who invented the bunker on the golf course

Full Answer

What is the origin of the sand bunker in golf?

Early golf developed on links land, where sand blew across the course and 'burns' (small rivers) ran across it to the sea. In time these were shaped into the hazards that they are today, especially the sand, putting it in pits called bunkers. The sand bunker is incontestably Scottish as there is no evidence of it in any other game anywhere else.

What is the origin of the word bunker?

The etymology of the word bunker itself is variously ascribed to the 16th century Scots word 'bonkar', meaning a chest, or, by some, to Scandinavian or Old Flemish. The word Bunker in golf does not appear until the 1812 Royal & Ancient rules of golf.

What is the history of golf?

Early golf developed on links land, where sand blew across the course and 'burns' (small rivers) ran across it to the sea. In time these were shaped into the hazards that they are today, especially the sand, putting it in pits called bunkers.

What was the first golf club in America?

When Harleston Green was established by the South Carolina Golf Club in 1841 in a Charleston park as the first American golf club, slaves were used as caddies. However, the first reference to golf in America came much earlier in 1659 through a Dutch ordinance in Fort Orange, New York, which later became Albany.

Who invented the sand trap in golf?

The sand wedge was actually invented and patented four years earlier, in 1928, by a gentleman named Edwin Kerr MacClain, a member at Houston Country Club in Texas.

Why are there sand pits in golf courses?

Sand bunkers provide a psychological landmark. They accentuate the hole and provide targets for directing the golfer to a defined landing area whether it is the fairway or green. Sand bunkers provide safety buffers for adjacent fairways, tees or greens, both physically and visually.

Why is a bunker called a bunker golf?

The bunker gets its name due to its appearance, as it resembles bunkers made during times of war in the past. According to the most recent rules of golf, bunkers are defined as “a specially prepared area of sand, that is often a hollow from which turf or soil has been removed.”

Why is it called a bunker?

Etymology. The word bunker originates as a Scots word for "bench, seat" recorded 1758, alongside shortened bunk "sleeping berth". The word possibly has a Scandinavian origin: Old Swedish bunke means "boards used to protect the cargo of a ship".

How did golf bunkers originate?

Bunkers originated as blown-out dunes, animal-created sand scrapes and rabbit warrens in the pre-golf dunescapes, before they became essential components in the laying out of the early links. As the game grew and spread inland, the bunkers travelled too, becoming entirely artificial features on these new courses.

How did golf bunkers start?

Early golf developed on links land, where sand blew across the course and 'burns' (small rivers) ran across it to the sea. In time these were shaped into the hazards that they are today, especially the sand, putting it in pits called bunkers.

What does golf stand for?

The word 'golf' is not an acronym for anything. Rather, it derives linguistically from the Dutch word 'kolf' or 'kolve,' meaning quite simply 'club.

Can you touch the sand in a bunker?

The main rule to follow in bunkers is you are not allowed to touch the sand with your club whether that be grounding it behind the ball, shifting sand on your backswing or having a practice shot in the sand.

What is another name for a bunker in golf?

Bunker is the proper term for what is commonly called a sand trap.

When was the first bunker made?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary it is a "A military dug-out; a reinforced concrete shelter" and its first use was 13 October 1939 "A Nazi field gun hidden in a cemented 'bunker' on the Western front" (War Pictorial).

How deep is a bunker?

The deepest hole in the world, the Kola Superdeep Borehole, penetrates about 12 km (7.5 mi) below the Earth's surface. In comparison, underground bunkers are usually built at much shallower depths. One of the deepest bunkers in the world, the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, is only about 610 m (2,000 ft) deep.

What are the sand pits in golf called?

BunkersBunkers (or sand traps) are shallow pits filled with sand and generally incorporating a raised lip or barrier, from which the ball is more difficult to play than from grass.

What is the name of the bunkers in Dunn's bunkers?

And although his “architecture” would ultimately be roundly criticized, he wasn’t entirely without creativity: At Hanger Hill, in West London, his bunkers feature bizarre looking formations—the Apennines and Pyrenees —which, not unreasonably, are often referred to as “Dog Turds.” In America, brother Willie Jr. was doing something similar at Shinnecock Hills.

What do bunkers tell about a course?

Most would rather have nothing to do with them, much less study them. For architecture devotees, however, bunkers tell stories and, like greens, say much about a course and its past. They’re not merely functional hazards but reflections of the architect’s and shaper’s skill. Their style and dimensions contribute hugely to a course’s identity ...

Where did Willie Dunn grow up?

And though a Scotsman born in Musselburgh, Dunn grew up in London, at Blackheath, where his father, Willie Dunn Sr., was Custodian of the Links. Blackheath, where golf had been played since the early 1600s, sat upon heavy soil and was to links golf what the slow, clay-like surfaces of Roland Garros, site of tennis’s French Open, ...

Who was Alister MacKenzie?

Alister MacKenzie was a proponent of this new natural, strategic philosophy and the figure whose globetrotting helped spread its message around the world. MacKenzie built bunkers not unlike those of Colt, with whom he formed an alliance, alongside Charles Alison, from 1919 to 1923. And although MacKenzie’s Leeds, Australian Sandbelt, and American (Augusta National, Cypress Point, Crystal Downs, Pasatiempo) bunkers had their differences, they were invariably big, natural, and not only asked strategic questions of the golfer thanks to their careful positioning, but also added to the course’s beauty in a way Dunn’s Victorian bunkers never had.

Who designed Harbour Town?

Harbour Town (photo by Kevin Murray) Inspired by Dye’s willingness to experiment and follow his own path, one of his acolytes, Bill Coore, more or less instigated another new phase of architecture and bunker-styling with his, and partner Ben Crenshaw’s, pioneering design of Sand Hills in Nebraska in 1995.

Who was the most prolific cross bunker builder of the time?

The most prolific cross-bunker builder of the time was Scotland’s Tom Dunn, who laid out well over 100 courses using a formulaic style featuring a fairway-spanning hazard to be cleared with the drive and another for the approach.

Who built the hills and hollows?

J.H. Taylor also perpetuated this Victorian approach, but, at the same time, challenged it. Around 1910 at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club, nine miles west of Big Ben, he built a series of irregular hills and hollows, “the idea being to copy nature as closely as the hand of man admits.”.

What do you call a golf ball that tumbles into a bunker?

If you’re like me, it’s painful to watch the golf ball tumble into a bunker, or as you Americans like to call them, “traps .” Fear and trepidation soon follow while surveying the next shot from the sandy grave.

Where did the bunkers come from?

The bunker itself came from our golfing forefathers in Scotland. The first golf courses were built on sand-based links land, and pits appeared that they called “bunkers.” And merely getting the ball out of a bunker was an issue. They were really a hazard and golfers accepted them as a punishment. They were unkempt, were full of stones, shells, weeds, and rocks and didn’t have rakes. They looked like they had been fashioned by men drinking whisky, which was probably not far from the truth. Indeed in early exhibition games, the crowds used to stand in the bunkers to get a better view of matches.

What was the best golf club for short approach shots?

Prior to the 1930s, the best club for short approach shots was the niblick, roughly equivalent to today’s 9-iron or pitching wedge. The design of this club, however, featured a flat, angled face and virtually no sole, making it difficult to use in sand and other soft lies as it was prone to digging into the ground. Players had to pick the ball cleanly off the sand, which required a good lie. The other alternative for bunkers was the jigger; it was similar to a chipper with a short shaft, but little loft. Less loft prevented the club from digging in too much on soft lies, but the compromise was the low launch angle and it was useless at moving through the sand to dig out a buried ball. The club was also not ideal for approach shots from a greenside bunker, as a chip shot made with this club tended to roll for most of its distance. The club designers in those days were often blacksmiths who offered up all sorts of strange solutions to the bunker dilemma. The rake iron (pictured above) was invented by a Scottish optometrist who became fed up of having to remove sand from the eyes of golfers playing at the local links, and created a club designed to cast up less sand when swung.

Do golfers prefer sand or rough?

With endless hours to practice and a technique honed to perfection, these guys make it look easy. In fact, they sometimes prefer sand to greenside rough. The average weekend warrior has a much bigger fear factor and is less concerned in leaving the ball beside the hole as he is in not leaving the ball in the bunker. And the anguish of today’s golfer is only heightened as he sees the ball in anything but a perfect lie on the beach.

Is bunker play easy?

Compared to the early days of golf, however, bunker play is relatively easy.

How do bunkers work in golf?

Sand bunkers are part of the strategy of the game. Utilized in strategic design a bunker is positioned in the golf hole to guard the desired position in the landing area or green . An alternate hazard free route is left for a safe and longer way to the hole. Penal design locates bunkers to create forced carries without regard to risk. Heroic design features bunkers, usually on the inside of a dogleg, that reward risky shots with a premium location in the hole. A variety of playing abilities is accommodated with heroic bunkers.

What is heroic bunker?

Heroic design features bunkers, usually on the inside of a dogleg, that reward risky shots with a premium location in the hole. A variety of playing abilities is accommodated with heroic bunkers. Sand bunkers provide a psychological landmark.

Why is it important to place hazards on a golf course?

An alternate safer path to the hole is important, as average golfers cannot consistently maneuver a golf shot over hazards. Hazard placement should also allow every golfer an opportunity to hone their skills. A course void of hazards is boring to play and not as aesthetic or satisfying to all skills of golfers.

What are the functions of sand bunkers?

The functions of the sand bunkers are combined with aesthetic and artistic style by the golf course architect to offer a harmonious and consistent transition in hole difficulty and playability. Sand bunkers provide color, texture, depth perception and scale. All golf courses have a certain style or sense of place of which bunkers are an integral part.

How long do bunkers last?

Bunkers evolve or change over a period of time. The average lifespan of a bunker is twenty to twenty-five years, depending on climatic conditions, original construction and maintenance practices.

How does proper planning and construction improve golf course?

Proper planning and construction can achieve favorable results by retaining or rediscovering the original character of the golf course. It also increases efficiency of maintenance and course attractiveness for years to come. Upon completion of the analysis, work toward renovation can begin.

How should hazards be placed in golf?

Hazards should be placed on natural highs or lows of the site and should be visible from the approaching shot for tactical decisions. They also should be a physical and psychological landmark. Depth, height and width should vary and be in proper accordance with the desired severity of punishment for the mis-hit shot. An alternate safer path to the hole is important, as average golfers cannot consistently maneuver a golf shot over hazards. Hazard placement should also allow every golfer an opportunity to hone their skills. A course void of hazards is boring to play and not as aesthetic or satisfying to all skills of golfers. The length of the golf hole dictates the size and shape of the hazards in the progress of play, adjacent terrain and vegetation, and scale to its surrounds.

Who designed the bunker at Bandon Dunes?

In designing Sheep Ranch, the bunker-less 18-holer at Bandon Dunes, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw were inspired by a quote from the Golden Age architect Robert Hunter, who once described a site of such lovely contours that bunkers would have only diminished it.

Who is the architect of Eisenhower Golf Course?

This was the unconventional thought that occurred to architect Andrew Green nearly four years ago when he was brought on to oversee the renovation of the Preserve at Eisenhower Golf Course, a municipal track outside Annapolis, Maryland.

What did Eisenhower's mounds replace?

At Eisenhower, mounds have replaced sand as bits of greenside intrigue.

Is bunkerless golf unheard of?

Bunker-less courses, though not unheard of, are not the sort of venues that exist just anywhere.

Who was the architect who was tasked with a facelift at Eisenhower?

When architect Andrew Green was tasked with a facelift at Eisenhower, he had a radical idea: why not take out each and every one of the course’s 56 bunkers?

Is bunkering a necessary evil?

Given what they offer in both artistry and intrigue, but also considering the headaches they can cause, you could make the case that bunkers are a necessary evil. But in certain instances, you might even argue that they’re not needed at all.