The Unused Bunker

[Wade Whitehead]

When was the last time a player hit a shot from the fairway bunker on #10 during the Masters?

It seems to serve no purpose at all.  I know it's the original greenside bunker (on #1).

Is a bunker that never gets used even worth building and maintaining?

Maybe it sees some action during member play, but I can't imagine how.

Is it the most prominent bunker that never impacts play?

Surely the DG has discussed this question before.

WW

[Bill Gayne]

It might not be in play for pro's but the rest of the year it's a member club. I suspect for many amateurs it does influence play.

[Peter Flory]

It will be in play off the tee in a few years.  May as well leave it. 

[Andrew Harvie]

We've lost enough Mackenzie. Please don't take away this, too.

[Carl Rogers]

We've lost enough Mackenzie. Please don't take away this, too.
[/quotes]
Agreed, I always thought it was a reminder of what was the history of the hole.

[Tom_Doak]

When was the last time a player hit a shot from the fairway bunker on #10 during the Masters?

Tom Weiskopf told me he drove it into that bunker sometime around 1980.


As far as these guys are hitting it, it's going to be in play for someone's tee shot again soon.

[Jason Thurman]

I'm sure the club could save some maintenance costs if they eliminated it. Thankfully COVID has been good for golf courses.


You can't imagine it getting action during member play? Have you ever seen members play golf? They literally hit it everywhere. I've seen fucking tee markers affect member play.


It's the Cindy Crawford's Mole of golf.

[Tom_Doak]

You can't imagine it getting action during member play? Have you ever seen members play golf? They literally hit it everywhere.

Now that you mention it, I have played there three times and I think I was in the bunker the second time! 

[Tim Martin]

When was the last time a player hit a shot from the fairway bunker on #10 during the Masters?

Tom Weiskopf told me he drove it into that bunker sometime around 1980.


As far as these guys are hitting it, it's going to be in play for someone's tee shot again soon.

Tiger said that when he first played he hit 3 wood into that bunker.

[Matthew Rose]

On a dry day it's already in play for DeChambeau.

Assuming he can find it.

(too soon?)

[Ally Mcintosh]

When we were building Strandhill, I put an approach bunker on the 7th hole, 65 yards short of the green and 320 yards off the tee. On the last day of the build, two members walked past (the hole was out of play) and I overheard one saying “Not sure who is ever going to go in that bunker”.


On the very next day, I was down at the hole finishing something off. The hole was back in play with the bunker staked as GUR. The very same player hit his second shot in to the bunker before recounting what he had said the day before.


I put it there for short players in to the wind, long players downwind, deception for the approach from the left as it looks tight to the green and for aesthetic balance.


I dislike the tendency to place bunkers only in areas that people believe will see most play and are a certain distance from the tee. It leads to homogenisation and boring design. I understand making sure that maintenance costs aren’t increased but I’m not advocating additional bunkers. Augusta has only 32 and is probably the richest club in the world. Why remove it?

[Niall C]

You don't need to be in that bunker for it to be in play. One of MacKenzies tricks was making bunkers look as though they blend into each other from a certain angle even though there might be a bit of distance between them. So it is with the fairway bunker and bunker to the right of the green. I appreciate these guys are so dialled in to how far they hit the ball with each and every club but you'd think a trick like that that foreshortens the hole might put some doubt in their mind in which case it's done its job.


Niall

[Adam Lawrence]

You don't need to be in that bunker for it to be in play. One of MacKenzies tricks was making bunkers look as though they blend into each other from a certain angle even though there might be a bit of distance between them. So it is with the fairway bunker and bunker to the right of the green. I appreciate these guys are so dialled in to how far they hit the ball with each and every club but you'd think a trick like that that foreshortens the hole might put some doubt in their mind in which case it's done its job.

Niall

Except that MacKenzie didn't build the bunker to the right of the green.

[Niall C]

You don't need to be in that bunker for it to be in play. One of MacKenzies tricks was making bunkers look as though they blend into each other from a certain angle even though there might be a bit of distance between them. So it is with the fairway bunker and bunker to the right of the green. I appreciate these guys are so dialled in to how far they hit the ball with each and every club but you'd think a trick like that that foreshortens the hole might put some doubt in their mind in which case it's done its job.

Niall

Except that MacKenzie didn't build the bunker to the right of the green.

Damn !!!


Still, the theory still stands irrespective of who designed/built them. I'd be interested to know who is responsible for the right hand bunker and whether what I described had any bearing. As an aside, the bunkering at Duff House Royal works very well in this fashion.


Niall

[Jeff_Brauer]

I believe it would have already been removed at 90% of the courses in America, but like most famous old courses, there is a desire to keep some of the original.  So, in theory for most of the world, it would probably go, but in the theory of famous courses, it probably should stay, LOL>

[Adam Lawrence]

You don't need to be in that bunker for it to be in play. One of MacKenzies tricks was making bunkers look as though they blend into each other from a certain angle even though there might be a bit of distance between them. So it is with the fairway bunker and bunker to the right of the green. I appreciate these guys are so dialled in to how far they hit the ball with each and every club but you'd think a trick like that that foreshortens the hole might put some doubt in their mind in which case it's done its job.

Niall

Except that MacKenzie didn't build the bunker to the right of the green.

Damn !!!

Still, the theory still stands irrespective of who designed/built them. I'd be interested to know who is responsible for the right hand bunker and whether what I described had any bearing. As an aside, the bunkering at Duff House Royal works very well in this fashion.

Niall

I think Perry Maxwell built that green, and presumably the green side bunker. MacKenzie's hole had the green close to the squiggly bunker.

[Lou_Duran]

I dislike the tendency to place bunkers only in areas that people believe will see most play and are a certain distance from the tee. It leads to homogenisation and boring design. I understand making sure that maintenance costs aren’t increased but I’m not advocating additional bunkers. Augusta has only 32 and is probably the richest club in the world. Why remove it?

Couldn't agree more.


Question: do you like gathering bunkers?  Or do you grade away from them more often?  How about a rough strip on the fairway side holding up some balls from going into the bunker?


Niall,


Right on.  Amazing how many times I've been fooled on distance by a bunker which looks to be close to the green when it is actually very short of it. Even when I know the distance to the hole, the mind seems to play games and I often come up short or just hit a bad shot.  BTW, I like the occasional directional bunker as well as a few there to draw the eye or just pretty up the landscape.

[BCrosby]

The MacK bunker on 10 would have fore-shortened the view of the original, lower MacK green, but it does not have that effect on the current, higher Maxwell green.


Bob 

[MClutterbuck]

It might not be in play for pro's but the rest of the year it's a member club. I suspect for many amateurs it does influence play.

I dont think it does other than a really bad shot. 380 downhill to carry that bunker in 2 from Members tee.

[Tom_Doak]

I believe it would have already been removed at 90% of the courses in America, but like most famous old courses, there is a desire to keep some of the original.  So, in theory for most of the world, it would probably go, but in the theory of famous courses, it probably should stay, LOL>

One of my rules of thumb on consulting projects is never to take out or move a bunker that has survived in its original location.  They all come into play differently now than the designer envisioned 100 years ago, but anything which has survived that long should continue.

[Andrew Harvie]

You don't need to be in that bunker for it to be in play. One of MacKenzies tricks was making bunkers look as though they blend into each other from a certain angle even though there might be a bit of distance between them. So it is with the fairway bunker and bunker to the right of the green. I appreciate these guys are so dialled in to how far they hit the ball with each and every club but you'd think a trick like that that foreshortens the hole might put some doubt in their mind in which case it's done its job.

Niall

Except that MacKenzie didn't build the bunker to the right of the green.

Damn !!!

Still, the theory still stands irrespective of who designed/built them. I'd be interested to know who is responsible for the right hand bunker and whether what I described had any bearing. As an aside, the bunkering at Duff House Royal works very well in this fashion.

Niall

I think Perry Maxwell built that green, and presumably the green side bunker. MacKenzie's hole had the green close to the squiggly bunker.

Correct, that's a Maxwell green from the late 30's. There was two bunkers on the right when Maxwell built it

[Dan_Callahan]

I have no insider knowledge, but I’m going to guess Augusta National isn’t very concerned about reducing maintenance costs.

[Jim Tang]

I'd think that bunker would influence member play, no?  If you hit a poor drive off the tee (in the trees or short off the tee) and cannot reach the green in two then that bunker has to be a factor, right?

[Niall C]

The MacK bunker on 10 would have fore-shortened the view of the original, lower MacK green, but it does not have that effect on the current, higher Maxwell green.


Bob

Bob


I'm inclined to shy away from an argument as you've undoubtedly been there and probably played it but I caught some of the highlights this year and it appeared with some of them that when the bunkers line up you do have that foreshortening effect but of course I'm seeing it on television and not on the ground.


Niall

[Tom Bacsanyi]

The USGA on their US Open app had a shot chart for the entire field broken down by round. That was really cool, unfortunately I can't find a similar thing on the Masters site. Anyway, you could easily see if someone found #10 fairway bunker this week but alas no dice.


I could see a tour pro executing a bad punchout from the right of left trees and ending up in there, or a terrible fat shot on Thursday when the place was soaked. Or an elder statesman type like Olazabal/Mize/Langer (well maybe not Bernie)/Lyle topping a hybrid or wood off a downhill lie on the 2nd shot and ending up in it. Anyway, I'm sure it happens more than we think.


I think a cool channel idea would be all the worst shots of a tournament. We have the broadcast, the featured groups, featured holes, etc. how bout a terrible shots channel? I'd watch it all the time.