A course with no bunkers!

[Daryl David]

Arrowtown Golf Club

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,34305.0.html

There is absolutely zero need for the introduction of a single bunker on this amazing course.

Arrowtown could possibly be the best bunker-less course in the worrld.  Many have it pegged in the top 10 for New Zealand.  I had to be reminded after the first round that there were no bunkers.  You just don't notice the absence of them while working your way around some of the best golf holes anywhere.

[Sam Krume]

Berkhampstead has a bunker on the practise green! Piltdown is another bunkerless Sussex course.

Love piltdown. not a long course but another bunkerless course that utilise its land forms to great effect

[Sean_A]

Sean,
I dont necessarily agree regarding needing summer conditions, as the course was playing quite lively when we were there. The up n down as you say I think serves the site very well and gives rise to some  fantastic holes (IMO).,Just a very natural feel to the course

Thats fair enough...its just that I thought a Doak 7 was very lofty praise for RAF. 

Ciao

Sean, when did you play RAF? I would on the doak rating give it, if I could 6.5, so taking the handicap theory I guess the 6.5 would have to rise to a 7!!

Sam

I played RAF I think in the summer of 2013.  Course was in good nick and we had a fine day. 

Of the bunkerless courses I have played Kington is the king...1* (my Doak 6/real Doak 7). 

RAF - not recommended at £70 (my Doak 4/real Doak 7)

Berkhamsted -  a good fall back on course if in the area (my Doak 4/no real Doak) - the 3s let the course down quite a bit 

Painswick -  a good fall back on course if in the area (my Doak 4/real Doak 5)

Minch Old -  not recommended (my Doak 4/no real Doak)


In terms of favourites

Kington by quite a margin

Painswick
Berkhamsted
Minch Old

RAF


What is Pildown like...any pix?

Ciao
 

[Sam Krume]

Sean,
I dont necessarily agree regarding needing summer conditions, as the course was playing quite lively when we were there. The up n down as you say I think serves the site very well and gives rise to some  fantastic holes (IMO).,Just a very natural feel to the course

Thats fair enough...its just that I thought a Doak 7 was very lofty praise for RAF. 

Ciao

Sean, when did you play RAF? I would on the doak rating give it, if I could 6.5, so taking the handicap theory I guess the 6.5 would have to rise to a 7!!

Sam

I played RAF I think in the summer of 2013.  Course was in good nick and we had a fine day. 

Of the bunkerless courses I have played Kington is the king...1* (my Doak 6/real Doak 7). 

RAF - not recommended at £70 (my Doak 4/real Doak 7)

Berkhamsted -  a good fall back on course if in the area (my Doak 4/no real Doak) - the 3s let the course down quite a bit 

Painswick -  a good fall back on course if in the area (my Doak 4/real Doak 5)

Minch Old -  not recommended (my Doak 4/no real Doak)


In terms of favourites

Kington by quite a margin

Painswick
Berkhamsted
Minch Old

RAF


What is Pildown like...any pix?

Ciao
 
Sean,
Unfortunately no pics at present and I would give it a miss at the mo, only as they are in the second part of their green renovation. I think if memory serves me correctly they have 6 temps. It is a lovely course, wonderful turf and shall we say, an abundance of heather. Not particularly long but some really pleasant holes. Most people talk about the par 3's at piltdown, they are good but I think the par 4's are the standout. Some lovely dog legs out there.

[Bill Seitz]

I can't imagine why it's taken Jud so long to chime in on this, but Spring Valley in Salem, Wisconsin is a bunkerless course.  It's an old Langford-Moreau.  Dan Moore certainly knows a lot more about it than I do, but I believe it was built with bunkers, but they presumably ran out of money before they had a chance to actually fill them in with sand.  The bones of the course are really great, but it's really cheap and probably doesn't have the world's largest maintenance budget.  Still really fun to play. 

[Doug Siebert]

I never realized there were so many courses without bunkers.  There's a good course around here that has two, one of which doesn't come into play, and I always felt that made it rather unique.  I guess less unique than I previously believed.

[Jim Nugent]

I've always been fascinated that Augusta National opened with 22 bunkers.

And several of those were mostly out of play for even decent golfers.  Making the effective number even smaller. 

[Sam Krume]

I've always been fascinated that Augusta National opened with 22 bunkers.

And several of those were mostly out of play for even decent golfers.  Making the effective number even smaller. 

I really think that Augusta could possibly be one of the only true major courses that would work with less bunkering and this is down to the wonderful topography on site.

[Philip Caccamise]

Pioneers in Lincoln, NE is a muni with no bunkers and only one water hazard.

Most of the green complexes are surrounded by mounds and hollows grown to rough height. I worked there briefly and nobody seemed to mind or talk about the "bunkerless" thing; in fact I played it several times before I even noticed it myself.

I think the concept works for the type of course that it is, which is a public muni on a hilly site that gets a ton of rounds, especially from novice players.

Durand Eastman in Rochester has no bunkers- and it is exactly as you describe, a public muni on a hilly site that gets a ton of rounds from novice players.

[Rees Milikin]

Already mentioned, but Arrowtown in NZ is amazing.

Not exactly a world beater, but a course I enjoy playing on my trips to Nashville is the Shelby Park Muni.  Not a single bunker on the course and still lots of fun with great land movement.

[Mark Pritchett]

High Hampton in Cashiers, NC does not have bunkers. 

[Josh Bills]

Culbertson Hills in Edinboro, PA was built by Bendelow with them, but does not have any bunkers now.