Bunker sand additions

It is hard to believe that the first round of holes completed for the Master Plan are already 10 years old, and the most recently completed are 6 years old. Of all the work done, bunkers are the feature that can age, deteriorate and change the most, and must be properly maintained at a much more frequent interval.

We have already been around the entire course and renovated every bunker since each was built during the Master Plan timeframe. We remove all the old sod, scrape any accumulated sand along the edges, redefine the original shape, and lay fresh sod. You can read and see the process here. We have 69 bunkers on the course, and all have been through this process over the last 10 years, some more than once already.

Part of the issue that forces these renovations is the escape of sand from inside the bunker to the outside. Wind, water, golfers, and the Grounds staff all contribute to sand being lost from the bunker. These are all unavoidable results of bunkers maturing and being used. We replace the sod and reshape the edges to maintain the integrity of the bunker, but we also must work to replace the sand within the bunker itself. This too is an ongoing process- we replace sand every year- more so in greenside bunkers than in fairways. However, with the increased play we have seen over the last few years, as well as the age of the bunkers, we are more aggressively refilling fairway bunkers this season.

Starting last fall, we began working to get the depth of sand back up to a consistent standard across all the fairway bunkers. 2-3 times per year we check all the bunker sand depth in every bunker and adjust accordingly- moving sand around from where there is too much to where more is needed. But we also must simply add more new sand into the entire bunker. This is what we are working on now. Depending on the size of the bunker, we are adding 10-20 cart loads of sand each. It has taken us several months, and 6 truckloads of sand thus far, but we are down to our last handful of bunkers, and last two or three truckloads of sand.

Unfortunately, new sand is never the same firmness as the old sand. The old sand has matured in place, been compacted by equipment and settled over time, and has small amounts of finer material mixed in. So, the fresh sand on top can feel very loose, and can even seem like completely different sand. However, we are using the same sand as what is existing in the bunkers, and the softness is temporary. With time, and more compacting to come from the Grounds department, the new sand will firm up and match the existing sand.

Bunkers have a lifespan. Reshaping and adding sand are two key aspects of maintaining bunkers and making sure that they don’t deteriorate to the point of having to be rebuilt sooner than expected.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes inside the bunker once you are finished.

 

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

Golf Cart tips

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org