[Matt Bielawa]

A few years ago, there was a thread concerning Effluent Disposal Areas at ChampionsGate, which apparently put water back into the aquifer.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,33241.msg661071.html#msg661071
Those areas are largely well out of play on the golf courses.  For anyone who has been there, or is knowledgeable, I was hoping to better understand the Drainage Retention Areas that are frequently found in very relevant areas of the courses, and are governed by a local rule, written on the scorecards.:

"Local Rule - "Blue Poles" Drainage Retention Areas.  These bunker looking areas are an integral part of our local aquifer system and are to be treated as Ground Under Repair.  These areas are marked with a BLUE stake/stakes inside the confines of the area.  Player may take relief outside of the Retention Area within one club length no closer to the hole, without penalty."

I assumed that these Drainage Retention Areas have been there since day one, which I found very troubling.  They completely undermine the design, in my opinion.  In multiple cases, there were short risk/reward par 4's where the only risk was in finding one of these "Blue Pole" areas, where the only "penalty" was free relief back into play.  I just couldn't understand how an architect (They're both Norman courses) would knowingly utilize these areas as "hazards" on critical parts of a golf hole.

Am I missing something?

[Matt Bielawa]

Here is an example of an offending hole, where the "bunker" in the front left of the green is a Drainage Retention Area subject to the local rule:

[JBovay]

I played ChampionsGate several times in the first few years it was open, and I don't remember that any bunkers/waste areas were being used as effluent treatment areas, or that free drops were provided from any hazards. I do remember the large effluent treatment areas out of play, between holes.


I'm guessing that at some point, the course/resort management gave up on any aspirations they might once have had to host major events and determined that they could make more money by converting bunkers into effluent treatment. From looking at the satellite photos, it seems they might have converted the entire 18th hole at the National course into one?!

[Matt Bielawa]

I think the area you're referencing is going to be home sites, but I'm not certain.

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