Revetted Bunkers: What They Are and Why the Open Uses Them

Reading time: 4 min

Why Open Bunkers Look Different

If you’ve watched the British Open Championship, you’ve seen it: bunkers that seem to swallow golf balls from every angle, with faces that look like green vertical walls. American courses rarely have them, and the difference matters — especially when you’re standing in one with a wedge in your hand.

The bunkers on the Open rota are older than most of the players. They were built with a philosophy the U.S. lost somewhere between the 1970s and the invention of the Skytrak. Here’s the thing nobody talks about: those revetted faces aren’t just for show. They’re a tactical decision about how a course should play.

What Is a Revetted Face?

A revetted face is a bunker wall built from stacked layers of sod — living turf cut from the course and laid brick-style to create a steep, firm face. This construction method strengthens the bunker, prevents erosion, and forces the player to contend with a near-vertical obstacle.

I’ve played that shot a thousand times. You can’t just blast out. The ball has to go upward first, then forward. Get too steep with the club and you’ll leave it in the face. Too shallow and it skims the top into the lip. Bobby Jones figured this out in 1928 when he played the Old Course the first time.

How They’re Built

Sod is laid one strip on top of another, like bricks, but with the grass side facing the interior of the bunker. The result is a wall that ranges anywhere from knee-high to chest-high, depending on the type of bunker. Greenside traps at St. Andrews or Royal Birkdale often have the steepest revetted faces.

The rest of the bunker is left open. No turf wall. Just grass sloping into sand. Balls roll in from the fairway or rough, and once they land, they rarely roll out. The trap gobbles up bad shots and fair ones that misjudge the wind.

Walk the course. You’ll understand why that matters. On a windy links, a ball that lands ten feet left of a bunker can trickle in. That’s not a tip — that’s a truth. It’s how the game was meant to be played.

Why the Open Sticks with Revetted Faces

The R&A doesn’t chase gimmicks. The revetted face has been part of the championship since the earliest Opens at Prestwick and Musselburgh. It creates a shot that demands precision:

• Height and spin: You need enough loft to clear the face, but enough spin to hold the green.
• Club selection: A sand wedge from 80 yards with a 4-foot face? That’s a different club than the same shot from a flat bunker.
• Psychological edge: Seeing that wall of turf as you walk into the bunker changes your approach. Suddenly, that “easy” chip gets complicated.

The game doesn’t owe you anything. That includes easy outs. The revetted face reminds us of that.

The Difference from American Bunkers

Look at any modern PGA Tour event — Bellerive, Sawgrass, Muirfield Village. Most bunkers have moderate slopes, often with grass faces that blend smoothly into the sand. They’re designed so good players can nearly always get out clean. Not so across the pond.

American bunkering started shifting in the 1990s toward aesthetics and playability. Links revetted faces stay penal. They preserve the original intent: a hazard that punishes poor shots and demands respect from every one.

If you ever play a links during an Open week, you’ll feel what I mean. You step into that bunker, the face looms in front of you, and you know you’d better hit a perfect shot or settle for bogey. That’s the soul of the game.