What is a bunker in a golf course?

What is a bunker in a golf course?

A bunker is a depression near the green or fairway that is usually filled with sand. After a player is done using the bunker, it is the job of either the player or that player’s caddie to rake the area of the sand disturbed during play. Specific rules of golf govern play from a bunker.

Why do they call it a 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.

How many bunkers are on a golf course?

But in certain instances, you might even argue that they’re not needed at all. 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?

What happens if a bunker is full of water?

When the bunker is filled with temporary water, you may play your ball as it lies or take free relief in the bunker. When taking free relief, you must find the nearest point of complete relief in the bunker and drop within the one club-length relief area (see Rule 16.1c(1)).

Is a bunker the same as a sand trap?

Bunker is the proper term for what is commonly called a sand trap. Bunker is official terminology, sand trap is just what people say.”

What’s the difference between a bunker and a sand trap?

The most significant difference between a sand trap and a bunker is in its design. A sand trap is a man-made pit on the course that is then filled with sand. A bunker is also a depression on the course (either natural or man made), but it doesn’t always have to be filled with sand.

Why do I hit ball first in bunker?

– So, for fairway and long bunker shots, when the ball is at the very front of the rectangle, you should be hitting the ball first, and your divot should be after the ball. – For greenside bunker shots, you should hit the sand first, so your divot should extend before the ball and stretch until after the ball is gone.

What is the difference between a bunker and a waste area?

The definition of bunker is “a specially prepared area of sand, which is often a hollow from which turf or soil was removed.” Waste areas are not “specially prepared” (they go unraked, they often have vegetation growing inside them or are also strews with rocks/pebbles, for example) and they are not “hollow(s) from …

Can you tee next to a bunker?

In point of fact, the Rule number — 12.2b(1) — may have changed but this Rule hasn’t, namely, players are prohibited from touching the sand in a bunker to glean information about it for the next stroke. No hand, no club, no tee, no rake, no garden shovel.

What is bunker mean in golf terms?

A bunker is a depression near the green or fairway that is usually filled with sand. It is difficult to hit the ball out of the bunker and to enter it is therefore considered punitive to a golfer who misses the target with the previous shot.

What is a bunker on a golf course?

A “bunker” is a golf course hazard that is a hole or depression in the ground filled in with sand (or a similar material). Bunkers vary greatly in size and shape and depth.

What is another name for bunker in golf?

Slang terms for bunkers include beach, kitty litter, sandbox and cat box. Bunker is one of the older terms used in golf, dating back to at least the 1700s. It probably goes back farther due to another of its meanings: “small, deep sand pit in linksland” (as defined in The Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms ).

What is a bunker shot?

A splash bunker shot is the basic method you can use to get your ball out of the sand and on to a green. The splash bunker shot sees the club sweeping down into the sand just behind the ball and skimming it out on a fine carpet of sand.