Rain, drains, and bunkers

Well, since we posted about new drains a couple of weeks ago, we went nearly that long without rain. Then last Friday evening we received more rain in a 2-3-hour span than we did for the ENTIRE month of May! The drains work. But we also now have bunkers to deal with. Since the renovation, bunker work has been dramatically reduced after a storm, but not eliminated.

Prior to the renovation, the bunkers could hold water for days without draining. Silt mixed into the sand made for an impermeable barrier and the water could not drain. Poorly functioning bunker drainage systems were also to blame, but the water took so long to get to the drains that even if they worked it would not have made much of a difference. We would spend hours pumping the water out of the bunker, only to spend hours pushing the sand back to where it was supposed to be.

Two photos of pre-renovation bunkers holding water.

We have come a long way since then. The new bunkers rarely hold water, and usually only related to the speed at which the water can move through the drain system, not how fast it can move down through the sand. We have not had to pump a bunker in 3 years; even the occasional time when the water is slow, it will be drained within an hour.

Silt build-up in a new bunker

Sometimes the washouts can be this minor

Now that all bunkers have been rebuilt our work is reduced. The sand still moves from the edges down into the middle and we must shovel it back. We get silt build-up as well, but we take care to remove the silt so that it does not get mixed in with the sand.

This is a relatively "bad" washout in our new bunkers.
Notice how much water is in the fairway in the background.

Rebuilding the bunkers was one of the key aspects of the renovation. Playability has improved, they look much better, but they also perform much better. It still takes us lots of labor to repair the bunkers. But what used to take several staff members several days to complete now only takes hours.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not climb up the steep face of the bunkers.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Bunker etiquette

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org