PerryGolf -- The Advisor Travel Newsletter


MARCH/APRIL 2003		VOLUME 03 NUMBER 01

THE ROAD HOLE BUNKER

[Bunker under construction] Much was made about the work on arguably the most famous, or infamous, bunker in the world – The Road Hole bunker on the Old Course at St. Andrews. Even though the bunker face was taken down some inches it was NOT to make play out easier, in fact, one of the key criteria in doing renovation work on the bunker was to improve its ‘collecting ability’ back to former standards. Following is the official word from the Links Trust’s December/January Newsletter :

“Normally when rebuilding a bunker the old turf face is dug out and a new one built in its place. Occasionally, however, staff have to dig back into the surrounding ground and recontour it, removing sand that has built up over the years. This build up is a very gradual process, with a lot of sand being hit out by golfers as they make their escape, usually on to the top at the front of the bunker. The wind plays its part, constantly blowing sand out the sides and the back.

The cumulative effect is that the bunker face becomes increasingly higher and, when it is dug away, there can be a deposit of as much as 18” of sand between the original bunker height and the actual playing surface.

[Peter Mason playing out of bunker] This was the case with the Road Hole, one of the most famous features on the Old Course. Looking at old photos and videos it was also apparent that the bunker no longer gathered the ball as effectively.

Therefore greenkeepers dug well into the face and the neighboring ground and reshaped it in such a manner as to restore a gathering ability from a far larger area, before building a new face and turfing the surround.”

From time-to-time work does need to be done on this historic course to preserve its character for generations to come. It is never without controversy, and also never done without much careful thought, as explained by Peter Mason, External Affairs Director for the Links Trust. "The critics remind me of the people who disagreed with us when we said we wanted to resurface the road at the back of the green. They said it would ruin the hole. We did it nonetheless and it has made no difference. It is still an exciting hole. Do you honestly think we would deliberately make a mess of the most famous bunker on the most famous hole of the most famous course in golf?"