Western Gailes Historic Research Study

A useful exercise is to analyse how the number of bunkers have changed over the years. The aerial acquired from
1952 is the best source of information regarding bunker numbers in the past as it is the earliest aerial of the entire
course in its current form.
As the table to the right shows, the number of bunkers appears to have stayed quite consistent and has in fact
increased by one since 1952. However, simply looking at the table does not tell the full story. There are many
examples of large bunkers from 1952 that have since been split up into many small bunkers, such as on the 16th
(pictured below). The four big fairway bunkers in 1952 had much more of an influence on the hole than the five
small bunkers that can be seen today. When looking at the numbers, it may seem as though the current hole is more
heavily bunkered that it used to be, but this is not necessarily the case.
Looking at the 16th example below demonstrates how things change in more detail. There was a diamond
configuration of four bunkers in 1952 but gradually this changed so that two were filled in and the remaining two
split into two and three. The overall number increases to five but the result is a cross hazard square to the line of
play. Those long enough to carry all five play over into a vast expanse of unprotected area.
Hole 1952 2018
1 2 1
2 6 6
3 5 4
4 3 7
5 8 6
6 4 1
7 5 6
8 6 6
9 6 6
10 7 7
11 3 3
12 4 3
13 5 7
14 10 12
15 5 7
16 6 8
17 6 2
18 12 12
Total 103 104