Drainage Solution #3 Cart Path

The topography surrounding the cart path behind #11 green that transports golfers from Hole #2 green complex to Hole #3 tee presents a drainage problem.  The cart path sits below the homeowner's property grade and this particular area that holds water is the extreme low point of the path.  To assist in the movement of water from this collection area we installed a NDS 12" square catch basin, which drains to a rock-filled sump several feet off of the cart path.  This solution should alleviate the standing water on the path during routine irrigation cycles and small rain events.

Step 1: Address Drainage

As noted, our sand hazards have multiple shortcomings on top of an inconsistent depth and/or limited volume of sand.  An issue that arises during this portion of the "rainy season" creating the bunkers un-playable is the is the ponding of water.  Many of the bunkers either do not have internal drainage or have a faulty drainage system.  The bunker guarding the approach of #11 green has been the largest nemesis to our staff when dealing with weather events for countless years.  Installation of drainage is the first step in remedying the maintenance aspect and playability of this hazard.  Following drainage, the installation of erosion measures need to take place prior to installation of new sand.


During the closure for overseeding in October we began phase I of addressing the issues with the greenside bunker on Hole #11.  We shot grade, hand dug the trench, and installed 4" ADS drainage pipe & approved drainage gravel.  The trench was dug deep enough into the sub-grade to allow us to top up the channel with a minor amount of specified sand.  We will look to address additional bunker drainage issues as time and funding permits.


Attached are a few before, during, and after photos:

Dig Deep Enough and You Will Discover...

The bunkers have been a hot topic during my tenure here at Arrowhead Country Club.  It is gratifying to know that when I first arrived, the directive from the Green committee was to:  "Make it through the summer with the greens."  Now we spend a majority of our discussions on what in the golf world is considered, a hazard.  At the risk of deviating from the post, I would like to focus on bunker drainage.  As many of you can attest, the bunkers do not drain well after a weather event.  

After searching the archives, I found that the bunkers here at ACC were renovated in 2000 by an outside contractor.  That contractor was said to have installed "drainage" in numerous bunkers.  The bunkers on Hole #2 are included in that list and as you know, do not drain correctly.  After years of experience in construction, here are a few things I found fault with:

1.  The pipe selection.  The pipe installed was primarily developed for leach bed applications, not golf course drainage.  The pipe utilized could be purchased at any local hardware dealer and consists of a series of dual holes located on the bottom portion of a polyethylene shell.  N-12 would have been the correct application.  N-12 is a world standard, double walled, perforated, corrugated polyethylene drainage pipe with a smooth walled interior.  It is rigid enough to handle the weight of traffic and is more more accepting of water with the design.

2.  The trench width.  The trench was cut 6" wide to bed a pipe 4" in diameter.  This leaves very little room for error or gravel installation on each side of the pipe.  A minimum 8" trench should have been cut to allow for 2" of gravel on each side in conjunction with 2" below and above the pipe.

3.  The low point.  Drainage should be trenched into the lowest point of any bunker floor.  This point should be located where the sub-floor collects.

4.  Sand Quality.  If poor quality sand (containing high silt/clay percentages) is present, the drain will fail regardless of depth of sand and installation practices.

Pipe Utilized

N-12 Pipe

A Project Here, A Project There...

With the cool temperatures and our mowing frequency this time of season, we have the luxury of completing a few minor projects that have blessed "the list".  Do not be mistaken, the list never shortens.  We make our best effort to cross off an item, just after we add one.  

This past week's project was to install a drain box, drainage, and a drain sump along the cart path north of Hole #10 tee.  This area is a low in the cart path and surrounding grade, which has been a perennial trap for water.