cart paths

[Mike McGuire]

Our private club is considering a paved path thru the entire course.  This would allow the course to be utilized by riders during wet periods. The club has a few monday outings which help the bottom line. I understand most of you have a disdain for carts but current rider to walker ratio is 80/20.

Please help with arguments against the cart path or if it is inevitable common pitfalls to be avoided.

Thanks

[A_Clay_Man]

The only thing worse than the paths themselves, are the mounds usually created to hide them.

I'm sure the 80 percent you speak of, would like to have the path right down the middle. That way, they won't have to walk all the way over to the other side, when it's path only.

And, probably will rarely ever strike the path, since it is directly down the middle.

What's the proposed cost of this addition?

What's the average handicap index of the 80 percent?

Is this an old Donald Ross course?

[Mike McGuire]

Adam -

The club has a lot of decent players. I would guess the ave cap for the riders around  15.  

The front nine is Langford 1930 the back David Gill 1960.

The budget # they are tossing around is 100K.

[A_Clay_Man]

Mike, Seems a shame to ruin a Langford with something as unaestheticaslly pleasing as a concrete path. Maybe just the backnine? Save the club 50k, and people still get to golf after a deluge.

I apoligize for my monday morning flippency, it must be cabin fever.

[michael j fay]

I doubt that $ 100,000 will get you wall to wall. Probably a good thing.

Pitfalls to avoid:

1.) Never put a cart path immediately behind a green.

2.) Do not disturb the walk way from green to tee with a path.

3.) Do not duplicate effort, if you have two holes side by each use one path.

4.) Never sacrifice a bunker for a cart path.

5.) Try to convince whoever is in charge that the paths should be employed only in vulnerable low areas and that the high areas will be fine by themselves.

6.) Be fully aware that once the cart has left the barn the players will take them anywhere they will go regardless of whatever rule you have. The idea of creating a cart path that the players will stay on in wet conditions is ludicrous unless you install a GPS system that shuts off the cart when it leaves the path.

[Tom_Doak]

Michael:

I like your rule #2 but I wonder if it can really be pulled off.  In most cases you are crossing the path between green and tee all day.

Rule #3 could get you in trouble, though ... in my experience it's difficult to utilize a path for two holes such that it is not a safety problem from players on hole A hitting toward players on hole B.

[frank_D]

brother Mike McGuire

simply put - cost - but if you must (and most courses have them although i would prefer they did not)

i would suggest using almost any other material instead of concrete - to make it look as natural as possible - rather than a roadway

depending on the base of the path - from wood chips to stones to chopped shells (coqcina) to rubber pellets etc

however there is no end to the maintenance cost of a non-concrete path (which is why they are 99.9% of the paths in existence)

for an example - see siwanoy cc (or i can post my latest pictures upon your request)

[Mike Nuzzo]

With concrete at $2 a sq ft, $100k gets you about 2000 yards of eight ft. wide path and no curbing.
You could always try to improve some drainage instead.

Cheers

[Mike McGuire]

Thanks for all your replies -

The site drains as good as any course ive experienced. Maybe the path is not worth the chance a couple outings get cancelled?

Has anyone worked with polypavement ? Its a liquid applied to bare ground and it hardens stronger than asphalt (according to the manufacturer) . Material cost 12 cents a square ft per inch.

http://www.polypavement.com/

[Donnie Beck]

hummm... has anyone tried it?

[cary lichtenstein]

Get a professional to do the layout of the paths, don't leave it to the genius's at your club.

[Mark Brown]

In the Hilton Head area many of the best courses have used various mixtures of hard packed sea shells, sand and clay, etc., and they have worked very well, even with a good amount of play.

Some have limited paths to teeing areas and as you approach the greens.

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

Mark -

Bloody Point on Daufuskie is an excellent example of which you cite.  The course has no paved paths, and the shell/packed sand system works quite well there given the turf conditions of the Low Country.

JWK

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