Bunker (golf)

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A bunker or sand trap is a hazard in the game of golf. It is a depression near the green or fairway that is filled with sand. It is difficult to hit the ball out of the bunker and entering it is therefore considered punitive to a golfer who misses the target with the previous shot. A club called a "sand wedge" is designed for extracting the ball from a bunker, a process requiring well-developed skill. After a player is done using the "bunker" or "sand trap," it is his/her or his/her caddie's job to rake the area of the sand disturbed during play. There are specific rules governing play from a bunker [see Rules of Golf].

There are three types of bunkers used in golf course architecture and all are designed to be impediments to the golfer's progress toward the green. Fairway bunkers are designed primarily to gather up wayward tee shots on par 4 and par 5 holes; they are located to the sides of the fairway or even in the middle of the fairway. Greenside bunkers are designed to collect wayward approach shots on long holes and tee shots on par 3 holes; they are located near and around the green. Waste bunkers are usually very large and thin structure running along a natural hazard like a lake or river and are design to collect wayward tee shots; they are usually located along the fairway and are given a slightly different treatment within the Rules. Note that what is sometimes referred to as a “grass bunker” is not a bunker according to the Rules.

[edit] References

Bunker definition and rules at the Golf Club Atlas