Tying in Bunkers Across Different Holes

[Michael Chadwick]

While walking down hole 1's fairway at Crystal Downs, I came across an angle on which bunkers from 1, 2, behind 6 green, and 4 appeared to be draped in a straight line, tying in nicely with each other.





I took the photo since I thought it was beautiful, but now I'm more curious as to what function--if any--that "line" has. Clearly for me it had instinctual aesthetic value, but is there more going on? Did the subtle roll in that line make for a good divider between holes for MacKenzie and Maxwell, one that they demarcated more clearly by manufacturing hazards along it? It doesn't appear to be an example of prototypical MacKenzie forced perspective; any optical illusions of distance or size are besides the point, since this isn't a line on which a shot would be played.




On 17 tee is another example. Framed beyond the right green side bunker is the fairway carry bunker of the iconic 5th. Beautifully tied in yet again, but is there any other purpose? Does there even need to be? Not all elements need be strategic, right? 





Bunkers (or hazards in general) tied across holes aren't something I go out of my way to notice. The only other example that comes to mind, though I think it's a very effective one, is at Oakland Hills South. From 10 tee, as the eye tries to sort out where a drive ought to be placed, the forced perspective of the bunkering on hole 17 makes it seem as if those sandy areas are all in play on the 10th. They appear close, possibly in range even, despite the fact that they're 450+ yards away! Yet their visual presence can distract you from the thickest area of fairway along the center and left, and instead lead you into playing a ball further to the right, which can result in a partially blind approach.   







Tying in bunkers between fairways and green sides on the same holes is a characteristic of many architects past and present. But achieving that across different holes may warrant more discussion.


What are some good examples that come to mind for you?


And what rationale would you give for their being tied in? 

[Brett Hochstein]

This effect/feature is fairly common on MacKenzie courses, often referred to as "layering" of bunkers. Meadow Club has it prominently, Pasatiempo too in places (especially in the older days), and Claremont's par 3 3rd aligns right up with distant fairway bunkers on the 4th and 5th across a road.


Crystal Downs is an interesting case, as I don't know how much MacKenzie was really the one laying that out versus Maxwell or construction associate (or things just working our serendipitously). Could be direct instruction, or indirect influence.  I don't know exactly, but I'd sure be curious to hear from Doak, DeVries and others who specifically know more about the course's design and construction history.


It's a great technique and feature though and really can add to the feel of a place. In this day and age, it's really more about that and aesthetics--creating a bigger overall bunker composition for the whole property, not just that of the hole you are on.  To some extent it can still mess with depth perception, but with modern tech and exact yardages readily available by rangefinder or phone apps, the effect is less than it used to be (which is a shame, IMO). 


Lots of modern designers have used it and actively think about it. At some places I'm familiar with:  Mike DeVries spent extra time adding and working the bunkers on 7 and 8 at Kingsley Club for the view from high on 7 tee.  Gil and the crew did effective subtle work to make the fairway bunker on 18 at Lake Merced feel like a rear bunker on 14 (despite ~30 yards of space in between).  And at Orinda Todd Eckenrode had us knock out a bunch of mounding behind 2 green and beef up the bunkering on 4 to make the greens and features feel connected despite a long (~100 yds) deep bowl between them.


It's a feature that I really like and will certainly work very hard to implement on a future design whenever given the site and opportunity.

[Tom_Doak]

We have done this kind of thing a fair amount over the years.


Regarding Crystal Downs specifically, not much is known about the construction of the course, but I did have lunch in 1986 with an old superintendent who had actually worked on the construction crew as a young man.  It was from him I learned that Dr. MacKenzie was back on site briefly during the construction of the front nine [he remembered they were building the 7th green] and that Perry Maxwell spent two full summers there.


I asked what Maxwell did every day and the gentleman replied that he was constantly walking around and looking at whatever feature the crew was building from all sorts of angles, including from other holes in the distance.  In hindsight, that's a pretty good description of what I do with a lot of my days, too.


At the time the front nine was constructed, the 17th hole was still wooded, so I imagine that the bunkers on #5 and #7 [you can also see the green side bunker on #7 to the left of the 17th green] were enlarged to look appropriately in scale from #17.  And it would have had to be Maxwell rather than MacKenzie who did that.  But, generally, the layering of bunkers is more a MacKenzie thing than a Maxwell thing, because Maxwell didn't build a lot of fairway bunkers.

[Brett Hochstein]

We have done this kind of thing a fair amount over the years.


Regarding Crystal Downs specifically, not much is known about the construction of the course, but I did have lunch in 1986 with an old superintendent who had actually worked on the construction crew as a young man.  It was from him I learned that Dr. MacKenzie was back on site briefly during the construction of the front nine [he remembered they were building the 7th green] and that Perry Maxwell spent two full summers there.


I asked what Maxwell did every day and the gentleman replied that he was constantly walking around and looking at whatever feature the crew was building from all sorts of angles, including from other holes in the distance.  In hindsight, that's a pretty good description of what I do with a lot of my days, too.


At the time the front nine was constructed, the 17th hole was still wooded, so I imagine that the bunkers on #5 and #7 [you can also see the green side bunker on #7 to the left of the 17th green] were enlarged to look appropriately in scale from #17.  And it would have had to be Maxwell rather than MacKenzie who did that.  But, generally, the layering of bunkers is more a MacKenzie thing than a Maxwell thing, because Maxwell didn't build a lot of fairway bunkers.

Awesome anecdote--thanks for sharing. Incredible to imagine being there in those days with those processes and people. I wonder just how much work 7 green was versus how much it was "found."  Interesting too that 7 was singled out, as it has the biggest sort of "shaped" contours more in line with other MacKenzie designs compared to the more subtle internal stuff/big pitched slopes that seem more in line with Maxwell.

[Rory Connaughton]

11/17 Stonewall North