Bunker Etiquette

It's hard to believe, with snow on the ground, that the 2014 golf season is just around the corner.  Soon the grass will start coming out of dormancy and the course will start filling up with golfers.  With this in mind, I wanted to spend just a few minutes talking about bunker etiquette.  In my opinion, the golfer has the biggest impact on how a bunker will play each day.  The grounds staff hand rakes the bunkers each morning, but after that, the playing condition of each bunker is up to the golfer.  The old course etiquette adage "Leave the golf course as you found it" definitely holds true regarding bunkers.  As a courtesy to all golfers, please rake your footprints out after you play your shot.  This will have an immediate positive impact on the playability of the bunkers.  

Notice how his back foot digs in

Also, over the past couple of years, I've noticed a sharp increase in the number of golfers exiting bunkers toward the green, which is usually has the steepest slope.  Not only is this dangerous from a safety perspective, it has a direct negative impact on the bunker itself.  Climbing up the steep slopes of the bunker can cause the sub-grade, and drainage materials, underneath the sand to become compromised.  Once the drainage is disturbed, considerable labor and materials are needed to make the necessary repairs.  Stepping on the bunker noses also causes them to erode and the bunker lip can get damaged.  We please ask that everyone enter/exit the bunkers on the low side, usually opposite of the green.  Each morning, the grounds staff will place bunker rakes near entry/exit points to encourage proper access.  

With your assistance, we can keep the bunkers the best condition possible.