In Praise Of Aged Bunkers
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From Martin Blake's story, Tiger Woods talking about Kingston Heath:
''The bunkering is just phenomenal,'' he said. ''You never get a chance to see bunkering like this in any other place in the world.''
It's both funny and sad, but the characteristics making Kingston Heath's bunkering "phenomenal" to Tiger are precisely what most American courses try to avoid: the aged patina bordering on a look of deterioration; the irregularity of the shapes and sizes; the native plant material growing in and around the pits; the use of native sands even if they aren't bright white; the exposed dirt "lips" and finally, the lack of sand in the faces.
While the sandy soil, climate and natives lend certain characteristics to the Sandbelt look that would be tough to replicate in many places, there is still so much to learn from the look.(And thanks to the club website course tour, we have some photos to enjoy before play tees off at 7 p.m. Pacific Wednesday on The Golf Channel.)
Consider the functional side. While it's a less sexy topic, function is nonetheless a fascinating component to the Sandbelt bunker that needs to be exported ASAP! Anyone who has played American golf wonders why the standard bunker contains inches of sand in the faces. (And usually a color not native to any region but Carmel's white sand beach).
The combination of the Sandbelt soil and a less vain golfing population unconcerned with Photoshopping every little bunker blemish, allows superintendents to keep the faces devoid of huge amounts of bunker sand. The floors are the only portion raked (with native sands) and the faces remain hardened sandy earth in a similar shade, though there are places of exposed dirt and bless them for not trying to cover those blemishes up!
While the elimination of buried lies in the face makes the bunkers seemingly less hazardous, note during the Australian Masters how the ball reacts when it lands in these firm bunkers. If the ball is coming in hot, a pinball effect is bound to send the ball anywhere, sometimes even into a nasty lie in the natives. The firmness effectively making the bunkers even more dangerous. Throw in the tight fairway mowing into the low side of most Sandbelt bunkers, and they effectively play much larger than the typical inland American bunker.
The eroded, weathered and rumpled "lips" are the other obvious stand out feature, adding deep shadowing and therefore a character-rich third dimension that only Mother Nature can shape. That naturalness makes what is an otherwise nasty hazard so lovable. Because even the best golfers in the world are not offended by what seems like a natural hazard. But clean 'em up, throw in full sand coverage, rake them meticulously, and the slightest misfortune becomes offensive.
That's the difference between a seemingly natural bunker versus the manmade and why no matter how broken down or dirty the Sandbelt bunkers may appear, they'll always be oh so lovable.
