Designing bunkers to

[Patrick_Mucci]

counter the influence of Mother Nature.

I've noticed that heavy rains seem to take an enormous toll on many bunkers.

I noticed the extensive damage to Atlantic and other East End courses immediately preceeding the Walker Cup and I've noticed it in Florida on more than a few occassions.

Below, quoted or in a separate reply, are some photos taken within the last few days showing the extensive damage caused by heavy rains.

The more I thought about bunker design, especially at the perimeters, the more I thought that in combination with the putting surface contours, deflection plates or contours would be the best method for redirecting surface rain/water not falling directly into the bunker.

Course after course seems prone to having to refilter their sand, push or add sand to the bunker, and/or regroom the entire bunker after heavy rainfalls.  And, this seems to be a repetitive process taking up over 100 man hours.

This also seems to be directly related to the bunker surrounds.

Obviously, the body of the bunker has to have more than adequate drainage.

In the UK and other areas, certain bunkers are gathering bunkers, with the surrounding area funneling (water) into the bunker.
In the US, that's not the typical configuration as gathering bunkers are more of a rarity...

Obviously,, grass faces could eliminate a good deal of them maintenance headaches, but, where sand faced bunkers are employed, doesn't their existance mandate enhanced designs such that surface water from the green and surrounds, is deflected away from the face/edges of the bunker ?

Where does the compromise of visibility and maintenance strike a happy medium ?

Wait for the photos before responding.

Thanks

[Tommy Naccarato]

Collapse at 18


Fairway Bunkers at 10


Looking back on 10


10 Right Side


Washout at 13


12 Fairway

[Bradley Anderson]

Patrick,

This summer I  visited a course that had designed exactly what you are describing in their bunker remodel work and I can' t say that it was a bad design compromise. But to my eyes it didn't look natural.

[David_Elvins]

Pat,

Surely the first step is to build less bunkers in soil/climate less suited to bunkers?  I cannot understand how this logical first step is not industry wide practice.

[Jim Sherma]

Pat,

Surely the first step is to build less bunkers in soil/climate less suited to bunkers?  I cannot understand how this logical first step is not industry wide practice.

Or else the occaisional restoration cost is simply the cost of doing business, and hence the cost of playing golf the is the way it is...

[Mark_F]

Surely the first step is to build less bunkers in soil/climate less suited to bunkers?  I cannot understand how this logical first step is not industry wide practice.

Is that what they did at Ellerston, David?

[Ben Sims]

How does one design a bunker to "gather," as we so often talk about, while also repelling water?

[Matt Schiffer]

In my experience, bunkers that are designed with consideration for future maintenance do indeed direct the majority of runoff water around them, rather than into them.  For the remainder of the water that does invariably find its way into these bunkers, there are now many products and solutions available to prevent the wash-outs and collapses you've shown.  These include fabrics, sprays and now even bituminous material (see Dan Meersman's new bunkers at Phllly Cricket Club) for the dual purpose of 1) letting the water pass through the sand as quickly as possible, not allowing the sand to become so saturated that it loses it's angle of repose and collapses & 2) to provide a barrier to keep the underlying native material from 'contaminating' the bunker sand.  These products allow designers to show a lot more sand on the bunker face without creating the maintenance headaches you've shown.

[Thomas Dai]

Another reason to have more grass bunkers and less sand bunkers.

Not just for maintenance etc reasons either but also ongoing playability - if a grass bunker is full of water then it's 'casual water' and you get a free drop.

atb

[Frank Pont]

This is an issue we are facing a lot in the UK and Europe with the increase of intense flash rains the last few years.

There are three things one can do.

1. Make sure NO water comes into the bunker from the high side of the bunker by installing "water bars" behind the bunker faces that deflect water around the bunker. It requires great skill to make these look natural

2. Limit the size of the bunkers, or at least the area that feeds directly from the low side into the bunker. If the strategy calls for a large feeding area, then make sure there is a lot of drainage / holding capacity in the bunker. Products like Blinder and porous asphalt can help there.

3 Use last generation liner on the faces if the sand faces are large. I have used these on my last bunker renovation job at Copt heath, and although I generally am against unnatural elements in bunkers, I am very impressed with their performance through one of the wettest Autumns in the UK

[Anthony_Nysse]

Collapse at 18


Fairway Bunkers at 10


Looking back on 10


10 Right Side


Washout at 13


12 Fairway

Considering that these are my pictures, let me elaborate. Local authorities have our are closer to 24"of rain in 12 hours, and a 3 hour period where 15" fell. I don't care how your bunkers are built, shaped, designed, you will have issues. Cleanup begins today.
  These bunkers were designed by Lepato and Ron Forse to have water go around the bunkers and NOT go down the faces. This is the first time in my 5 years at Pine Tree we have seen. This is the considering a 100 year rain event, so I do not suspect something that bad again in my life time. We have taken 2", 3" and 4" rains on the new bunkers and have not had any issues.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Pat,

Surely the first step is to build less bunkers in soil/climate less suited to bunkers?

David,

On a flat piece of property in south Florida are you suggesting a bunkerless course ?

No bunkers in the DZ ?
No bunkers around the green ?

On a flat piece of property, without bunkers, how do you create hazards, ergo strategy ?


 I cannot understand how this logical first step is not industry wide practice.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Tony,

No need to be defensive, the photos were meant to convey the damage that heavy rainfall can produce, in and around bunkers.

Many on this site don't understand how heavy rain can be in Florida, especially on a daily basis in the summer.

It also serves to educate those who think achieving Fast & Firm conditions is a simple task.

[Jaeger Kovich]

How does one design a bunker to "gather," as we so often talk about, while also repelling water?

Ben - If you use the low side or leading edge it can be done. If you keep the sand/floor flat, than having some water come in from the low side where you aren't going to have a massive lip isn't going to create the washing. I wouldn't go out and try to gather the world into the bunker, but having a small local area of turf drain into the bunker to create a gathering/bigger effect of the hazard most green keepers would be okay with it.... Doing this can also add a bit of interest to the sandline / visual of the leading edge instead of having a flat bottom line of the bunker or creating bumps in positive space.

... to bad we missed you in Germany last week, J

[jeffwarne]

How does one design a bunker to "gather," as we so often talk about, while also repelling water?

+1

[Anthony_Nysse]

Tony,

No need to be defensive, the photos were meant to convey the damage that heavy rainfall can produce, in and around bunkers.

Many on this site don't understand how heavy rain can be in Florida, especially on a daily basis in the summer.

It also serves to educate those who think achieving Fast & Firm conditions is a simple task.

No intention to be defensive. Must be the amount of work and pre-6am typing! Those photos have gone to all our members and are on twitter, too. Mother Nature wins 100% of the time. She always holds the trump card. 

We are in our dry season, which is usually Christmas-May 1st. That's what makes this rain event even more difficult to believe.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Tony,

I'm familiar with the water table on courses west of the FL Tpke, how high is it at PT ?

[Anthony_Nysse]

On an average year, the water table is 11-13 feet below the surface. It might be a little higher at the moment!

[David_Elvins]

On a flat piece of property in south Florida are you suggesting a bunkerless course ?

No bunkers in the DZ ?
No bunkers around the green ?

Pat,

I said less (sorry, 'fewer') bunkers, not a bunkerless course.  

If a property is flat and close to the water table, then strategic water hazards are an excellent alternative to bunkers.  Additonally the Wolf Point thread shows many examples of how micro undulations can be used to add interest in lieu of bunkers on flat ground.  As do many links courses in Britain.  

[Patrick_Mucci]

On a flat piece of property in south Florida are you suggesting a bunkerless course ?

No bunkers in the DZ ?
No bunkers around the green ?

Pat,

I said less (sorry, 'fewer') bunkers, not a bunkerless course.  

If a property is flat and close to the water table, then strategic water hazards are an excellent alternative to bunkers.  

David, the days of creating water hazards, at will, are over, especially in South Florida where numerous agencies must be dealt with.
You can't just dig a pond.
And, a high water table is not an asset

Additonally the Wolf Point thread shows many examples of how micro undulations can be used to add interest in lieu of bunkers on flat ground.  
Never played Wolf Point, so I can't comment.
But I doubt that it's as flat as the terrain next to the Miami International Airport

As do many links courses in Britain.  

Links courses in Britain have plenty of bunkers, which one/s were you referencing ?

[Randy Thompson]

Anthony,
Surely this is not normal for anytime of the year. Is this a one in five year storm, one in ten or one in a hundred. Sounds to me like a potential record storm but not familiar with typical numbers from that área. Good luck putting humpty dumpty back together again!

[Patrick_Mucci]

It's not unusual for random downpours to hit golf courses in South Florida, causing washouts and damage to the crowns/perimeters of the bunkers.

Often, the same bunker gets hammered due to it's construction and/or the surrounding area.

The photos of the washouts are typical of the damage.

There's little you can due about washouts from the direct impact of the deluge, but you can avoid washouts and damage from surface runoff, and that the focus of this thread.

[Randy Thompson]

It's not unusual for random downpours to hit golf courses in South Florida, causing washouts and damage to the crowns/perimeters of the bunkers.

Often, the same bunker gets hammered due to it's construction and/or the surrounding area.

The photos of the washouts are typical of the damage.

There's little you can due about washouts from the direct impact of the deluge, but you can avoid washouts and damage from surface runoff, and that the focus of this thread.

Patrick,
24"of rain in 12 hours, and a 3 hour period where 15" fell
So this is considered nothing more then a random downpour? WOW! Fifteen inches in three hours classified as a randon downpour, IŽll be damed!

[Anthony_Nysse]

It's not unusual for random downpours to hit golf courses in South Florida, causing washouts and damage to the crowns/perimeters of the bunkers.

Often, the same bunker gets hammered due to it's construction and/or the surrounding area.

The photos of the washouts are typical of the damage.

There's little you can due about washouts from the direct impact of the deluge, but you can avoid washouts and damage from surface runoff, and that the focus of this thread.

Patrick,
24"of rain in 12 hours, and a 3 hour period where 15" fell
So this is considered nothing more then a random downpour? WOW! Fifteen inches in three hours classified as a randon downpour, IŽll be damed!

  Yes, we get heavy rains down here. 2"/hour rains, but this is not typical in any form. This is a 100 year rain event, according to local authorities.
   We took 3.5" on Sunday afternoon and we had 3-5 bunkers with small issues. We had ponding everywhere on the golf course. Our bunkers have always been designed to have water run around the bunkers. I have been at PT for 5 seasons and could count on 2 hands how many washouts we have had, even with the normal FL rains. This amount of rain is more than any bunkers are designed for. This amount of rain is not normal for us, or anywhere for that matter. Hurricanes do not drop 24" of rain.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/breaking-news/rainfall-estimates-in-hardest-hit-areas/ncjHW/

[Randy Thompson]

Thank you Anthony, you have varified my thoughts, and you canŽt design for a bunker for a rain like that and still include all the elements that go into a wide variety of well designed bunkers for a golf course! Wish I was there and could give you a helping hand to get it all put back together. Have any members volunteered to come out and help?