Lake Karrinyup is regarded as one of the best courses in Australia due to its strategic nature. Reputable publication Australian Golf Digest recently ranked Lake Karrinyup at #17 in Australia, stating “Long regarded as a right to left player’s course, Lake Karrinyup owns far more intricacies than a series of right to left doglegs. The bunkering style – rugged and resplendent – is a vitally strategic element of the design, as are the numerous elevation changes. The course continues to be a test of golf intuition and savvy navigation.”
In recent times, some members have taken issue with the bunkers at LKCC. Depending on who you listen to, it’s a combination of access issues, lack of sand, too much sand, and awkward lies, all contributing to discontent amongst some around Lake Karrinyup’s bunkers. It must be said that bunkers are a common complaint amongst golf members, so Lake Karrinyup is not unique. There is a widespread assumption or opinion suggesting the sand in bunkers should be ‘consistent’ and shots from them ‘fair’ despite the rules defining them as ‘hazards’. The USGA article included as an appendix clearly points out the reasons why bunkers have never been consistent and never will be. But that has never, and will never, stop golfers wishing their superintendent could achieve the unachievable.
With all that said, the Club is not dismissing the recent feedback and has been working towards a well-considered and balanced approach to addressing member concerns. Management and the Course and Surrounds subcommittee have undertaken a review of every bunker around ingress and egress and have made some adjustments to ensure there is at least one safe access point in every bunker. An adjustment to maintenance practices more recently with the increased use of machinery in the bases has also been met with positive feedback from members.
When considering changes to the course, it is vitally important that the Course architects are engaged to ensure the integrity of the design is maintained. Unfortunately, due to the global pandemic and travel restrictions, our course architects Ogilvy, Cocking, Mead (OCM) have not been able to visit the site until recently.
It has been almost 6 years since the bunkers around the course were reshaped as part of the re-grassing of the putting surfaces and like so many courses built on sand, it is interesting to note how many of these hazards have evolved over time. Sand is constantly shifting within the bunkers due to wind, constant play and raking by both members and maintenance staff. There are a number of instances where this has created difficulties in accessing the bunkers, or it has led to some curious lies and stances.
In addition, many of the grassed edges have grown further into the hazard which has in some places altered the appearance of the bunker, where balls finish or how golfers access the bunker. This is particularly noticeable where the club has focused the ingress and egress points with the use of the blue dots. As seen in the images over the page, this has created some strange tongues into the bunkers and whilst these may assist with access, they have in turn led to other problems with balls now finishing in strange positions.
It has been agreed with OCM that a series of bunker restorations are required to regain the bunkers original shape. The review has also concluded that there are some bunkers which we need to widen and/or lower the existing raised backs and edges, to enhance prospects of better lies. A summary of just some of these changes is listed below.
Hole 3 – RHS fairway bunker – Bunker edge to be lowered and cut out slightly further into the fairway to allow easier access and multiple access points.
Hole 3 – LHS green – Bunker edge to be cut lower and closer to the water hazard in order to improve access and make the floor of the bunker larger leaving the back bay intact (below).
Hole 4 – LHS green – Splitting the bunker into two, essentially joining the nose on the left and the tongue on the right. To ensure this doesn’t result in two small pots the first of the two bunkers will be extended back towards the tee. This bunker would be the larger of the two. The ground leading into this hazard will be lowered to ensure good access.
Hole 4 – RHS green – Increasing the size of the bunker to the right it will reduce the step into the hazard and allow for the bunker floor to be increased in size (below).
Hole 6 – 1st RHS green – a good example of an access point which has extended further into the hazard over time due to the concentrated foot traffic. The tongue will be shortened and the height of the nose lowered to improve accessibility (below).
Hole 10 – 2nd LHS green – Nose lowered and the back lip extended to the left
Hole 14 – RHS green – Reinstate the steepness of the wall and rebuild tongue to allow access on the side of the hazard. The ground leading into the bunker should be lowered to improve access.
The work will commence next week and be completed by September, with OCM on site through August to supervise and complete some of the more intricate work.
Whilst it is acknowledged that our own bunker maintenance practices and resources dedicated to maintaining them need to be revised, the same can be said for the members responsibility in raking bunkers after completing their shot. Unfortunately, we see shapes and bases change all too often as members ‘drag’ the rake towards the edge, rather than push the rake back towards the centre, as they exit. This in turn artificially builds sand profile around the edges and can lead to unnecessary downhill lies. Member education in this area will be enhanced and we encourage all members to take the time to improve their own practices when exiting bunkers.
By adopting the changes recommended by OCM, we hope to improve the perception of Lake Karrinyup’s bunkers for members. Our bunkering, “rugged and resplendent”, is a strategically important aspect of our design and a key defence of our championship course. Like much of the famous bunkering around the world, it is best avoided. If you do find yourself in one, there is no guarantee of a great lie or even a playable lie, but it is the intent of these changes to improve that probability and ensure access to our bunkers can be done safely.
Kind regards,
Gavin Burt – General Manager and
Chris Schrape – Chairman Course & Surrounds Sub-Committee.