

The Green Chairman, Gil Hanse and everyone involved should be complimented for improving the course at very little additional expense.

Thanks for posting the photos.

When are you going to visit Mountain Ridge and take some photos, especially of the topshot bunker on # 12 ?

[Michael Taylor]

Looking good Bill! Why did they need to returf the area, couldn't they gradually reduce the height of cut? Different grass maybe?

Anyway Patrick, if golfers will complain that it is unfair that their ball will roll into the bunker after the buffer of rough is removed, then what the hell is the point of bunkers in the first place? Maybe we should take out any hazards that make the game interesting, and make the game 'fair' instead.

[Jim Franklin]

Maybe those folks can contact another Tillinghast course I know. That looks fantastic.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Michael,

Many golfers look to safety nets to save them from interfacing with hazards.

It's the "fairness" mentality pervasive in the game in the U.S.

You're correct in that hazards are an intended design component.

If a golfer wants to avoid them they should think and/or execute better.

For 30+ years I've been trying to eliminate these buffers, and finally, I seem to be making progress.

[Joe Bausch]

For 30+ years I've been trying to eliminate these buffers

Man, what took you so long?   

[Mike Policano]

Gents,

Pursuant to Gil's updated Master Plan, we have greatly reduced the rough on the fairway side of virtually every fairway and greenside bunker on the course. In conjunction with this, we have recaptured fairway width on a number of holes. This was done primarily by mowing out the rough to fairway height.  Bearing in mind that our fairways are primarily poa and our rough is primarily bluegrass, it takes some time to blend as the poa takes over. Some larger sections were sodded or patched with poa from other fairways.

We also embarked on a program to firm up all of our approaches and expand our greens back to the greenside bunkers as they originally were designed. Coupled with the firm conditions this Spring, the course is playing quite different than it has in the past.

Cheers, Mike

[Tim Gavrich]

Pat--

I wonder whether club golfers are more likely to accept the spectre of having to hit more bunker shots when they've got practice facilities that include a well-done, representative practice bunker.  I notice on Google Maps that Mountain Ridge has a practice greenside bunker, but there doesn't seem to be one positioned for full shots alongside the range.  Would the installation/inclusion of that capability make this change easier for the detractors to swallow, since more of their tee shots are going to be finding fairway bunkers now?  Just throwing it out there.  In any case, I love the idea of mowing rough lines closer to bunkers, partially because it makes the fairway look bigger and inspires bolder swings off the tee.

[Tim_Cronin]

Bill,

It's important to make me happy 

This is exactly what I've been talking about at Mountain Ridge.

This practice will dramatically alter play.

Yes, it will generate complaints from golfers who will bitch that their ball rolled into the bunker, but, it's a purer form of golf, absent absurd safety nets of intervening rough.

The Green Chairman, Gil Hanse and everyone involved should be complimented for improving the course at very little additional expense.

Thanks for posting the photos.

When are you going to visit Mountain Ridge and take some photos, especially of the topshot bunker on # 12 ?

Yes, yes, yes, yes and, by the by, yes. A hazard should be a hazard. For the rest of us, fairway height and playing the angles, or trying to, will do just fine.

[Mike Hendren]

Agree 100% but isn't this relatively difficult in northern environs with cool season grasses?

Can a growth regulator be used on such grasses?

Bogey

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