Bunkeritis

Moving forward, it’s time we re-think our design template to include other features that offer as much visual and strategic interest as bunkers. I am certainly not advocating we do away with bunkers altogether; rather that our golf courses should offer a variety of features, that blend into their surrounds, instead of being fed the same old score. For instance I am particularly fond of the ground game and believe in utilizing existing ground contours (or creating new ones) that can offer as much strategic interest as a bunker at a fraction the cost. This is the case at Augusta National as well as at most of the great links golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

Dr Alister Mackenzie was years ahead of his time. His design work is legendary and his writing almost as good. No other architect has designed such impressive looking bunkers and few have used them as sparingly as he did, to such great effect. The “Good Doctor” understood that bunkers are an essential design element but wise enough to know that when overdone they offer little to the golf experience.

There is a lesson in this …

Paul Jansen is the principal architect for Jansen Golf Design. For more information visit his website at www.jansengolfdesign.com