Grass Bunker
A grass bunker is a bunker-shaped hollow on a golf course that is filled with grass or thick rough instead of sand. Under the Rules of Golf, it is not actually a bunker, so it plays like any other grassy part of the course.
What is a grass bunker?
A grass bunker is a dip or hollow in the ground shaped like a sand bunker, except there is no sand in it. Instead, the depression is covered in grass, usually rough that has been left longer or thicker than the turf around it. Some golfers call the same feature a grass hollow. Like sand bunkers, grass bunkers come in a wide range of sizes and depths, from a shallow scoop in front of a green to a deeper pit ringed by heavy rough.
They show up in a few different ways. An architect might build one on purpose to add variety to the look of a green complex or to give a hole a bit of extra bite. Others are simply natural low spots where the grass has been allowed to grow thicker, rather than anything a designer planned. A number of them started life as sand bunkers and were later filled in and grassed over. Whatever the origin, the golfer is looking at what amounts to a contoured patch of rough that happens to sit in a bunker’s shape.
Are grass bunkers actually bunkers?
Despite the name, no. The Rules of Golf define a bunker as a specially prepared area of sand, usually a hollow where turf or soil has been removed. A grass bunker has no sand, so it does not meet that definition. It is not a bunker, and it is not a penalty area. The rule book treats it as part of the general area of the course, the same as any other patch of rough.
That distinction changes one thing golfers tend to care about. In a real sand bunker, a player cannot ground the club right behind the ball before the stroke, and touching the sand there brings the general penalty of two strokes in stroke play or loss of the hole in match play under Rule 12.2b. None of that applies in a grass bunker. Because it counts as general area, a player can sole the club behind the ball and take a normal setup, exactly as they would from the rough anywhere else on the hole.
Grass bunker vs. sand bunker
The two can look similar from a distance, yet they play and are governed differently. The table below lays out the main contrasts.
| Feature | Grass bunker | Sand bunker |
|---|---|---|
| Filled with | Grass or rough | Sand |
| Status under the Rules of Golf | General area (like rough) | Bunker |
| Grounding the club behind the ball | Allowed | Not allowed (Rule 12.2b) |
| Typical maintenance cost | Low | High |
| Who tends to find it harder | Better players | Higher handicappers |
That last row surprises people. Writing for GOLF.com, Desi Isaacson pointed out that grass bunkers are often easier than sand for the high-handicap golfer but harder for the low handicapper. A weekend player who dreads the sand shot is usually more comfortable playing from a grassy lie. A skilled golfer who has grooved a reliable bunker technique, on the other hand, may find an awkward lie in thick rough less predictable than clean sand.
Why do golf courses have grass bunkers?
Money is a big part of the answer. A sand bunker is expensive to build and look after, since it needs excavation, drainage, gravel, sand and regular raking, while a grass version mostly just needs mowing. When a sand bunker sees little play, some courses fill it in and grass it over to trim their upkeep costs.
Design and setting matter too. Grass bunkers give an architect another way to shape a hole without the expense of sand, or the forced carry that a sand hazard demands. A few courses lean on them almost entirely. The Sheep Ranch at Bandon Dunes has only grass bunkers, partly because its exposed, cliff-top location and high winds would make sand difficult to keep in place, according to GOLF.com. Berkhamsted Golf Club in England is another well-known layout with no sand bunkers at all, relying on bumps and grassy hollows around its greens.
Related Golf Terms
- Tier — A distinct level on a multi-level green.
- Landing area — The target zone in the fairway where a tee shot is meant to finish.
- Forced carry — A required shot over a hazard or rough to reach safe ground.
- Internal out of bounds — An out-of-bounds boundary located within the course itself.
- Cape hole — A hole that bends around water, tempting an aggressive line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a grass bunker a hazard?
No. The current Rules of Golf no longer use “hazard” as a defined term, and a grass bunker is treated as general area, the same as ordinary rough.
Can you ground your club in a grass bunker?
Yes. Because it is not a bunker under the rules, a player may sole the club behind the ball, which is not allowed in a sand bunker.
What is a grass bunker also called?
It is sometimes called a grass hollow.
Are grass bunkers easier than sand bunkers?
It depends on the player. Higher handicappers often find them easier than sand, while low handicappers can find them trickier.
Sources
- USGA and R&A. “Rules of Golf: Definitions (Bunker) and Rule 12.2b.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-12 - Golf Compendium. “What Is a Grass Bunker in Golf?” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2019/10/grass-bunker.html - Isaacson, Desi. “2 ways architects use grass as hazards.” GOLF.com. Accessed August 2026.
https://golf.com/travel/ways-architects-use-grass-hazards/ - Golf Distillery. “Golf Course Terms: Sand and Bunker Related.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfdistillery.com/definitions/course-elements/sand-challenges/ - Kelley, Brent. “What Is a Bunker in Golf?” LiveAbout. Accessed August 2026.
https://www.liveabout.com/bunker-golf-definition-1560786
