Erosion prevention, hazard or both?

[Joe_Tucholski]

I started the year off by playing a couple rounds at the Dormie Club.  The course has been discussed in detail so I'll only say I enjoyed it more than Kapalua and Bandon Trails.

What I want to ask is a question about a feature I encountered on the 4th hole a bit off the tee and before the fairway.  I don't think I've ever encountered it on another course and was wondering if it was in place to pevent errosion or to slow and prevent advancement of a topped tee shot.

Here is a camera phone image of the features that are basically large speed bumps of earth in the sandy area.


Image that tried to capture a number of them.


There are less than 10 of them and I was wondering what the primary purpose is and if someone could provide other examples of the feature elsewhere.  Is this just something I've missed, or is it unique to the sandy waste area type courses?

[Patrick_Mucci]

Joe,

At a 1929 Donald Ross course that I'm pretty familiar with, there are a number of berms/culverts that divert surface water away from the playing surfaces.

They tend to be diagonal and on slopes.

They catch the surface water and rerout it into drainage features.

I think the ODG's were craftsmen when it came to moving surface water away from the playing surfaces because they didn't have the money to construct subsurface systems.

I've always been fascinated by their methods which seem to have functioned well for almost a century.

[David_Tepper]

Joe T. -

Are you certain those ridges are man-made?

DT

[Joe_Tucholski]

Joe,

At a 1929 Donald Ross course that I'm pretty familiar with, there are a number of berms/culverts that divert surface water away from the playing surfaces.

They tend to be diagonal and on slopes.

They catch the surface water and rerout it into drainage features.

I think the ODG's were craftsmen when it came to moving surface water away from the playing surfaces because they didn't have the money to construct subsurface systems.

I've always been fascinated by their methods which seem to have functioned well for almost a century.

The berms were at a slight diagonal and a slight slope, that being said I think the berms were oriented such that water would zig zag like an old marble run.  It would slow the water down I guess and allow it to be absorbed I guess.

Joe T. -

Are you certain those ridges are man-made?

DT

David no I'm not certain, but I would have a real hard time believing they are natural.  They were all about the same size, about the same distance apart and very similar angulation.