Part 2 - How Deep Should Fairway Bunkers Be?

By: Jeffrey D. Brauer


Again, there are no rules, save general ones. And, it is always the exceptions that are exceptional, so we don't want to adhere to closely to any set rule. Besides, fairway bunkers need to fit the topography and look best if they sit naturally.

However, if we set a certain design consideration, then in cases where we are building a bunker on reasonably flat ground we can use those considerations to implement a bunker that most players will like.

One difference between sand bunkers and water or trees is that they don't automatically cause a lost ball, penalty stroke or chip out; i.e., a guaranteed loss of a full stroke. Some of the most exciting shots we recall are good to spectacular recovery shots, so it makes sense to build most fairway bunkers with a bunker depth, angle and lip height that will normally allow them to reach the green from the bunker.

This has led to the design axioms covered previously, such as "the longer the distance to the green, the shallower the fairway bunker." I once answered a shaper who asked how deep to make the fairway bunkers: "One foot deep per expected club"; i.e., 2 feet deep for a 2-iron, 5 feet deep for a 5-iron, and 9 feet deep for a 9-iron. Since every golfer hits different clubs to the green, it pays to estimate conservatively! A senior may have a 4-iron to the green while the club champ is hitting a 7.

As always, the devil is in the details. The real key is to make the bunker slope facing the green just less than the launch angle of the typical club used to assure a well-struck shot will clear the lip. Of course, in a free-form shape, there will be variations, and we must assume that the concave shape of the bunker will minimize the number of balls landing just under the front lip.

While there is some variation among club makers, the typical lofts of various irons are shown below, and the corresponding maximum slopes just shallower than the launch angle:

1-iron - 10 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 20% - (5 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

2-iron - 14 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 28% - (3.6 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

3-iron/fairway metal equivalent- 18 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 36% - (2.7 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

4-iron/fairway metal equivalent- 22 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 44% - (2 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

5-iron/ fairway metal equivalent - 26 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 52% - (1.9 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

6-iron - 30 degrese - Sand/Turf slope max. 60% - (1.67 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

7-iron - 34 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 68% - (1.47 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

8-iron - 38 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 76% - (1.31 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

9-iron - 42 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 84% - (1.2 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

Wedge - 46 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 92% - (1.1 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

Gap Wedge - 50 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 100% - (1 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

Sand Wedge - 54 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 20% - (1 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

Lob Wedge - 58 degrees - Sand/Turf slope max. 20% - - (1 to 1 ratio horizontal/vertical)

Typically, sand bunkers max out at about a 25- to 30-percent slope, suggesting that bunkers designed for a long-iron might be all sand. Turf banks can be a bit steeper (up to 1 to 1 or 100 percent) and, perhaps on shorter holes, the ridge height is determined using a combination of sand and steep-grass banks.

Jeffrey D. Brauer began his career as an apprentice in the Chicago area in 1977. His first project was Kemper Lakes, which shortly after hosted the 1989 PGA Championship. He formed GolfScapes in Arlington, Texas, in 1984. In the last 29 years he has designed and consulted on a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from partial renovations to international resorts. His recent work includes teaming with the design team of Pascuzzo and Pate on a remodel of the world-famous La Costa Resort & Spa in California, and renovations at Superior National Golf Course in Lutsen, Minn., and Mesquite Municipal Golf Course in Mesquite, Texas.

He has been a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects since 1981, serving as President during its 50th Anniversary year in 1995-96. Jeff still studies the classic works - both old and new, and has played more than 75 of the best courses in the world.

Jeff gives many presentations and is a regular architecture columnist for many publications and websites, including Golf Course Industry and Cybergolf.com. He has also been a strong advocate for the "Tee it Forward" campaign and strives to make his courses fit the description of "fun to play every day."

Jeff's work has been spotlighted in most of the world's major golf magazines. Golf World ranked him as one of the top-20 golf course architects and Golf Inc. ranked him as the world's fourth-best value in golf architecture in 2010. Jeff's portfolio and reputation keep him at the forefront of desired designers for new courses, reconstruction and renovation projects. For more about Jeff, visit http://www.jeffreydbrauer.com/sites/courses/layout.asp?id=859&page=48451.