Bunker work at Dismal River

While at the Dismal River Golf Club, working for Renaissance Golf Design I asked project manager Brian Slawnik if I could tackle a proposed green side bunker on the 15th hole.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear the words "sure, why not".  My primary duties would be preparing 6 greens and several tees for seeding that Fall but I worked harder knowing that I now had some creative license to begin the bunker construction. 

It turned out to be a tremendous learning experience in visualization, time and labor management, and handling all the material that I was excavating.  What started out as a raw exposed dump site turned out to be a strategically significant addition to the golf hole.  Illustrated below are several photos which chronicle the process.




A raw pit of sand, just waiting to be sculpted.

   

A rough start, this thing needs a lot of love.



 

A view from above shows the dramatic fairway contours adjacent to the bunker.  Much of the excavated material was used to soften and conect these contours so that they would be practical for play and maintenance.



Above and Below:  Chunks of sod where brought in to define the top edge and formalize the bunker so that it would not completely blow away in the harsh winter months of Western Nebraska.  Looking forward to seeing how things evolve in the coming season.