cgkdisc
Sep 20 2008, 12:37 PM
With the advent of buncrs at the USDGC, I thought it would be worthwhile to list the various types and the reason for the spelling. Buncrs are designed to provide additional challenges for players without as much penalty as OB which is similar to the purpose of hazards and bunkers in ball golf.
Ball golf bunkers, typically sand traps, make the player play a tougher shot but don't directly penalize the player if they can execute a save. We could have similar bunkers in disc golf but it's unusual to have the money and property to duplicate sand traps by digging a big enough hole that would alter the shot type a dsc golfer could throw. Our closest equivalent might be something like a fence or hedge where a player has to play a shot other than than their more common forehand or backhand if they land behind it.
The concept for buncrs is to create challenges where the player loses distance but does not get a penalty if they land in them. Since that is similar to how we play Casual Relief, we created the name bunCR where the C and R stand for Casual Relief but still sounds like and plays similar to ball golf bunkers.
The three types of buncrs we've identified are as follows:
1) The line of play relief buncr is a marked area typically near the pin. If a player lands in it, the player must move back from the pin on the line of play to the edge of the buncr. There's no penalty other than distance. This type of buncr creates the equivalent of an artificial slope by the pin that works like a slope by the hole in ball golf where one side of the hole has a slope where a ball cannot land and rolls away if approached from that direction.
2) The fairway buncr provides a challenge on par 4 and par 5 holes where maybe there aren't that many trees. The idea is to place a marked buncr area where shanked drives might land. The player who lands in it must move to a marked drop zone which is farhter from the pin than the buncr. The drop zone is located in a position where the player will have to throw around a tree or two so the route isn't straight at the pin.
3) The special buncr is primarily feasible on layouts with a bunch of spotters such as the USDGC. It could sometimes be used within 100 feet of the pin or where the full buncr area is visible from the tee. If a player lands in the buncr, they rethrow from the same lie again just counting the throw but no penalty other than the distance they didn't get to move forward. Having spotters is important because you don;t want players to have to walk 300 feet to check to see if they landed inbounds or in the buncr than have to walk back to their lie.
Since marking areas for buncrs or OB is typically done only for tournaments at public courses, one way to provide them for daily play is to work with the mowers. Just mark where the mowers should not cut and pass the word that players landing in the high grass do not play from it and move back on the line of play to the cut grass with no penalty.
Ball golf bunkers, typically sand traps, make the player play a tougher shot but don't directly penalize the player if they can execute a save. We could have similar bunkers in disc golf but it's unusual to have the money and property to duplicate sand traps by digging a big enough hole that would alter the shot type a dsc golfer could throw. Our closest equivalent might be something like a fence or hedge where a player has to play a shot other than than their more common forehand or backhand if they land behind it.
The concept for buncrs is to create challenges where the player loses distance but does not get a penalty if they land in them. Since that is similar to how we play Casual Relief, we created the name bunCR where the C and R stand for Casual Relief but still sounds like and plays similar to ball golf bunkers.
The three types of buncrs we've identified are as follows:
1) The line of play relief buncr is a marked area typically near the pin. If a player lands in it, the player must move back from the pin on the line of play to the edge of the buncr. There's no penalty other than distance. This type of buncr creates the equivalent of an artificial slope by the pin that works like a slope by the hole in ball golf where one side of the hole has a slope where a ball cannot land and rolls away if approached from that direction.
2) The fairway buncr provides a challenge on par 4 and par 5 holes where maybe there aren't that many trees. The idea is to place a marked buncr area where shanked drives might land. The player who lands in it must move to a marked drop zone which is farhter from the pin than the buncr. The drop zone is located in a position where the player will have to throw around a tree or two so the route isn't straight at the pin.
3) The special buncr is primarily feasible on layouts with a bunch of spotters such as the USDGC. It could sometimes be used within 100 feet of the pin or where the full buncr area is visible from the tee. If a player lands in the buncr, they rethrow from the same lie again just counting the throw but no penalty other than the distance they didn't get to move forward. Having spotters is important because you don;t want players to have to walk 300 feet to check to see if they landed inbounds or in the buncr than have to walk back to their lie.
Since marking areas for buncrs or OB is typically done only for tournaments at public courses, one way to provide them for daily play is to work with the mowers. Just mark where the mowers should not cut and pass the word that players landing in the high grass do not play from it and move back on the line of play to the cut grass with no penalty.