As a child, sandboxes and sandy beaches were always one of the most exciting places to play during the long summer months. However, even with all the happy childhood memories, there is one place where you will learn to hate sand…. the golf course.
2023 U.S. OPEN
This Thursday through Sunday, California will host the 123rd U.S. Open at the famous Los Angeles Country Club (LACC) North Course in Los Angeles, California. This year, 156 golfers will compete at one of the most difficult, and secretive courses in the U.S. with hopes of taking home the title.
Since its creation in 1895, The U.S. Open has been one of the most prestigious events in U.S. golf history. Winning the tournament ensures the player’s spot in the next 10 Opens as well as a multimillion-dollar prize purse. Notable participants this year include Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland, Dustin Johnson, and Collin Morikawa, to name a few!
Golf Course Architect George C. Thomas
The LACC North Course opened in 1927 and was designed by famous golf course architect, George C. Thomas. To Thomas, bunkers were more than a pit of sand. Bunkers, more commonly known as sand traps, were first incorporated into early games of golf when the course’s environmental conditions caused sand to blow around the fairways. Now, course architects strategically place them to act as hazards to challenge players.
Course admirers called Thomas’ bunker designs “simple, yet beautiful” and applauded his clever use of sand as not only a hazard but also as a visual element.
While some of Thomas’ bunkers were changed in the course’s 2010 restoration, his designs have changed the way courses and players alike look at sand.
High-Quality Bunker Sand is Essential for Golf Courses
Sand and other aggregates such as rock are essential in construction and infrastructure projects. For nearly 50 years, the team at U.S. Aggregates has been producing high-quality aggregates that are used for projects that range from interstate highways to golf courses.
Additionally, we engineer our products to get the most out of the resource and to be as sustainable as possible. At US Aggregates, we are committed to being good stewards of our resources and actively work to reduce our impact on the environment, eliminate waste, reduce power usage, and deploy progressive reclamation projects. These core beliefs make us one of the most reliable aggregate producers in the Midwest.
For more than 50 years, US Aggregates has been producing natural rock resources that are needed in just about everything, including golf course bunkers. Bunker sand is a special gradation and color that isn’t widely available across many states. There are a couple of different tests that bunker sand needs to meet to be considered premium bunker sand. To achieve consideration as a premium product, certain production processes when followed, creates sand that has excellent drainage properties, while also preventing washouts, staying in place during and after heavy rains. These benefits help ensure courses continue to be beautiful to look at in person and on television, and courses don’t have to continually reinvest in bunker sand after heavy rains to replace sand lost.
US Aggregate has provided golf trap sand for 28 courses across the Midwest, and most recently the company placed 1,500 tons of bunker sand at Fox Prairie Golf Course in Noblesville, Indiana. Fox Prairie is a top public facility in central Indiana and features sand traps on 27 championship holes.
The next time you are out on the golf course and your ball lands in the bunker, instead of marking an extra stroke on your card, take a moment to look down and ask yourself, “Where did this sand come from?”
For more information about our Golf Trap Sand, visit this page on our website: https://usagg.com/products/golf-trap-sand/
For more information about other US Aggregate products, visit: https://usagg.com/products/?categories=50
Pictures shown above include:
- Los Angeles Country Club, Hole 12. (Credits: John Mummert/USGA)
- Collin Morikawa chipping out of a sand trap at 2023 Masters (Credits: Matt Slocum/Associated Press)
- Patrick Cantlay chipping out of a sand trap at 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Credits: John Raoux/Associated Press)
- Close-up view of US Aggregates Golf Trap Sand (usagg.com)
- Drone footage of Fox Prairie Golf Course located in Noblesville, IN
- Equipment and aggregate pictures from across the US Aggregate network
Sources:
https://www.sbnation.com/golf/2023/6/13/23758426/us-open-los-angeles-country-club-par-3s
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-22-ss-505-story.html
https://www.golfdigest.com/places-to-play/ca/los-angeles-country-club-north
https://www.golfmonthly.com/us-open/5-perks-of-winning-the-us-open-236414
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-22-ss-505-story.html
