I think Jack Nicklaus was on to something when he had his sand “traps” groomed with special large-tooth rakes at the Memorial. These unique rakes create large enough furrows so that the ball often comes to rest in a place from which even the best in the world cannot precisely control their shot out.
Why would Jack have the audacity to inflict this hardship on the new generation of Touring Professional? Because he wanted to put some “teeth” or downside back into the sand trap – after all it signifies a target missed. He obviously recognizes that in our modern era the sand is so finely groomed and so consistent that the “save” is far more the rule than the exception to the point where the sand trap is many times the desired target when a player is faced with an approach shot from which they may not be able to hit and hold the green itself.
Let’s look at some recent evidence that supports Jack’s position (and mine) from the Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial CC in Fort Worth, TX. I captured the ShotByShot data of the three players that tied for the lead and played off and threw in Zach Johnson (T-9th) for good measure. This admittedly “hot” group found 24 greenside bunkers and got up-and-down 20 times (83%) and without a single mistake (shot that did not finish on the green). Steve Marino topped the list at 100% saves (6 for 6) with an average putting distance of just outside 5 feet. Perhaps we should scrap the term “Sand Trap” and refer to these collections of sand as “Safety Zones.”
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