When you think about the dangers in a golf course, the water and the thick rough usually come to mind first. At the Oakmont Country Club, the US Open site this week’s, is not the water that is destroying the score cards. Are bunkers. Specifically, infamous Pew Church bunkers. These are located between holes 3 and 4, and they enter the game on both holes. Shot Scope found some data on how the punishment of these bunkers are and that can surprise you.
Numbers don’t lie
According to the target shot data:
- IN Holes 3Players ending up in the Pew Bunker Church Lose average 1.25 strokesmore than twice the average bunker penalty.
- IN Holes 4they lose 0.61 strokes When they find pews.
- Compare it to a typical bunker, where amateurs lose around 0.5 strokes. This is a big difference and a good reason to intimidate this danger.
Then what makes these bunkers worse than usual?
The Coursedo Open Course of the SH.BA has something about it. Apart from the fact that the Pew Church bunkers in Oakmont are very large (and enter the game in two holes), there are more for these that makes them difficult to deal with.
That is why church pews are in a class of them:
- They are great. The main bunker extends over 100 yards and affects multiple holes. You cannot aim away from it; Always is always in the game.
- The ridges are not only visual. They “pews” bar blast the sand and leave players with hard lies, uneven attitudes and blocked views.
- Escape is not guaranteed. Most players are hitting something between a wedge and an 8-Herkuri to go out. If you catch a little fat or become very greedy, you are still there.
Are bunkers the most dangerous risk in your home course?
Some bunkers end up as a better place to lose a stroke than thick rough or a water risk. However, not all bunkers are created equal. Pew church bunkers are a great example of what separates a “manageable” bunker from a round killer.
In your home course, make sure you are analyzing the bunker before joining your plan to escape.
- Flat bunker with room to swing? You can still go for green.
- Deep bunker with a sloping edge or lie? Take your medicine. Just go out.
Church Pew Bunkers reminds us that the ego kills more results than execution. Trying to draw miracles from a tough bunker may look heroic, but the smartest game is often sideways, especially if the lie is bad or the lip is high.
Last thought
The benefits in Oakmont know what they are against, but when you see how many shots they are losing in these bunkers, it comes as a surprise. The data prove it. Some bunkers deserve to be avoided at all costs.
office Why Oakmont Church Pew Bunkers are the most dangerous risk risk first appeared in MygolfSSS.
