Your mom and dad always told you “It’s easier to get into something than to get out of it”. Immediately, three things come to mind to confirm this parental warning — trouble, debt, and prison. These three situations enable lawyers, CEO’s of credit card companies, and bail bondsmen the opportunity to earn a comfortable living.
Beyond these, there are contracts, marriages, and leases. Ever try to weasel out of your cable TV or wireless contract? Or, worse, ever try breaking your time-share contract? Pre-nupt agreements can be helpful, but divorces always seem to get costly. If, after signing an apartment lease, you discover obnoxious neighbors, low-flying aircraft, or nightly train horns, too bad for you; these are just ‘rub of the green’ in small claims court.
In golf, there is also something that’s easier to get into than to get out of, and — you guessed it — a sandtrap. Golf traditionalists still refer to them as ‘bunkers’. “Ye shuldna hit in thar” one of the original golfing shepherds said to his partner who first encountered a sandy wasteland and struggled to hit out of it. And eons later the same advice ought to be given to 21st century golfers. Pros are fearless when faced with an upcoming bunker shot. Amateurs, on the other hand, experience sweaty palms, rising blood pressure, and increased heartbeat when they discover that their ball has ended up ‘on the beach’.
Bunkers have evolved from being just small ovals or circles of sand next to a green; cruelties in the minds of golf course architects have not only increased the area of bunkers but their depth as well. Furthermore, course designers have embellished their sandy hazards with the likes of walls of stacked sod, railroad ties, wire grass plants, grass islands, even trees. Visually, an element of fear can be introduced when golfers see a bunker that has stairs or steps leading down to the sand level.
A number of difficult bunkers are so world famous (infamous) that they have been named. For example: Principal’s Nose; Hell Bunker; Road Bunker; Church Pews; Coffin; Kitchen; Grave; Hell’s Half Acre; and, The Devil’s (unmentionable). Attempting to name all the bunkers at Whistling Straits would be tedious task. This layout in Kohler, Wisconsin has the most bunkers of any course in the world; golf architect editor for Golf Digest, Ron Whitten has counted 1,012 there. Conversely, our research at Chicago Golf Report has discovered that the only course in the seven county Chicago-metro area without any bunkers is Meadowlark Golf Course in Hinsdale.
But, before revealing our list of the top ten toughest bunkers on Chicago’s public courses, here is an acknowledgement to handful of skeptics, contrarians, and Mythbusters’ fans who would challenge the “easier in than out rule”. Yes, there are two known exceptions. First, it is easier getting out of a parallel parking space than getting into it. And the second exception is the freshman class of an Ivy League school.
With consideration given such factors as escape difficulty, area and depth, likelihood of capturing an incoming shot, and additional trouble near said bunker, here is our list of the top ten most troublesome bunkers on Chicago area public courses (with apologies if your personal nemesis is omitted):
Steeplechase 14th
Grayslake 6th
Glen Club 11th
Cantigny Woodside 3rd
Ravisloe 15th
Foxford Hills 13th
Cog Hill Dubsdread 18th
Whisper Creek 15th
Mistwood 2nd
Harborside Port 15th
