Enter the Fairway Bunkers on 15

After months of running through possibilities for making the drive on 15 really interesting, and bouncing ideas here and there, the bunker scheme for the 15th is settled upon and dirt moving has commenced.

There will be two bunkers splitting the 75-meter wide fairway. The hole is as wide as two fairways on most modern courses, and that’s great because it lets us bring hazards into the fairway and lets you pick your poison. There will be dozens of possibilities for attacking this hole on the tee shot alone. And depending on the wind, all that width with only two not so large but nasty bunkers will create ample confusion.

From the back tee, the first bunker starts at 230 meters and the second at 290 meters. They are placed a little on an angle, reflecting the bank of the river, but you could say they are largely one behind the other. In fact, looking from the tee, it looks like there is no room between them, when in fact there is 50 meters. Both are pits of about 10 meters by 6 to 8 meters wide, and 1.5 to 2 meters deep. They will have different characters.

If you play between the river and the bunkers there is about 30 meters of room, and you might be able to get home in two-shots. Playing wide to the right, there is about 45 meters of room. It makes the hole longer, but takes the trouble out of play. The choice is yours.

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Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080