[Randy Thompson]

I have enclosed three pictures, one showing a bunker edge healthy, another picture from a different angle on the same bunker showing isolated problem area due to wind and probably excessive build up sand from constant topping form the wind. The third photo shows an entire edge affected and how we are losing the battle with time. Notice the location of the irrigation head that seven years ago was installed four feet outside the bunker!

[RJ_Daley]

Randy, you really seem to have well explained your problems, and the pictures ought to be very helpful to some of our star superintendents who are on this site.  I hope you get some useful answers. 

All I know is that Chile looks like one heck of an interesting area to explore.

[Don_Mahaffey]

I really don't think this is a complicated problem. I don't think it's a matter of turf type or fertilizer or soil composition. Like most turf problems in arid climates, its irrigation based. If this was the states, we'd either line those bunkers with small heads, or free someone up to drench it about once a week. Other than that, I don't hold out much hope that picking the right grass solves the problem. One thing you can do is find good mulch and incorporate it into the soil in the hope of growing denser turf. When I worked in the north we'd mulch all of our exposed bunker surrounds after we blew out just to combat winter desiccation, and it worked pretty well.

Without finding some method of irrigating that expose area, I think the bunker is going to continue it's march on. Too much radiated heat from the bunker and too much exposure to the wind to keep strong turf there without additional irrigation...IMO

A few more things to add...if the irrigation water is poor quality (pH is not really a good indicator unless it’s way out of whack) due to salts or high bicarbs then the areas that get less water will grow poor turf. The main reason is less water means a higher concentration of salt. This happens on the edges of golf courses in the desert because you don't have head to head coverage in those areas. And you also have a lot of radiated heat from the desert. Before I left AZ we were studying this because the state was continuing to reduce the amount of water we could use based on scientific principles and we were trying to prove that the edges need more water than the middle of the holes and that you couldn't simply assign an amount of water based purely on acreage. Don't know where it ended up but any desert super can tell what I'm trying to explain here.

So if the middle of your course needs .25 inches of irrigation a week to grow good turf, the edges may need 10% more. Throw in the fact that the bunker is on what looks to be the prevailing wind side of the hole and you've got the perfect storm 

[Randy Thompson]

I also think, it has an increased water requirement and stated that. Trying to add an admentent to improve water holding capicity certainly has its merit and will be incorpórated in the future. Maybe creating a perched water soil through different soils will aid. But some grasses will do better then others and I am looking for some guidance in that direction. We went from watering every two days to watering every four this summer and I am sure that added to the problem. Memeber feel the course went down hill but in reality the weaker grass plants were eliminated. The approaches and many areas of the fairways are contaminated with bent and have always been contaminated with bent but with the deep infrequent watering these bent areas suffered and became unslightly and we have started an 8 month program to eliminate the bent and resod. Just goes to show that some grasses will withstand drought conditions better then others.

[Don_Mahaffey]

Randy,
I understand what your trying to do and I wish you luck.
But, to be completly honest, you sort of sound like members I've worked for in the past who think there is a short cut to everything.
Bermuda is about the most drought tolerant turf you'll find and I've seen it do the exact same thing on bunker surrounds in windy, arid parts of the SW. I think throwing any $$$ at all at your problem without addressing the irrigation issue is just a waste. But hey, maybe you'll find something that works and I hope you do. 

[Jon Wiggett]

Don,

I can understand the argument about bermudas drought tolerance but if it has weak growth for a majority of the time then it will still struggle. Having said that any grass will find it harder on an exposed bunker edge.

Randy,

it could be that a change in the bunker style might also be considered to alleviate the exposed roots zone on the lip. Maybe working with textiles to help prevent the lip collapsing would be the way.

[Mike_Young]

I know ZERO about the area mentioned and what grass will work but this thread reminds me of why I get so bitchy about "jagged bunkers" in some areas.  Bunkers don't travel well and neither do banana trees.  AS KBM mentions, Bermuda can be so difficult to recover from and I have seen "jagged" bunkers in the South that have to have bermuda to work yet you could not find a ball in them.  Have also seen revetted bunkers where the sod was a sand base bermuda sod and it fell 6 inches in a year .....the supt replaced with a clay base bermuda sod and greatly reduced the problem.....RT....I think IMHO that DM is dean on with the water issue......you see USGA greens with that problem when there is not a liner on the edges and there is clay around them in some areas  BUT...I have heard there is one guy that would use crossties when he has a wind problem like that.....some places have been doing it for years

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