A tough nut to swallow – drainage!

[Jeff_Brauer]

That pic shows why on flat sites, I just add catch basins periodically along the path and grade long swales to get water to them without crossing the path.

On gentle slopes, its usually easy enough to fit the path in, but where its flat, these problems creep up far too often not to take care of it in the original design.  More basins, oh yeah!

Even with the best grading, it seems that silt and or root mass builds up along these paths, and causes even more problems. I try to get the finish grade on the low side of paths down an inch to allow for some of that.  However, if you go too low, carts slip off the edge, create ruts, and make even a worse problem.

[Joe Hancock]

To capture surface water, we try to incorporate catch basins into the cart path surface itself, using the path as a surface conduit to move water. Of course, the situation has the dictate the use of this method, but it works.

Joe

[Mark_Fine]

The bottomline of all this is that good drainage is very critical to good golf and it is an expense that though tough to swallow, is necessary.  Scott, good luck selling this to our owner on that NY project.  I'll wait outside the meeting room and see if you come out bloodied    Then I'll send you back in to tell him that after we've spent all this money on drying the course out, we need to spend more on a new irrigation system    Seems ironic but it is the truth.  We'll get there!

[Jim_Kennedy]

Mark,
I remember reading an old 'rule of thumb' wherein 1 mil. spent ='s $10 green fee. If this translates into renovation work then another important group that must be 'sold' on the idea is the players themselves.
I don't know how much thought is ever given by architects and owners as to the $$ burden placed on the local golfing market by upgrading a course. They might see a demographic that truly favors their plans or they might see one that can be 'read' as positive.
I'm sure that in most cases good business practices will take priority when it comes to monies spent, but how many times have projects gone ahead that have left certain segments of the population looking for a new place to play?      
 

[Mark_Fine]

Jim,
Good points.  This is a business like any other and needs to be treated as such (in my opinion).  We could talk all day about spending money on improvements, why do it, what the priority should be, who it will benefit, what are the returns (tangible and intangible),...and so on.  That could be a whole new thread.