Bunkers

With over 12 inches of rain in June alone we have spent a lot of time repairing bunkers. How much time? Almost 600 man hours!!!!

Repairing a bunker after a heavy rainstorm involves shoveling the sand that has washed from the face to the bottom of the bunker back to the face.

As can be seen in the above photo the water is not draining in the bottom of this bunker. Silt, rocks and other material which are located below the sand are washed to the bottom of the bunker causing the stoppage of water from moving through the sand to the drain lines underneath.  This material then needs to be scooped up and hauled away as part of the bunker repair process. Including practice areas we have over 100 bunkers at Fieldstone. Needless to say a lot of time is spent on an area of the course that is considered a hazard by the Rules of Golf.

A newer, different type of bunker drainage system was installed in the recently constructed practice fairway bunker. The entire bottom is installed with gravel then a polymer is sprayed on top of the gravel that allows water through but the sand to stay on top and the silt, rocks, etc to not come up into the sand from below.

Here are pictures after the last heavy rainfall with this bunker drainage system.

Only some minor washouts that can be fixed in a matter of minutes with zero contamination. This system is called the Better Billy Bunker and is guaranteed for 10 years. Compared to the average bunker lifespan of 5-7 years.