[waynet]

played Havana yesterday. The absolute worst bunkers I have ever played. Better traps on $5.oo Munis. One of my partners lost a ball in the sand. Why do they insist on softening the sand? Stupid. Waste of manpower,machinery and time. Mallory today and it will be the same garbage. Hit the ball in the sand and look for your plugged ball. Yes,I have complained to anyone that will listen. Also have never got an answer to why all the churning of sand.

[jebartle]

Stay out of the traps!...giggle

[graciegirl]

Yup. Raises incentive to place them better. The game isn't EASY, you know. It is the same for everyone playing on that course that day. AND, so much easier than the original St. Andrews.


Sweetie always says, There are probably 200 courses within fifty miles of here.


But I bet Andrew B. woulda liked our courses. I read your comment.

[rubicon]

Well I agree with the OP Bad sand traps cause me to fail. also bad fairways cause me to chunk or blade a ball. come to think of it tee location are the main cause for me to air ball just not enough level ground you know.
And water hazards........................................... .......

[aln]

I had the opposite happen to me in WISC once. It was a beautiful spring day but the ice wasn't off the lakes and the traps hadn't been raked all winter. Balls bouced off very hard water and rolled right through the traps.

WISCONSIN CHEESE anyone?

[fred53]

Originally Posted by waynet

played Havana yesterday. The absolute worst bunkers I have ever played. Better traps on $5.oo Munis. One of my partners lost a ball in the sand. Why do they insist on softening the sand? Stupid. Waste of manpower,machinery and time. Mallory today and it will be the same garbage. Hit the ball in the sand and look for your plugged ball. Yes,I have complained to anyone that will listen. Also have never got an answer to why all the churning of sand.

There are ways to extricate yourself from plugged lies...I too played Havana and hit into some bunkers...a few plugged...most did not..I got out of all of them. Perhaps not as close to the pin as I'd like.

I'm about a 5hndcp and practice my sand shots. I've not idea what level you play, but if you don't practice regularly then it is expected that you might have trouble from different kinds of sand.

It is rarely the sands fault for the inability to hit a shot to get out of the hazard and it is not supposed to be easy to get out without putting the time in to learn how to do it from many conditions.

So your options are to practice, hit more accurate shots or complain.

This is not meant as a rant against those who don't practice, but in my 50 years of playing the largest segment of the golfing population don't practice and yet still expect to be able to hit difficult shot...or even easy shots consistently. It doesn't work that way...sorry.

[SoccerCoach]

I have long been an advocate of practice. C'mon, no matter what sport you choose to play, if you don't practice. . . . . it shows in your game, consistently.

[oldyeller]

Originally Posted by waynet

played Havana yesterday. The absolute worst bunkers I have ever played. Better traps on $5.oo Munis. One of my partners lost a ball in the sand. Why do they insist on softening the sand? Stupid. Waste of manpower,machinery and time. Mallory today and it will be the same garbage. Hit the ball in the sand and look for your plugged ball. Yes,I have complained to anyone that will listen. Also have never got an answer to why all the churning of sand.

I thought the traps were good. Just what a bunker should be, fluffy sand. I guess just different strokes for different folks. Pun intended!

[rjn5656]

i don't care what kind of sand, just as long as all the holes are consistent.

[pooh]

Wayne, what type of sand traps do you like? Personally, I don't like any of them....

People complain when the sand is compacted, people complain when there is little sand, and now complaints about fluffy sand. Might just be confusing to those receiving the complaints....seems no matter what's done, some are still unhappy.

Personally, I like the new sand additions, looks good. Adds another challenge to a good walk, interrupted...

[dewilson58]

That's why I picked Florida over AZ............love the white, fluffy sand. Hate being in it, but it's my fault I am.

[ednagrahm]

Originally Posted by fred53

There are ways to extricate yourself from plugged lies...I too played Havana and hit into some bunkers...a few plugged...most did not..I got out of all of them. Perhaps not as close to the pin as I'd like.

I'm about a 5hndcp and practice my sand shots. I've not idea what level you play, but if you don't practice regularly then it is expected that you might have trouble from different kinds of sand.

It is rarely the sands fault for the inability to hit a shot to get out of the hazard and it is not supposed to be easy to get out without putting the time in to learn how to do it from many conditions.

So your options are to practice, hit more accurate shots or complain.

This is not meant as a rant against those who don't practice, but in my 50 years of playing the largest segment of the golfing population don't practice and yet still expect to be able to hit difficult shot...or even easy shots consistently. It doesn't work that way...sorry.

Based on what I've seen and heard over the years, a 5 Hdcp golfer can't really relate to the over 50% of all golfers whose handicaps are 18 and above. Those in the latter category do NOT practice and should not be chastised for not doing so. All TV courses where sands traps have been recently redone have too much sand, it's too soft and it's unfortunately raked to it's thickest near the upper greenside lip. You simply don't see traps in that condition on good courses that are maintained by crews that understand golf. Can't remember ever seeing a lie on a PGA or European Tour event like those that the OP is referring to. To compare the difficulty of these soft sand traps to the Old Course at St. Andrews, as someone did, is not a rational comparison to anyone who has seen, first hand, the shape and side walls of the bunkers at that course as I have during my working career as an LPGA official. Their difficulty has nothing at all to do with the consistency of the sand. Some negative comments are justified despite the fact that many responders don't seem to understand that they just might be justifiable.

[waynet]

first,thank you Edna....It seems like some of you think its OK for a ball to plug in a bunker and take a minute or two to find it. Balls are not supposed to plug in bunkers almost all the time. That is simply a bad bunker.As for my skill level,if that matters, I am a 4 handicap. I can play the game and part of the game is the skill it takes not just to get out of bunkers but to try to get it close to save par. A plugged ball takes away all the skill of a sand shot. Just get it out. I repeat the bunkers here are bad,very bad. Played Mallory today. Bunkers are terrible.

[justjim]

First, I'm not a single digit handicapper so I have problems with most of the sand traps. However, I have played golf for a number of years and I can tell good sand traps from bad and for the most part the TV sand traps fall into well below average condition traps.

Second, from being on previous private club boards, sand traps are high maintenance. So much so that the last Club where I was a member decided to eliminate about 25% of the traps as they redone the others. The course was good enough to host a LPGA Tournment.

Bottom line, currently TV golf course management is unwilling to spend the money to properly maintain the sand traps on the Championship Courses.

[Houselover]

Originally Posted by waynet

first,thank you Edna....It seems like some of you think its OK for a ball to plug in a bunker and take a minute or two to find it. Balls are not supposed to plug in bunkers almost all the time. That is simply a bad bunker.As for my skill level,if that matters, I am a 4 handicap. I can play the game and part of the game is the skill it takes not just to get out of bunkers but to try to get it close to save par. A plugged ball takes away all the skill of a sand shot. Just get it out. I repeat the bunkers here are bad,very bad. Played Mallory today. Bunkers are terrible.

Maybe I'm missing something but if you are consistently hitting in sand traps and are a low handicap golfer and became proficient with your sand play you would be a scratch golfer. Having played with all ranges of golfers and at many courses over my career, the overwhelming choice for traps is to stay out of them but if you get into them, your chances of a successful shot from them are from the fluffy stuff and not rock hard traps..OBTW, practice helps too..