Bunker Renovations

For the last several weeks we have been working on some of our more problematic bunkers that have had major sand and drainage system contamination.  As a result of this many of our bunkers no longer perform from a playability and drainage stand point.

 Here is a great video from the USGA that show some of our bunker issues.

The issue stems from the last three summers of torrential rains that have mixed soil and clay particles with the bunker sand effectively closing all pore space necessary for drainage. As a result the bunkers now hold water and the sand stays wet throughout the day.  This is problematic from a playability standpoint because the bunkers play like there is no sand in them, when in actuality there is plenty.  Unfortunately the sand is so contaminated  it no longer function in all regards.

The solution for this problem is to completely remove the sand and install new drainage before re-installing the new sand. Going one step further we will be lining the bunkers with a product called Klingstone. This product is a liquid polymer that is applied to the bunker subsurface that solidifies in 24 hours into a hard impermeable surface. This newly formed liner will help minimize any future sand contamination with the subsurface soil.

New Drainge Being Installed

The end result will be a better performing longer lasting bunker that should play the same today as it does in five years. We will be installing the newer liner technology to ten of our worst bunkers this year and use this as a full scale test as to future bunker renovation solutions. For more information about Klingstone and to watch an installation video go to there website Here