Sand Bunkers vs. Grass Bunkers

[Matthew Essig]

The thread about bunkers being easier for pros than the Bermuda rough got me thinking...

Imagine your favorite golf course and fill every bunker in with rough or a fairway swale. Now, I understand that many golfers would complain about bunkers being part of golf and that they are better looking than green grass, etc,  but I find that grass bunkers challenges both recreational and professional golfers.

Your thoughts?

[Sean_A]

I don't have to imagine it - tee hee.

Ciao

[Jon Wiggett]

Grass bunkers and slopes especially around the greens are usually more challenging to the good player and more playable for the higher handicapper. I do not think it is necessary for them to be rough though.

Jon

[Willie_Dow]

What kind of grass would you reccomend?

On Merion West our grass bunkrs are Merion Blue, I think, and they are more difficult to handle than the sand bunkers.

[Patrice Boissonnas]

the problem with grass bunkers is manage playability : too thick means unplayable + time lost searching you ball, while not thick enough means too easy, definitely easier than sand bunker (at least for most of us), but also easier than shortly mown fairway because your not afraid of shanking or hitting it thin. So with grass bunkers, the difficulty of the course will really change depending on the season and thickness of the rough.
If the ground on the golf course can be kept bumpy and rolling, I think the most difficult green surroundings is still short fairway. It requires a lot of guts if you chipp and a lot of touch if you putt.
If you're on a more wet land, I think a mix of sand and grass bunkers brings good variety.

[Willie_Dow]

Yes, Patrice, "manage  playability" is a major consideration.  But is it more expensive to maintain than a sand bunker?

[Patrice Boissonnas]

I think we should have a greenkeeper or an agronomist on board to discuss this but my feeling is this : I don't think it's more expensive. Sand bunkers need to be raked regularly and that costs labor. Grass bunkers need to be "mown" once in a while, but surely less often than sand bunkers rakings.
I think the main issue with grass bunkers is consistency : a well maintained sand bunker can look and play the same pretty much all year through. You can't have that with grass bunkers which will grow faster and thicker in spring & summer but will have a tendency to die during cold months. Of course, this only applies for areas with cold seasons.

[Anthony_Nysse]

I think we should have a greenkeeper or an agronomist on board to discuss this but my feeling is this : I don't think it's more expensive. Sand bunkers need to be raked regularly and that costs labor. Grass bunkers need to be "mown" once in a while, but surely less often than sand bunkers rakings.
I think the main issue with grass bunkers is consistency : a well maintained sand bunker can look and play the same pretty much all year through. You can't have that with grass bunkers which will grow faster and thicker in spring & summer but will have a tendency to die during cold months. Of course, this only applies for areas with cold seasons.

  I can say in most cases, grass bunkers are cheaper than maintain than the bunker itself. In fact, over the last 5 years or so, lower end golf courses are filling in numerous bunkers, similar to the 1930's to safe money. In most cases, the rough mower is already on the course mowing and theyre able to pick up most of grass bunkers.
  If the bunker remains, now the discussion of raking 2-3x a week, flymowing every week, edging every other week, moving sand once or twice a year. In any case, its smallmachine doing the work when a large machine can mow over the top.

[Bruce Katona]

A grass bunker can be easily maintained at rough height <2" with the mowers provided there is an easy way to enter and exit.  The lie will be somewhat unpredictable but there will be some amount of grass under the ball, allowing the higher handicap golfer the chance to scoop the ball out and onto the green.  The higher handicap player struggles to get out of a sand bunker in 1 shot as technique is not always correct or the bunker lip a bit too steep.  The lower handicap player can extracate themselves from either situation, but wih a more predictable lie in a sand buker will allow the more skilled player the opportunity to have his/her shot finish closer to the hole.

Extra shots of of bunkers slow dowm play, especially at public facilities.