From the Clubhouse: Have we gone soft on bunkers?

Did you feel sorry for the stars flailing around in Hoylake's bunkers at The Open? No, the From the Clubhouse team of Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll didn't either. 

For a brief period on Thursday, the sand was truly a hazard again in professional golf. For those of us at our clubs, used to hacking about and struggling to get out, it was magical.

Then the R&A changed the way they were raked, the players stopped moaning, and normality returned. But should it? Steve and Tom discuss the golf bunker, whether jeopardy is a big part of the risk of going into one, and whether the expectation of a consistent roll and a well-raked surface is what golf should be all about. 

It'll get some of your heckles up and, while we're on the subject of controversy, Steve is advocating a change to the penalty for stroke-and-distance that is bound to start a debate. So strap in and get listening!

From the Clubhouse is a National Club Golfer podcast produced in association with TaylorMade Golf