Oldfield and other features

[Robert "Cliff" Stanfield]

I was recently sifting through the many cards wedged in a golf magazine and noticed that Oldfield had an interesting marketing ploy.

Sod faced bunkers....the pictures showed almost vertical walls similar to Scotland and the Isles.  My question is are they working in such a hot climate and if so how are they maintained/what type of grass/etc.

Does the course look good now and will it look good ina few years?  If they are not re-built like the bunkers abroad?

I remember seeing a sprinkler head mounted into the side of a sod walled bunker in Carnoustie.  Thats with a somewhat wet climate.  Are there any heads like this on Oldfield or was there any special irrigation design?

Since bermuda is used widely down here (and not alot of the cool grasses of north) I wonder if the design truly fits the clients needs or just the designers needs?

Can anybody name a few other courses where this type of bunkering is used in the south or other design features that stick out?

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

Played Oldfield last year and I must say that it worked with the course.  The Stacked Sod bunkers do not look out of place.  Greg Norman has done this at a couple courses he has done down here in the South.  His Reserve at Litchfield Plantation in Myrtle Beach area is probably about 4-5 years old now and to the best of my knowledge they are still doing fine.  I have a friends dad who is a member, and although I havent played in a year and a half, I think they are doing fine.

And again they were worked into the course at Reserve in a subtle manner, but really made the holes distinctive.

[paul cowley]

RCS....i think the viability of sod stacked bunkers in the south depends on three factors;
    the verticality of the wall and its oreintation to the sun[extreme walls facing north don't thrive]
    good irrigation design,
    and the level of maintenance one must commit to.

....i know the Secession club in beaufort s.c. used them when first built 10 to 12 years ago with moderate success.i don't know how they are faring recently....cheers.

[Jerry_Sofitel]

The irrigation system for these sod stacked bunkers are a little complex and a lot expensive. Unfortunately, significant leaks and thread-cracking in the connections at the sprinkler head adapters during seasonal changes have complicated their maintenance.  

[Amazed]

Jerry,

Wow you are smart  

[jim_lewis]

RCS:

Norman has used stacked sod bunkering quite a bit in the South.  It is used extensively at the TPC Sugerloaf in Atlanta and sparingly at The Point near Charlotte. I have no idea how they are maintained, but I think they are doing fine.

The best example I know of is at Cherokee Plantation near Yemassee, SC.  The course was designed by Donald Steel, the British architect featured in the latest/last issue of GOLF JOURNAL, and all of the bunkers use stacked sod.  The course has a definite British Isle feel and look.  The last time I was there (a year ago) the bunker walls were holding up well, but then, maintenence expense is no problem there.

[John_Conley]

Jim - it is good to see you posting.  You and your opinions have been missed.

[jim_lewis]

John:

Thanks.  

Jim

[Carlos_Febres]

Sodwall bunkers are both expensive to build, as well as to maintain, but not as much to maintain as the older courses.  Technology has allowed sodwall construction to have a more reasonable long-term sustainibility, mostly because of a few things:  Although on the surface it just looks like stacked sod, there is a lot going on behind the edge.  Many sodwalls are reinforced with steel bars to avoid structural breakdown, and most have some sort of geotextile screening to prevent particles from falling out and breaking down the sharpness of the edge, as well as preventing weed growth.  I haven't seen where there is irrigation integrated into the faces, but I can only say it's both possible and likely.  In most cases there is some additional irrigation required to maintain adhesion, if the soil profile is insufficient.