In recent weeks we have discussed how the many changes in equipment and course conditions over the past 90 years have altered how we play the game. And while the changes in putting have been significant, perhaps no shot in golf has been more affected by equipment and course condition changes than has the play from the bunkers.

The bunker is considered a hazard, so by rule a player is not allowed to ground his or her club (touch the sand) before striking the shot. This keeps the lie of the shot the same as when it found the hazard.

The conditioning of bunkers at the time of the inaugural PGA Championship in 1916 was very different than today. The bunkers on Scottish Links courses were originally dug by sheep burrowing into the hillsides. The early golf architects created similar bunkering conditions on the courses they created. These bunkers were filled with rough, uneven sand that occurred naturally, and were raked only by previous players. The grass areas surrounding the bunkers were wild, uneven terrain with a variety of length and grass types.

The bunkers found on today's top courses are specially designed and built. The sand is specifically selected and imported, and is of constant texture and depth. The drainage will allow for play even in wet conditions. The power rakes used today create a texture that is ideal for playing conditions. The architect can build slopes and walls around this engineered bunker to add character and difficulty to the golf hole.

The bunker has many uses in addition to penalizing the player for an errant shot. In fact, many skilled golfers often use bunkers as aiming points to provide direction for shots. Bunkers can also speed up play by catching shots that would otherwise bound into trouble areas. They also have aesthetic value, framing targets such as the famous White Faces of Merion G.C. (near Philadelphia).

Fairway bunkers, however useful as aiming points and catch basins, can produce some of golf's most difficult shots, requiring long shots to the green or safe areas. Greenside bunkers with high banking and steep slopes offer difficulties in their own right, challenging golfers to produce a specialty shot (one of the game's most spectacular when executed correctly) that can either make or break their score on that hole.

Now that we are in the bunker, next week we will discuss how golfers like Jim Barnes -- who won that inaugural PGA Championship -- would play out then, and how the skilled golfers of today do it now.

For expert advice anytime on playing out of bunkers, consult your local PGA Professional, who can be located at a facility near you by using the zip code search tool on www.PlayGolfAmerica.com. For information on adding Barnes' book, "A Picture Analysis of Golf Strokes," to your personal library, visit www.PGA.com.

Until next time, here's to better golf!

Rick Martino is Director of Instruction for The PGA of America. He teaches at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and is ranked among the Top 50 instructors by Golf Digest Magazine. The author of the PGA Manual of Golf (Warner Books/$34.95), Martino can be reached at (800) 800-GOLF or by email at pgalearningcenter@pgahq.com.