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Neil_Crafter

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Nature's Bunkers
« on: February 13, 2007, 11:13:58 PM »
While researching Bernard Darwin articles I came across this image in Country Life magazine from 1954. It shows snow drifts on frozen lakes in Alaska and for all the world looks like a dramatic and expansive bunkering system. Does anyone else have photographs of natural phenomenon, landforms etc that look like bunkers.....just interested to hear and see of any.
cheers Neil

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Brad Tufts

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2007, 11:19:13 PM »
The beauty of B & W photography....
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Jeff Doerr

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2007, 12:04:56 AM »
Neil,

I was curious what was out there and came across this site:

http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/heritagemanagement/erosion/2.shtml
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Tyler Kearns

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2007, 12:08:58 AM »
Neil,

Jeff Mingay related a similar experience on his blog while working over the winter months at Sagebrush in British Columbia. The snow collected in such a manner as to persuade the architects to consider these spots as ideal bunker locations. Also noted was the natural style of their shapes.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_4j69zn1qoWc/RcZ_edex3KI/AAAAAAAAAM8/YGD4TyXbufw/s1600-h/hole_17.edit.JPG

TK
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Neil_Crafter

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2007, 12:36:11 AM »
Tyler, yes those snow drifts at Sagebrush do show a similar effect. And the erosion at Montrose is interesting too Jeff.
Neil
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SPDB

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2007, 01:05:04 AM »
There's an interesting sandpit in between Troon and Prestwick (actually to the right of but mostly invisible from Prestwick #9), that looks like an oversized version of the famous bunkers at St. Enodoc and RSG or something from Sand Hills. I admired it from Troon and
took this snapshot.
 
« Last Edit: February 14, 2007, 01:05:37 AM by SPDB »
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ForkaB

Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2007, 03:57:43 AM »
Jeff

That is a great link.  Thanks!

Anybody interested in dune formation and erosion (particularly in the Scottish context) should read that link carefully and lovingly.
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TEPaul

Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2007, 09:02:25 AM »
"Does anyone else have photographs of natural phenomenon, landforms etc that look like bunkers.....just interested to hear and see of any."

Neil:

Sure do.

There's a stretch along old A1A a few miles below Amelia Island Florida and before you get to the Naval Base in Jacksonville that not only looks like the natural phenomenon, landforms etc that look like bunkers, basically they are natural bunkers interwined with fascinating formations of scrub and vegetation!  ;)

I've been photographing that stretch on both sides of that road for years. I've even gone in to speak to the Park rangers about the vegetation in there which can survive on just about zero nutritional support.

There's even a stretch of natural inland waterways and marshes along that stretch that looks like a bunkering scheme (particularly when sunlight glares off the water) and quite a bit like that photo above of snow and earth in Alaska.


PS:

Do you notice how much that photo above of Alaska looks like the "artificial bunkers" scheme that Egan made around the 7th and 17th green at Pebble Beach?  ;)
« Last Edit: February 14, 2007, 09:04:58 AM by TEPaul »
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Gary Daughters

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2007, 09:17:03 AM »
Not the greatest picture, but the natural looking "bunkers" in the background are actually pits dug into a hillside by sheep, as shelters from the weather I presume.  (They are not maintained and are not even on the property of the course.. right next to it.)

« Last Edit: February 14, 2007, 01:31:02 PM by Gary Daughters »
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Mark Pearce

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #9 on: February 14, 2007, 09:19:13 AM »
Weren't the very first bunkers on links courses dug by sheep for protection from the elements?
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Donal Breasail

Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2007, 09:28:59 AM »
My understanding of the origins of bunkers is that golf holes were designed around the natural "dune style" bunkers that were already there on coastal links land.
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JESII

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2007, 09:41:58 AM »
Neil,

Slightly off-topic, but tied into your research that brought you to this topic...there is a book available made up of Bernard Darwin's articles through his career. Not sure how comprehensive it is, but I just bought it for my father for his birthday and would be happy to get the vitals for you if interested.

Jim
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Tony_Muldoon

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2007, 01:11:28 PM »
I’m sure it varies from site to site but bunkers can be caused by animals or wind/natural erosion.  Most of the pictures below are from a course abandoned for 45 years.  It is overrun by rabbits and since seeing this it I feel rabbits probably start most erosion.  At Brora, Bill Dow and I spoke with the green staff who were emptying the bunkers of ‘evidence’ that the sheep liked to hang around in bunkers overnight.  At that time the sand would hve beeen all warm and soft, no storms to shelter from.  I believe in most cases sheep expand the areas that rabbits start.  They also have cattle and they said the larger animals did wander into them and were particularly destructive to the edges (no lacy sides at Brora).

 

Wind and landslide damage.


« Last Edit: February 14, 2007, 01:18:20 PM by Tony Muldoon »
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Kalen Braley

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2007, 01:39:54 PM »
Well this makes perfect sense as to why Dr.MacK wanted rabbits roaming on his courses.  Not only do they nibble the grass down, but also make sure that the coillection of bunkers found on the course is expanding, not contracting.

Which course was that Tony?
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D_Malley

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #14 on: February 14, 2007, 01:47:10 PM »
here is a nice natural buker across the water from nairn & portnoo in donegal

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Joe Hancock

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #15 on: February 14, 2007, 01:53:42 PM »
Racetrack,

How far is the carry over that bunker from the tee? The water doesn't scare me.... ;D

Joe
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D_Malley

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #16 on: February 14, 2007, 02:41:21 PM »
joe
as long as you are, it is probably only a 2 iron.
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David_Tepper

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #17 on: February 14, 2007, 02:44:40 PM »
Racetrack George -

Do you have any more pictures of the beach/bay by the Narin & Portnoo golf course? Feel free to post as many as you like. I remember that being a beautiful spot.

DT
tcmnav@aol.com
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Neil_Crafter

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #18 on: February 14, 2007, 02:58:22 PM »
Some really nice examples of blow-outs, erosion and animal scrapings. The Nairn one is quite dramatic, think Tiger would need to land it on a boat halfway in order to get across....

Certainly some similarities Tom between the Alaskan photo and those of Egan's work at Pebble. If an architect built bunkers that looked just like the snow drifts in Alaska I wonder if we would be prasising him for building such natural looking bunkers? I guess what it shows is that there are different ways to mimic nature apart from attempting to recreate an eroded blow-out look.
Neil
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Neil_Crafter

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #19 on: February 14, 2007, 03:06:15 PM »
Jim
My research is related to the many and varied works of Bernard Darwin. I am working on a bibliography of his works with Peter Yagi which we hope to eventually publish in book form. There are a few recent anthologies of his wrirings and we are aware of all these. I've been researching his writings in The Times (from 1907 to 1953) and in Country Life (from 1907 to 1961), where we estimate he wrote well over 5000 artices, probably more. Then there were another 45 publications he wrote for at various times during his (prolific) career, including such literary gems as 'Men Only'.  So there's a lot of research needed to track down his articles. His books are far more straightforward.
cheers Neil
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Sean_Tully

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #20 on: February 14, 2007, 03:29:53 PM »
Neil

Do you have the book, The Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society1898-1948? He wrote the first chapter about the early days of the society. Needless to say they had the cream of the crop back then and played against some of the best in the US Travis, MacDonald, Egan at the likes of Shinnecock, Myopia, and Chicago GC to name just a few. They had Hutchinson, Darwin, Colt, Alison, and Low in the society  at around the turn of the century.

Darwin also wrote the short description of H.S. Colt as well. The description for Darwin was done by R.B. Vincent that may prove interesting, but was rather short. If you or Peter do not have the book and need to see it, we can work some thing out.

Tully
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Sean_Tully

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #21 on: February 14, 2007, 03:35:18 PM »
Neil-

oh yeah...

Do you have any access to the Golf illustrated/Weekly out of the UK. They would have a number of things on/by him  for sure. I have gone through the 1898-1905 issues and it is a treasure trove of info, but not for the faint of heart. I will take a look at what I have and share with you anyting that I may have.  

Was there any golf publication in Australia from 1900-1940ish?I'm interested in finding any Mackenzie references.

Tully
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D_Malley

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #22 on: February 14, 2007, 04:21:45 PM »
david T
here is a link to a recent thread which has alot of pictures of N&P

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=27275
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tlavin

Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #23 on: February 14, 2007, 04:38:02 PM »
Drive from North Platte, Nebraska to Sand Hills and you'll see at least twenty miles of these natural sand bunker blowouts on either side of the road for as far as the eye can see.  It looks like you're looking at miles and miles of golf courses, but there's only one (well, now two with Dismal River).
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Andrew Hastie

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Re:Nature's Bunkers
« Reply #24 on: February 14, 2007, 04:44:24 PM »


In the Dunes behind the 3rd green at Royal Country Down.
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