'Fairways and Greens' is the scoring moto of the US OPEN. That same moto can be applied to our course since a stray shot can find the thickened rough or be obstructed by one of our many trees. Hitting a green or fairway is supposed to give the golfer an advantage over competitors. Primary rough grass or trees are meant to frame a golf hole as well as create a potential half stroke disadvantage. Another area that might collect an errant golf shot is one of our 50+ sand bunkers.
The USGA Rules of Golf define bunkers as a hazard. A hazard is defined as any bunker or water hazard. According to Donald Ross, "There is no such thing as a misplaced bunker. Regardless of where a bunker may be, it is the business of the player to avoid it." (Golf Has Never Failed Me, pg. 75). And if the golfer finds a bunker, again there should be a potential half stroke penalty.
Although bunkers are considered hazards, we will go to great lengths to attempt to make them as consistent as possible. Bunkers are exposed to varying amounts of moisture or wind exposure. The varying amounts of water and the speed of drying can definitely impact the playability and consistency of the bunker sand. Essentially, the size, shape and location can all impact the consistency. Bunkers around #9 green are exposed to the wind and can behave differenlt than the bunkers on #12, which are wind protected. Consistency also varies greatly in the eyes and skill level of the golfer. Some members like bunkers that are firm. Some like soft, fluffy bunkers. Some want firm slopes so that a ball will roll down to the bottom and then desire a soft lie. Bunkers definitely fall into the category of "you can't please everyone" because everyone has a different preference. Yet, we try.
From a maintenance standpoint, here are the tasks that are performed in hopes to providing a golf course with consistent bunkers.
- All bunkers should be raked with the same consistency
per that day. Due to the sand composition, our bunkers can tend to become very soft when dry. By limiting the aggressiveness of the raking procedure, the sand is allowed to settle and hopefully remain firm, thus reducing the dreaded "fried-egg" lie. To combat this problem, a combination of raking practices are utilized: - Typically 1x per week, the bunkers are machine raked. Machine raking does a very good job of removing any waviness and then smooths the base of the bunkers. Machine raking is limited to 1x per week as the machine tends to loosen the sand too much and creates 'fried egg' lie conditions.
- 2-3x per week, the bunkers are hand raked with a plastic leaf rake. The leaf rake is light and will only penetrate the top ½-inch of sand. Therefore the surface will be softened, while the base of the bunker can remain undisturbed and firm. All raking patterns are directed toward the center of the green.
On the remaining days, the bunkers are checked and any markings are spot raked. - The sand depth on the bottoms and on the slopes should be consistent. Irrigation, wind, rain and golf play can relocate the sand. 3-4x per year the sand depth throughout the bunkers are checked. The sand is probed and measured. The target sand depth is 4 inches throughout the bottom while maintaining 2-3 inches across the slopes.
Sand Depth is Checked. Target 4" across bottom, 2" across face.
Sand is relocated to the original location.
Machine raking will smooth the finished surface.
Most would think that managing sand would be fairly simple. Unfortunately, bunker maintenance and grooming actually has a greater labor impact than the maintenance of the putting surfaces, which sounds a little strange since bunkers are intended to be hazards. According to the current PGA statistics, touring professionals that are able to 'get up and down' from the bunker 49% of the time. If the best players in the world aren't any better than a coin flip in regards to getting up and down, bunkers are providing the hazardous challenge architects present.
