A bit of a late bloomer to the game of golf, Max fell in love with the sport when he attended Saturday coaching sessions down at his local golf club after being inspired by friends and family members.

Max has remained a member of Eden Golf Club in Carlisle for a number of years now as he looks to get his handicap down into single figures. Most of his golfing career has been spent battling a permanent slice off the tee, which has led to some ugly rounds.

Having studied at the University of Sunderland, Max is starting out his dream career in sports journalism. During his time at university, he picked up valuable work experience at Reach PLC, BBC Radio Cumbria and GiveMeSport, whilst also getting work published in the Teesside Live. He also spent time working at a local weekly newspaper, Eskdale and Liddesdale Advertiser, as a general news reporter partially covering some local sport just north of the border in Langholm.

Max has just started his journey with the NCG working as the assistant equipment editor. He looks forwarded to reviewing the latest golf equipment, taking up an interest in reviews when buying his first golf club, a Cleveland RTX wedge.

With his bag not going under too many changes throughout the last few years, Max carries an M3 driver, Titleist GT3 Fairway Wood, M2 hybrid, a set of M2 irons, Callaway Jaws wedges and a TaylorMade Spider putter. And yes, Max is a bit of a self-proclaimed TaylorMade fan boy.

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For some of you, a golf course without bunkers might seem unimaginable. They can be awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time. They can be the first thing you think about when you hear a club’s name pass another golfer’s lips.

Remove the sand, the naysayers might tell you, and you lose the very identity of the game itself. Where is the strategy? Where is the challenge?

But there are classic courses in Great Britain & Ireland – like Berkhamsted and Royal Ashdown Forest – where you won’t find the hint of a bunker on their 18 holes. 

The former, designed by a combination of Willie Park Jr, Harry Colt and James Braid, hasn’t had them for more than a century, while the latter can’t. The forest is protected by an Act of Parliament that forbids anything artificial being constructed on the land. 

While other courses build their character through ingenious pot bunkers, devilishly large shapes or perfectly placed hazards, what you’ll find in Hertfordshire and East Sussex are natural contours, hollows and, in the case of Royal Ashdown Forest, lots of heather.

And don’t be mistaken. Neither course is remotely gentle. 

“Rather naively, and much like most people, I assumed the course would play easier without bunkering,” says Berkhamsted Course Manager Scott Gardner. “As a self-confessed former good golfer, I was quickly humbled after playing the course myself upon my arrival.”

Royal Ashdown Forest Course Manager Dominic Lewis adds: “If you look at the golf course, and you didn’t know it, you’d say, ‘OK, it’s got no bunkers. It’s not that long on the scorecard. It’s going to be an easy golf course.

“It’s anything but.”

At each course, the challenge is dramatically different – with nature providing the defence. 

“We have lots of heather. It’s a heathland golf course, and there’s heather on every hole,” says Dominic. “We’ve also got streams and dips and the natural contours of the land, which really protect it.”

He continues: “A well looked after, well-manicured bunker for a good player is not that much of a hazard. In the heather, you can think it’s a good lie but your club gets tangled in it, and once it gets going, once you get some life into the heather, it’s so hard to get out of.

“Firstly, you’ve got to find the ball, which can be tough, and then you’ve got to get out of it. When I first came here, I was told that once you’re in the heather it doesn’t matter what lie you think you’ve got, get your wedge out, just get it back in play and start again. It can be brutal.

“Over the years, we’ve done a lot of work on the grass that grows around the heather because, if left to grow with any vigour, it makes it even more of a hazard and it also stops you from seeing into the heather from the fairway if you’ve got long grass around it.”

No bunkers? The ground test can stand up to the highest scrutiny

At Berkhamsted, meanwhile, it is the ground game that dominates. “The severe moundings and tricky lies can often affect stance,” explains Scott.

“In some cases, the mounds offer 60-to-70-degree slopes, and their many accompanying hollows often make for a serious test to a short game around the greens here.”

Scott believes having bunkers might sometimes make things easier for golfers. 

“Genuinely, some bunker shots (with the exception of being sandwiched against a revetted face) would certainly offer an easier up and down with a more consistent lie.”

So what’s at the heart of both courses? It’s the idea that the natural environment can be just as much of a test of golf as bunkers. If you leave the safe confines of the fairway, you can find yourself in deep trouble. 

As Dominic says: “It’s [the heather] almost like a shot penalty all the way down the side of the fairway. That heather will then grow three or four inches through the season. You can have 10 to 11 inches of deep heather, which is quite penal.”

It’s a test that also stands up at the highest level. Each year, the Berkhamsted Trophy provides an exacting early season examination of some of the nation’s best amateur golfers.

While at Royal Ashdown Forest, qualifying for the Brabazon Trophy – England’s premier amateur stroke play tournament – saw the layout at its best.

“We had some of the top amateurs in the country trying to qualify for the final and we had three guys on one-under, who were the three leaders,” Dominic points out.

Scott adds: “The annual Berkhamsted Trophy is proof that when visited by some of the UK’s best amateurs, the very modest length of 6,700 yards is more than enough of a test.

“A massive part of this is down to the mounding that is strategically placed on fairways, roughs and greens, and this is testament to the original design and later the sympathetic management of such unique features. 

“The golf course often plays firm and fast due to the soil substrate with many tight tree-lined holes. This together with firm greens can be a serious test for any golfer.”

There are maintenance advantages to having no bunkers

It’s not just the strategic test that benefits from being bunkerless, there are also maintenance advantages. Greenkeeping teams at courses with lots of sand traps can spend hours and hours raking, strimming and cutting. That’s before you even start talking about winter renovation projects. Not at these two clubs.

“There is no getting away from it, when you’ve got a lot of bunkers and expectation from members, a lot of manpower goes into it,” Dominic says.

“We don’t have the daily bunker raking and maintenance, and that can be great. After heavy rain at a previous club, I would have to go out and pump out water and we would rake sand back up.

“That would be a lot of manpower to get the course open and get it in play. Whereas if I’ve had really heavy rainfall here, I can send one man out with a swish to walk around, move markers, swish tees, swish greens and that can be a course set up. In that respect, it’s a lot easier. It takes that rush out.”

Scott says: “We don’t have to factor in ongoing bunker maintenance (apart from three bunkers on our short game area) or reconstruction works, such as building faces, sand levels, drainage, new liners, sand contamination, raking, edging, weeding, blowing or switching bunker sand splash off greens.”

That’s not to say, though, that bunkerless golf means maintenance-free golf. While greenkeepers at both clubs are not spending hours with a rake in their hands, there is plenty of labour required. But their time is spent in other parts of the golf course.

“We do a lot of work on the heather,” Dominic says. “There’s a lot of strimming around it, controlling the grass with lots of spraying. We have to get in there and hand weed the gorse and stop that from taking over. 

“Luckily, we have an artisan section of 75 members and they all have their own areas of heather which they keep clear. Without them it would be such an uphill battle. They do so much for us.”

At Berkhamsted, it’s those fabled mounds and hollows that provide the difficulties.

 “Our mounds are far from maintenance free as they’re not all cuttable due to their sloped construction,” says Scott.

“We strim these once every week and use growth regulators that we apply with knapsacks to control growth and help with consistency.

“It also gives us a serious challenge to spray our greens as we have a lack of run-off areas. We often have to navigate the slopes by lifting spray booms, and it also creates pinch-point areas for walk offs from greens to tees as the mounds practically horseshoe each green. It can be difficult turning with the greens mowers.

“The mounds are visually stunning, though, just given how unique they are, and you really feel a sense of history when looking at them.”

So what does all this prove? What Berkhamsted and Royal Ashdown Forest show, along with other bunker free courses like Minchinhampton, Piltdown and Kington, is that just because there is no sand, it doesn’t mean the challenge and charm are absent too.

It just takes on a different shape.  

• This article appears in Your Course,a publication from the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association. Your Course invites golfers to gain a deeper appreciation of what preparing and maintaining a golf course really involves. Head to www.bigga.org.uk to find out more.

Now have your say

What do you think? Can golf courses be better with no bunkers? How many have you played without sand and how did you find the experience? Let us know in the comments or get in touch on X.

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Is there a big difference between the competition and general play scores of golfers around the world? How often are players recording exceptional rounds?

A World Handicap System Data Report, produced by The R&A and USGA, provides a fascinating look at the way millions of golfers interacted with the game last year.

It was put together after submissions of scoring data from 57 national associations captured 150 million rounds played by over 6.5 million golfers.

So what did the numbers say? Are handicaps changing? Are they being held down by caps and how many times did the Playing Conditions Calculation come into play? Let’s look at the numbers in the World Handicap System data report…

World Handicap System Data Report: Key findings

• Average male handicap: 16.9
• Average female handicap: 29.0
• 72.8% of submitted rounds were general play
• 83.4% were 18-hole rounds
• PCC was applied to 8.9% of scores
• 96.9% of players produced no exceptional scores

Where did the scores come from?

In Great Britain & Ireland, 631,500 golfers in England accounted for 11.3 million of the rounds, with Ireland reporting 3 million rounds (174,900 players), Scotland 2.2 million (131,800 golfers) and Wales 678,600 rounds (40,400 players).

Unsurprisingly, the United States made up the largest share of submitted scoring data of 2.8 million golfers and 82.3 million scores reported in 2025.

Other prominent associations to submit large numbers of scores included Australia (10.1 million scores), Canada (11.1 million scores), Sweden (6.6 million scores) and Japan (3.7 million scores).

What was the average golf handicap in 2025?

The average handicap index of male golfers worldwide was 16.9 and 29.0 for female players. The largest group of male golfers – 42.3% – had a handicap index between 10.1 and 20.0. Just over a quarter were between 20.1 and 30.

For females, a third of players had a handicap between 20.1 and 30, with just under a quarter holding an index between 30.1 and 40.

Male golfers made up 83.1% of those with a handicap index and they submitted an average of 23.4 scores in 2025. Female golfers recorded 21.4 scores and made up 16.9% of players.

How many competition rounds were submitted versus general play scores?

General play accounted for 72.8% of all rounds (or 106.6 million in total), with competition rounds accounting for 27.2% of rounds (39.9 million).

Female golfers submitted fractionally more competition scores than male players – around 6.8 scores versus 6.2.

But those numbers were dwarfed by general play. On average females submitted 14.5 general play scores in 2025 and males put in 16.9.

How many rounds were 18 holes versus nine holes?

18-hole rounds were still the dominant format – accounting for 83.4% of the total rounds, or 125.1 million, submitted in 2025.

Female players were more inclined towards 9-hole outings. The shorter format made up 27% of all rounds they submitted, compared to just 15% for males.

Did golfers score better in competitions or general play?

With some critics maintaining that general play scores make it easier to manipulate a handicap, you might expect to see some variation in the average score differentials in 18- and 9-hole rounds compared with competition scores.

But the WHS data report suggests this is not the case, with Competition Play score Differentials “consistent to General Play score differentials across most handicap ranges for both male and female golfers” in 18 and 9-hole rounds.

For example, the average score differential of male players in 18-hole rounds with a handicap between 10.1 and 20 was 18.3 in competitions and 18.5 in general play.

At the higher end, for players with an index of 30.1 to 40.0, it was 36.5 in competitions and 36.0 in general play.

In 9-hole rounds, the scoring differentials across those same two categories was 10.2 in competitions and 9.4 in general play and 19.5 in competitions and 19.6 in general play.

How often did the WHS Playing Conditions Calculation apply?

Remember the PCC? The Rules of Handicapping says it looks at whether “playing conditions on the day differed from normal conditions to the extent that an adjustment is needed to compensate”.

It does that by comparing scores submitted by players on a given day against “expected scoring patterns”. There are some rules. At least eight acceptable scores are needed for a PCC to take place, it doesn’t include any scores from players with a handicap index of 36.0 or above and doesn’t count 9-hole scores that are scaled up.

A PCC adjustment was applied to 8.9% of the scores submitted, with 1 shot (3.9%) the most common. A PCC of -1 was applied in 2.8% of scores, with no adjustment applied 91.1% of the time.

How often did players record an exceptional score reduction?

This is triggered when a score differential is at least seven strokes better than the player’s WHS index when their round was played.

For scores between seven and 9.9 better, a one-stroke reduction is applied to every one of the last 20 score differentials in their handicap record.

If the differential is 10 strokes better or more, it’s a two-stroke reduction.

For players that don’t have 20 scores, the reduction is applied to all the scores they have recorded. 

So how often was it triggered? Very rarely, according to the R&A and USGA numbers. There was no exceptional score for 96.9% of golfers, with a mere 1.2% of players triggering a one-stroke reduction.

Only 0.7% of golfers saw a two-shot reduction.

Within these tiny fractions, the handicap index (both male and female) most likely to trigger a one-shot reduction was between 20.1 and 25.0 – accounting for just under 31% of the total. 

For a two-stroke reduction? This one might surprise you. Though the numbers were spread out much more evenly, 10.1 to 15.0 handicappers – at 22.8% – were the most likely to have a career day on the course. 

How often are WHS soft and hard caps applied?

These are designed to stop handicap indexes going up too quickly. The maximum number of strokes a handicap can increase in any calendar year is five above the Low Handicap Index.

But there is a further anchor. When an index has risen three shots, any further increase is limited to half. That’s the soft cap. And when it gets to five, that hard cap is applied. There is much more detail on the soft and hard cap here.

Were lots of caps applied? Not according to this worldwide data. It says 96.38% of golfers had no cap applied.

Of those that did receive one, 49% were likely applied to players with an index of between 10 and 20.

To look at the figures in more detail, check out the World Handicap System data report.

• This piece also appears in the GCMA’s monthly Insights newsletter that is packed with expert opinion on matters relating to golf club management. Sign up to Insights for FREE here.
  

Now have your say

What do you make of this World Handicap System data? Does it tally up with how you are feeling and approaching the game where you play? Let me know in the comments below, or get in touch with us on X.

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I hadn’t heard much about Costa Ragusa, once named Donnafugata, nor contemplated golf in Sicily before I embarked on this trip.

So, in an effort to expand my golf knowledge and experience, I was truly excited to make the journey.

When we were told co-designer Miguel Ángel Jiménez, the ‘Mechanic’, would be joining us, my intrigue and excitement went to another level.

How do you get to Costa Ragusa?

A three-hour flight from Manchester to Catania was followed by an hour-and-45-minute transfer. It’s not the quickest of European destinations to get to, but some places are simply worth it.

Comiso Airport is only 20 mins away from the resort and is ready and capable of accepting flights when the expected demand increases. Even if this doesn’t happen, a new motorway is under construction from Catania, which will speed up transfers.

What is Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s involvement?

Costa Ragusa has engaged Miguel Ángel Jiménez to reimagine the Queens Course, while José María Olazábal will add his experienced touches to the Castle Course.

The Queens Course is due to open in late March 2027, and I had the pleasure of spending some time with Jiménez to discover his golf architecture likes and dislikes, and to find out how the Queens Course stacks up for him.

Sitting with his trademark huge cigar in hand, Jiménez exuded a deep love and enthusiasm for what he does. Golf is truly a family affair for him. His entire family plays, and his son, Víctor, is currently training to become a rules official. This lifelong passion for the game shines through in his obvious excitement for the Costa Ragusa project.

During our conversation, Jiménez revealed that much of his architectural inspiration comes from the legendary Pete Dye. For golfers visiting the Queens Course, this influence means they can expect several classic Dye design philosophies integrated into the landscape:

Visual illusion and deception: Dye was famous for making holes look more intimidating than they actually are. Golfers can expect clever angles that trick the eye, requiring mental focus before every shot.

Small, well-protected greens: Instead of massive targets, Dye-inspired courses favour precise approaches to smaller, heavily bunkered green complexes.

The “Heroic” option: Golfers will often face a choice – take a risky, aggressive line for a better reward, or play it safe for an easier bogey but a tougher par.

While the original Franco Piras layout remains largely intact, the bunkers and green complexes have been thoroughly updated.

The course will feature distinct changes in elevation, but it is fundamentally set up for players of all abilities to enjoy.

Measuring a modest 6,600 yards from the championship tips, it won’t demand raw power, but it will absolutely require precision. Strategy from the tee will be highly important.

True to Jiménez’s design preferences, holes and hazards will be fully visible, eliminating unfair blind shots. He noted that the 8th and 12th holes offer particularly spectacular views – the kind of standout holes that golfers will remember long after their visit. 

Jiménez is incredibly happy with the progress of the Queens Course so far, and his vision promises a thoroughly rewarding experience.

What can we say about the course?

The original courses were named Donnafugata, which translates to ‘escaping women’. According to Sicilian lore, the woman in question was Queen Bianca of Navarre, who was imprisoned in the castle by Count Bernardo Cabrera who wanted to force her to marry him.

The unwilling queen managed a middle-of-the-night escape, which prompted locals to call the site the place of the “fleeing women”. Hence the new course names being Queens and Castle.

We managed to escape to the course and walk on the aforementioned 8th and 12th holes. Although the turf is yet to be laid down, the tees, fairways, bunkers and greens could easily be visualised.

Like every hole on the Queens, there are five distinct tee options and, at just under 160 yards from the tips and not much over 100 yards from the front tee, the 12th gives everyone a chance and a challenge.

The view is spectacular, the infinity green gives way to distant sea views. Add to this the changeable winds, and you won’t know if a well-struck shot will find a place on the green until it lands!

I think the 8th hole is really going to be a huge favourite for many. From the tee, the eye runs down the hole past the large bunker on the right to the end of the fairway and then, the almost island green rises out of the large lake.

Elite players will be itching to drive the ball close to the green but that comes with a whole load of risks. So it’s about choosing the right lay-up club from the tee, which will then leave your favourite pitch shot.

The practice facilities are still under construction, but the plans suggest they will be first rate with a putting green, large chipping green and bespoke bunker practice green. I’m not sure I’d make it to the course!

So for those professionals looking to arrange coaching trips, it’s going to be absolutely ideal and don’t forget the Queens course will be super playable for all abilities.

What is the accommodation like?

Sitting on the breathtaking beachfront, there are two distinct five-star lodging concepts ready for luxury seekers.

The primary option is Mangia’s Costa Ragusa Borgo, a beautifully designed all-inclusive village. It features over 430 sophisticated rooms, suites, and private villas immersed in lush Mediterranean gardens. Built around the central Piazza Ibla, it caters extensively to families and couples. 

For travellers seeking a quieter escape, the adjacent Icona’s Costa Ragusa Resort offers an exclusive, adults-only, five-star experience with 105 upscale rooms blending contemporary Italian design with panoramic sea views.

Beyond accommodations and amazing golf options, sport is elevated into a true lifestyle experience here.

The complex boasts an impressive world-class sports zone featuring 14 red clay tennis courts, three padel courts, and pickleball setups, making it a premier destination for intensive training camps or casual matches.

Active guests can also take advantage of scenic running paths, a bright, state-of-the-art fitness centre, and a dedicated water sports hub for sailing, kayaking, and snorkelling directly off the 3,000-square-metre private beach.

The beach bar was a favourite of mine and was just a three-minute walk from the hotel. I walked down there early on the day I was leaving, and the peace, tranquillity, furniture, and sea view with waves gently crashing left me in a truly meditative state.

What about eating out?

I love hotel breakfasts, and breakfast at Costa Ragusa just excels, with beautiful food (in fact, anything and everything you could ever want), very attentive staff and great coffee!

After the course walk, we travelled to the Donnafugata Winery where we were treated to a simply amazing wine tasting.

We were given appropriate dishes to go with each wine, and each one was explained and described to us by the enthusiastic and knowledgeable Adriana.

Whether you are a wine connoisseur or not, it’s a special experience. It certainly helps you ‘relax’ for the rest of the day.

For the evening meal, a five-minute buggy ride took us to the AMA Restaurant. It’s situated on a small promontory with stunning views of the ocean and beaches. We could hear the waves all night as we watched the sun go down.

The hotel also boasts the IBLAE fine dining restaurant, which highlights the incredible Sicilian cuisine.

Final thoughts

Costa Ragusa is a destination that demands attention. With Comiso Airport located just 20 minutes from the resort – and fully capable of accepting flights as demand increases – access is only going to improve.

Even if flight patterns take time to shift, a new motorway currently under construction from Catania will soon speed up transfer times significantly. 

Combined with the world-class design signatures of Jiménez and Olazábal, Costa Ragusa is stepping out of the shadows to become a major player in European golf. It is an emerging gem that every passionate golfer should have on their radar.

About John Green

John was the head professional at Alwoodley for 35 years and is a Fellow of The PGA. He assists in the club’s office and pro shop and now plays more golf than ever.

He loves everything about golf except for the slow play of tour players and handicap manipulators. He has a handicap of +0.4 and supports York City.

Now have your say on Costa Ragusa

Will you be heading to Costa Ragusa? Let us know your thoughts on the changes to the resort either by leaving a comment or getting in touch on X.

NOW READ: Why Terre Blanche is one of France’s finest golf resorts

NOW READ: Is Quinta do Lago the best golf resort in Europe?

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A bit of a late bloomer to the game of golf, Max fell in love with the sport when he attended Saturday coaching sessions down at his local golf club after being inspired by friends and family members.

Max has remained a member of Eden Golf Club in Carlisle for a number of years now as he looks to get his handicap down into single figures. Most of his golfing career has been spent battling a permanent slice off the tee, which has led to some ugly rounds.

Having studied at the University of Sunderland, Max is starting out his dream career in sports journalism. During his time at university, he picked up valuable work experience at Reach PLC, BBC Radio Cumbria and GiveMeSport, whilst also getting work published in the Teesside Live. He also spent time working at a local weekly newspaper, Eskdale and Liddesdale Advertiser, as a general news reporter partially covering some local sport just north of the border in Langholm.

Max has just started his journey with the NCG working as the assistant equipment editor. He looks forwarded to reviewing the latest golf equipment, taking up an interest in reviews when buying his first golf club, a Cleveland RTX wedge.

With his bag not going under too many changes throughout the last few years, Max carries an M3 driver, Titleist GT3 Fairway Wood, M2 hybrid, a set of M2 irons, Callaway Jaws wedges and a TaylorMade Spider putter. And yes, Max is a bit of a self-proclaimed TaylorMade fan boy.

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A journalist for more than 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long.

A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A’s prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.

Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men’s Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.

A part of NCG’s Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He’d like to tell you he floats around 10. The reality is more like 13.

Steve plays at Sandburn Hall, in York, and is a country member at Close House in Newcastle. He has served on various club committees during his time in the game, and is the current Rules Secretary at Sandburn.

Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NCTJ exams at Darlington College of Technology. He began his career working on weekly papers in Newcastle, before joining the York Press in 2001. After five years as a news reporter, he joined the sports desk – specialising in horse racing and snooker – and was Digital Sports Editor when he joined National Club Golfer in 2016.

What’s in Steve’s bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Odyssey 2Ball Microhinge putter.

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Poke your head around the door of any clubhouse and it’s likely you’ll hear golfers chatting about bunkers. Only the greens are likely to shape more debate.  

Whether it’s chuntering about ‘consistency’, or marvelling over renovated bunkers after a busy winter, we’re equally fascinated and fearful of the sand. 

But what do you really know about bunkers? You might hear the pleas of a greenkeeping team urging you to rake them, but have you ever considered what it takes to maintain these hazards and keep them at the standards golf courses aspire towards? 

What’s going to happen in the future? We know resources are getting scarcer and the cost-of-living crisis remains very real. Bunkers have been around since the dawn of the game, but can they remain a central part of the golfing experience in a world of rising inflation? 

We put some these issues to esteemed golf course architect Jonathan Gaunt and started with the key question…

Are bunkers still an important part of golf course design? 

Every single client says, when we’re talking about an assessment, that bunkers are among the top two or three priority elements on a golf course. Every single golf club I advise is a golf course with sand bunkers. 

I’m currently advising The Club Company. They have got 18 golf courses and we’re onto our eighth project with them. Our brief at every single golf course has been to reduce sand areas down and reduce the number of bunkers. 

Why? Because it’s an imbalance in terms of time spent and the cost associated with those features. 

When you go to a golf course where the bunkers are in the right place, and they’re not too numerous, you can understand why they are there. But within our business, we are definitely recommending fewer bunkers per 18 holes than we ever did previously. 

That’s been a big change over the last 15 years? 

Size of sand areas is one of the drivers behind that. When I first started in this industry back in the 90s, it was a very different animal. I was only designing new golf courses. I didn’t do any bunker remodelling until I’d been in the industry for about 10 years. 

In the early 2000s, bunker remodelling started to fill out our order books. The bunker areas were significantly bigger. That was because you didn’t put liners in them, so you didn’t have that additional cost, which could (now) be £50 a square metre on top. You weren’t paying £65 a tonne for bunker sand – you were probably paying less than £10. It was really affordable. 

We built a course in Reading back in 1995 and some of the bunkers were 350 to 400 square metres – as big as a green. 

We’ve got a simple formula we use nowadays. Fairway bunkers are generally somewhere between 65 and 75 square metres. Approach bunkers are probably 40 to 55 and greenside bunkers are somewhere between 25 to 40. 

As you get closer to the greens, the bunkers are getting smaller. There is a reason for that. The bigger the bunker, the longer the shot you can play from it. The smaller the bunker, the more you are being asked to play a wedge or a sand iron. So, as you get close to the green, you put pressure on the club choice. 

Now we’re talking about smaller bunker areas, using less sand, and none of my clients today would ever contemplate having bunkers installed without a liner material. Nowadays, you’re looking at a big cost just to renovate one bunker and if you’ve got 40 bunkers you can spend £450,000 to £500,000 on a project like that. There’s not many golf clubs that can afford to do it.

Do you design with longevity in mind? 

It’s really important and there has been talk about a rollback. The interesting thing about the positioning of bunkers now – especially fairway bunkers – is that in 2026 we’re using a measurement of 240 metres from the back tee to the landing/turning point on the fairway. 

Back in 1990, when I first started, it was 210 metres. The difference is golfers, even though they’re older and less able, can still hit it about 260 yards. 

If you go to York (Strensall), some of the bunkers we put in there five years ago were at 275 yards off the back tee. I would say five years from now, some of those bunkers will probably require a rethink. So when you spend £10,000 on a bunker, it has to be well positioned.

When you’re tasked with a bunker project, are you designing with greenkeepers in mind? 

For every project, we work with the course manager. We state that our course assessments will be carried out with the course manager and greenkeepers present because we know when we make proposals it’s going to directly impact what they’re going to be doing in the future.

When we’ve got a masterplan agreed, we always get them to review our plans so they’ve got an idea of how it’s going to impact mowing regimes. 

Once you’ve got a bunker in position, you’ve got to design the fairway to maximise the use of that bunker. I’m not a great believer in having big swathes of semi-rough around bunkers. I like fairways to run into bunkers. That has an impact upon the time the greenkeepers spend mowing fairways. It has an impact upon the time they spend mowing bunker banks and surrounds. 

We propose slope angles around the bunker edges of about 25%. Inside the bunkers, slope angles are really important. When you see these disaster movies showing bunkers washed out after extreme rain events, it’s because the internal slope angle where the sand sits is just too steep. 

If you’re using a lining material with a good quality sand, you need to make sure that slope angle is no more than 28 degrees. 

That guarantees the sand should remain and will stay on the slope, even after biblical rainfall. When we’re working with shapers and contractors we always get the greenkeepers out there – and not just the course manager – to see what’s going on, so they’ve got the chance to say, ‘we’re not quite happy about this’. 

Often the greenkeeping team will come in and finish off the project and that helps with affordability, because if you employ a contractor to do everything from start to finish it’s a substantial amount of money.

How is climate change affecting the work you do with bunkers? 

It’s really important. With greenside and approach bunkers, we often end up adding sprinkler heads so we’re keeping the turf around the bunkers adequately irrigated. 

We work a lot of golf clubs who don’t have approach sprinklers – just greenside – and some don’t even have sprinklers on their tees. 

It’s astonishing to me so many golf clubs in this country have been so behind in updating their infrastructure to deal with climate change. Thankfully, more clubs nowadays are asking us to get involved in rainwater harvesting, irrigation storage lakes, collecting water, storing water, and trying to get off being committed to using mains water. 

We’ve been taking quite a lot of greenside bunkers out of play [at clubs] and replacing them with runoffs and grassy hollows. These still need maintenance but if you can leave semi-rough in them that’s an area you wouldn’t necessarily need intensive irrigation. 

Generally, we’ve also been asked to take about probably 70% of rear left, right, and rear bunkers so you just have bunkers front left or front right. That means you’re taking bunkers out of play, but you’re saving money in terms of maintenance. You’re not buying sand, and you’re maintaining those areas in a different way. 

What we recommended with fairway bunkers is there’s a fairway hydrant within 25 to 30 metres of that bunker. Once it’s established, it should be able to look after itself. 

What’s the future for bunkers? 

The cost of living is going to hit much harder over the next few years. Golf clubs are going to continue to be challenged and have to compete more against non-traditional golfing facilities. We’re doing smaller facilities with driving ranges, short game areas, high-tech driving ranges. It’s entire family, cradle to grave, golf, par 3 golf, nine and 12-hole courses. 

What can you do to reduce your costs? If you’ve got 80 bunkers on your golf course and that’s taking up 30% of your maintenance costs, you’ve got to start to think about reducing those bunkers down in number and size. 

About Jonathan Gaunt

A Senior Member of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, Jonathan has advised more than 220 courses across the world and built more than 40 throughout Europe, Africa and North America. 

This article appears in Your Course, from the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association. Your Course invites golfers to gain a deeper appreciation of what preparing and maintaining a golf course really involves. Head to www.bigga.org.uk to find out more.

Now have your say

What do you think? Do bunkers still play an important role on the golf course, or is their influence likely to dwindle because of cost, climate and time pressures on staff? Let me know by leaving a comment below, or get in touch on X.

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Did you miss me? I’m back, like a bad smell, ready once again to spill righteous invective over your morning bacon sandwich.

Much has happened since I’ve been away. St Andrews released a statement, because a singer turned up at the Old Course wearing a hoodie.

Rounds seem to be taking even longer than ever. It surely won’t be long before they start passing six hours in the majors, but the recent medal at my club didn’t seem that far behind.  

At this rate we’ll be spending all day on the course, like they do in Japan, but without sitting down to a nice lunch at halfway.

And handicaps? Well, that’s an article – or 200 if you’re the editor of this website – all of its own.

But just because I haven’t been typing, doesn’t mean I haven’t been watching. It’s been quite the year for irritations and the capacity of golf club members to annoy me appears limitless.

Like it or not, you’re going to be hearing quite a bit from me again over the coming months. But to whet your appetite, here are five people who would do their best to just stay out of my way when I’m down at the club. Love it, or hate it, just don’t deny it…

The one who hogs the practice net

I only want to hit a couple of shots – you know, a little loosener before I head out into battle. But this dude’s going through the bag.

They’ve been there for 20 minutes and haven’t moved on from their wedges. Like a group trying to avoid slow play, they’re tunnel-visioned too. You could politely ask them if they wouldn’t mind stepping aside – even delivering the missive through a megaphone – and they wouldn’t take their eyes off the battered Spalding they’re firing into the netting.

And, no, I don’t want to pay for the range. It’s a fiver for 20 balls. Do I look like I want to take out a mortgage?

The leaderboard watcher

I’ve barely got the trolley out of the back of the car and this one’s right on my shoulder. ‘Have you seen what’s leading? Not much point in bothering…’

I try to avoid the clubhouse leaderboard. Principally because I want to concentrate on my own game, not start spitting feathers before I’ve even stepped foot on the practice putting green about the 47 points which is leading the field and that I can’t possibly get anywhere near.

I know you think it’s a scandal. I do too. But let’s get unreasonably cross about it after I’ve played out of my boots and grafted my way to 34 points.

The one who doesn’t know they’re slow

First up against the wall when the revolution comes, this one makes some well-known tour players look like Usain Bolt. When they get over the ball it’s like they are frozen in time. They’re motionless over a 12-incher, and comatose off the tee.

But time hasn’t stopped. They’re just incapable of pulling the trigger. And that’s not all. If they can put their stuff in the wrong spot they will, simply prolonging the agony as they meander between their shots and their bag.

What’s worse is they’ve got absolutely no idea they’re holding up the rest of the golf course. In their head, they’re practically playing Speed Golf.

If there is the hint of a delay in front of them (as incredible as that would be), they’ll bitch like they’ve got somewhere urgent they need to be. Yes, we all have. Somebody just tell them.

The adder-upper

I shot 52 on the front. I know it, and so does this one. They can’t wait to tell you too, with a little smirk appearing at the side of their mouth as they approach you on the 10th tee and ask you to confirm the disaster of the last two hours.

Never mind it’s a medal, and you can just add it all up at the end and subtract. This is about reminding you of your place and getting your back 9 off to the worst possible start.

The pint watcher

Unequivocally the worst person in the world. They raced off after you shook hands on the last and have been stalking around the clubhouse for the last quarter of an hour.

What they’ve been up to, as you loaded up the boot, no one knows. But they’ve been lying in wait. Like an expert predator. As soon as you step to the bar, they pounce.

Suddenly they’re on your shoulder, all puppy dog eyes, waiting for you to offer to buy them a drink.

You know what’s coming, but you can’t resist. You certainly don’t want to look cheap in front of the rest of the clubhouse.

But you should fight fire with fire. Because you can’t expect anything in return.

As soon as they’ve supped your generosity, they’ll be out of their seat, muttering their goodbyes, and off to their car.

They’ve got to get back for the other half, the dog, the cat, fixing the bathroom, or anything else that means they don’t have to get their wallet out. It’s not just cheap. It should be criminal.

Now have your say

What do you think? Do you agree with the Angry Club Golfer? Are there any characters you would add to this gallery of despicable characters? Let us know in the comments, or get in touch on X.

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A journalist for more than 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long.

A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A’s prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.

Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men’s Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.

A part of NCG’s Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He’d like to tell you he floats around 10. The reality is more like 13.

Steve plays at Sandburn Hall, in York, and is a country member at Close House in Newcastle. He has served on various club committees during his time in the game, and is the current Rules Secretary at Sandburn.

Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NCTJ exams at Darlington College of Technology. He began his career working on weekly papers in Newcastle, before joining the York Press in 2001. After five years as a news reporter, he joined the sports desk – specialising in horse racing and snooker – and was Digital Sports Editor when he joined National Club Golfer in 2016.

What’s in Steve’s bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Odyssey 2Ball Microhinge putter.

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Do you ever stand over a putt and wonder whether you’re actually aimed where you think you are? Do you sometimes feel rushed trying to line up your golf ball? Are you consistently missing putts both high and low of the hole?

According to Trident Align creator Enda McLaughlin, those doubts are more common than many golfers realise.

Alignment issues have been a constant thorn in the side of club golfers for as long as the game’s been played and there are no shortage of techniques and aides out there to help fix this.

From alignment sticks to drawing lines on golf balls, there are plenty of methods that promise to help players start their putts on their intended line.

But if golfers are still second-guessing their aim once they stand over the putt, are those methods really solving the problem?

McLaughlin would argue it doesn’t and it led him to create the Trident Align.

Speaking on the Your Golf by NCG podcast, he explained how the adjustable ball marker was designed to give golfers more time to line up their putts and greater confidence on the greens.

“Trident Align is the world’s first adjustable ball marker,” he said. “What that means is that you can get up to the green, you can put your marker down, remove the ball from the green, and then as you begin your process of reading the putt, which you would normally do, there’s an adjustable sliding top plate.  

“It’s designed in two parts. You’ve got a base, and then you’ve got the adjustable slider on the top. And as you begin to read your putt – and let’s say it’s two feet outside on the right – you can go over to the marker and nudge it slightly to the left so that the centre aim line points to that desired start line.  

“Then, as your playing partners are potentially lining up their puts or going through their routine, when it is your turn to putt all you have to do is go back to the marker and put the ball back down in front of it and you’re ready to go.”

How did this putting idea come about?

The idea for Trident Align came after McLaughlin discovered aim bias in his own putting. It means you can feel as though you’re aiming correctly, while actually pointing left or right of your intended start line.

McLaughlin originally drew a line on his ball. But when that didn’t work he knew he needed to try something different.

“There were two things that I didn’t like about using a line,” he said. “One was how rushed I felt when it was my turn to putt. The other element was, when I looked down, sometimes the line didn’t look like it was pointing where I thought it should be.  

“So what we designed was a stencil tool that allows you to draw the trident marking on the golf ball.”

From first conceiving the concept in Zurich Airport to bringing it to market, the process took around three years. After receiving approval from the relevant governing bodies, McLaughlin turned his idea into reality.

Explaining how the training aid works, he pointed out: “There’s half a square shape on the golf ball that you mark on. There’s half a square shape on the Trident line marker and when you join the two of those together, and you look down from above, you see it forms a perfect square.  

“If you don’t see that square shape when you look down, it means that the ball is not perfectly positioned at 90 degrees in terms of the line to the surface. 

“So it’s about making sure that you have time to line up and have set up the marker to the desired start line. [It’s] Trying to speed up play, but at the same time giving you the confidence that once you have the ball back down it’s aimed where you want it aimed.” 

LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST

NOW HAVE YOUR SAY

Will you be trying the Trident Align adjustable ball marker? What other techniques or aides do you use to help improve your performance on the greens? Let us know by leaving a comment or by getting in touch with us on X!

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