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Why fewer bunkers should be the future
FOR GOLF CLUBS
P
erhaps the phrase ‘shock and awe’ was really meant for what Bryson DeChambeau did to Winged Foot during September’s US Open. In dismantling the historic venue with a bludgeoning straight driver and scant regard for the USGA’s feared rough, the ‘Scientist’ once again ignited the debate over distance and how far the ball goes. And while what goes on at the elite level may not immediately be apparent to those of us whose play never threatens such stratospheric levels, the calls from clubs to relocate hazards and alter teeing areas hasn’t halted since the
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days Tiger Woods first forced the game into a radical rethink about length. But what does this current fad mean for the future of the game, both at the top level and for those wondering how it might filter further down the food chain? And what are the pressing issues for clubs considering their own golf course renovation projects? Golf course architect Marc Westenborg has consulted for more than 100 courses, including designing the likes of Rockliffe Hall, which has hosted the English Senior Open on two occasions, and the 27-hole Dun Laoghaire in Ireland, which hosted the Curtis
Cup in 2016. Other new builds include Cobh, Carrick-on-Shannon and Gorsty Hill. He’s completed acclaimed projects at some of Britain’s most venerable existing golf clubs – such as Southport & Ainsdale, Ipswich (Purdis Heath), Moor Park and West Herts in the UK, Dooks, Cork HC and Blainroe in Ireland, Tat Beach in Turkey and The Hong Kong Golf Club. So, with a background steeped in the highest levels of course design, we asked him to consider two of the hottest topics in the game today – distance and bunkers – and give his views on what could be in store.
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