Drainage? Perhaps it's boring, but how important is it?

[Steve Lang]

Didn't Jack Nicklaus once say, "give me a site that drains well and I'll build you a good golf course."?

didn't Jack also qualify that with "or pay for a foot of sand over the whole thing"

[Norbert P]

Drainage.

. . .
(1)  What are your critical success factors?  

(2)  Can good drainage subtract from architectural vision?

. . .

 1. Consistency of maintainable turf characteristics on all points of the swards.

 2. Not if it's thoughtfully incorporated into the landforms.  

  Obviously this is a site specific question but there have been some clever drainage systems attained to keep the playing characteristics appropriate.  Rawls GC in Lubbock was interesting in that it (apparently) used a raised fairway / bas relief contouring philosophy to keep fairways above the water table, with collection basins off in the roughs.  (If memory serves me correctly.  Albeit, that function becoming dodgier as age ensues.


  There's a fine line between Field Capacity and Field Saturation.  Design for controlled irrigation to water the land, not fate, while paying close attention to what Mr. Brauer wrote.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Slag,

Its a good point.  Those "C" values probably don't account for soil being "on average" close to field capacity, which would increase golf course runoff.  The charts say golf courses would average 35% runoff, but with full irrigation, it may not be any less than a typical suburban neighborhood, with its driveways and streets offsetting the normally drier lawns, or maybe 50%.

[Tony Ristola]

For courses in cold northern climates, fast drainage means the soils get warm faster in the spring, which assists with growth. Somewhere I recall reading it takes 500% more energy to warm wet than dry soils.

[Tom_Doak]

Drainage.

. . .
(1)  What are your critical success factors?  

(2)  Can good drainage subtract from architectural vision?

. . .

 1. Consistency of maintainable turf characteristics on all points of the swards.

 2. Not if it's thoughtfully incorporated into the landforms.  

  Obviously this is a site specific question but there have been some clever drainage systems attained to keep the playing characteristics appropriate.  Rawls GC in Lubbock was interesting in that it (apparently) used a raised fairway / bas relief contouring philosophy to keep fairways above the water table, with collection basins off in the roughs.  (If memory serves me correctly.  Albeit, that function becoming dodgier as age ensues.


  There's a fine line between Field Capacity and Field Saturation.  Design for controlled irrigation to water the land, not fate, while paying close attention to what Mr. Brauer wrote.

Slag:

Your memory of the drainage system at The Rawls Course is pretty bad, actually.  The fairways there are up, down and everything in between, and everything is tied to a main drainage system that has miles of pipe [much of it running at less than 1%] back to the central irrigation lake.  It's the most complicated drainage system I've ever put in, but that makes perfect sense, since it was the flattest site we ever worked with and some of the worst soils, to boot.

In general, if I'm working with a rolling site with good natural surface drainage, I don't think we should need much artificial drainage at all to make it work.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Bradley,

One of the things I noticed on another Ross course was the use of constructed gullies to redirect water flow to constructed and natural trenches and streams.  I also noticed constructed diagonal berms used to divert surface water away from playing areas to the gullies, trenches and streams. This course also has raised footpads for the greens.

Another old course (1927) is laced with trenches and streams that have surface water directed to them.
This course drains exceptionally well.

Some of the trenches/streams flank the holes, others are at 90 degrees, crossing the lines of play and others are diagonally oriented, but they all function as a large integrated drainage system.

[Jeff_Brauer]

I know Pete Dye has wondered how Seminole drains so well with flat ground and high water table, and its another Ross course, although I don't know if drainage has been added since originally built.

[Patrick_Mucci]

I know Pete Dye has wondered how Seminole drains so well with flat ground and high water table, and its another Ross course, although I don't know if drainage has been added since originally built.


Jeff,

There's an outfall pump at the southern end of the property.
When permitted by the authorities, Seminole can engage that pump and draw down the water level on their property. emptying it into what becomes the intercoastal system which empties into the Atlantic Ocean a few miles further south.

There's a series of interconnecting ponds with feeding canals that are part of the overall drainage system.

There's also a barrier canal along the northern border of the property.

Water flows from North to South on the property and the two large dunes tend to funnel everything down to the low points on the property which is where the ponds and canals are..

It's a fairly simple system and Ross's integration of the golf course around and over the ponds and canals is brilliant.

[Norbert P]

For courses in cold northern climates, fast drainage means the soils get warm faster in the spring, which assists with growth. Somewhere I recall reading it takes 500% more energy to warm wet than dry soils.

  Herr Ristola, that is a correct figure you state.  It's a very important and oft overlooked factor of turf needs.  Put another way, but saying the same thing . . . it takes 5 times longer to warm wet soil as it does to warm dry soil. Thus, as you say, the growing season (Golfing season !!!) is shortened. Wet soils results in less revenue, access, level of enjoyment, etc.,  and with more issues of soil bourne diseases and poa annua infestation, etc, and reduces the possibilty that a course will be designed with fast & firm conditions.  Which, of course, brings us back to the level of enjoyment.         

 Another process of importance is that absorbtion and transport of water and nutrients are inhibited by low soil temps, thus compounding lingering  problems.              Bottom line . . . wet soils suck long term.   (Isn't that a quote from Full Metal Jacket ?)