Spring has begun, the days are longer, and everyone is dusting off their clubs to get out to enjoy the warmer weather. While it's great to see everyone out enjoying themselves, I am noticing a disturbing lack of etiquette regarding bunkers. Now, I know what you're thinking, "the superintendent is just mad because a few people forgot to rake a few footprints, what's the big deal. The grounds crew is just going to rake them in the morning!" While it is true, the grounds crew is going to go through all the bunkers the next morning, and rake them before play, this line of thinking misses the point. The bigger issue for me is that it shows a lack of regard for the golfers behind you. When I see footprints in a bunker, like the one pictured above, I'm not mad that we had to rake it, I'm frustrated that those footprints were there all afternoon, negatively impacting the conditions for other golfers.
The grounds department takes the condition of our bunkers very seriously and will continue to provide the best possible playing conditions, but cannot control how they are maintained after we leave for the day. We feel that if everyone was more mindful of the golfers playing behind them, negative course conditions like this would take care of themselves.
If anyone has any comments or concerns regarding bunker maintenance, please fee free to contact me. Thank you and, as always, see you on the course!
