MOVERS & SHAPERS
CASA VERDE GOLF Completes BUNKER RENOVATION PROJECT AT TIJERAS CREEK GOLF CLUB Course-wide overhaul employs cutting-edge Capillary Concrete™ bunker liner system
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ANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. – GCBAA member Casa Verde Golf completed a comprehensive bunker renovation affecting all 76 bunkers, totaling more than 90,000 square feet, at Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. The scope of the project, which began in early June, included the extraction of existing sand, replacing or repairing drainage, recapturing original bunker edges, installing GCBAA member Capillary Concrete™ bunker liner system, and installing new “Wedge White” bunker sand. “Bunkers are notoriously expensive and labor intensive to maintain over time,” said Jeff Schwinkendorf, vice president of Casa Verde Golf. “They flood when drainage becomes clogged; the sand washes away with heavy rain and gets contaminated with soil; they get dried out and crusty in hot weather; it’s always something. Capillary Concrete allows us to remedy those issues to improve playability, aesthetics, and long-term maintenance in an eco-friendly and cost-effective way.”
This innovative product, made of light-weight aggregates and polymers, is mixed much like traditional concrete, poured and smoothed-out over the native soil. Once dry, bunker sand is filled over the top. In wet conditions, Capillary Concrete allows water to drain through to the ground instead of pooling in the sand. Conversely, it pulls moisture up from the soil into the sand during dry conditions. The unique two-way action of draining and wicking helps to maintain the ideal moisture level for consistently good sand in all weather conditions. It virtually eliminates wash-outs, soil contamination, plugged ball lies and other bunker maintenance problems. To date, Capillary Concrete™ has been installed at hundreds of golf courses on five different continents, with excellent results in all climates. To further enhance the outcome of the project, the new bunker sand was upgraded to “Wedge White” to create a vivid contrast aesthetically in addition to much-improved playability. “Feedback has been great,” said Tom Horaney,
general manager of Tijeras Creek Golf Club. “It’s really a win-win situation for golfers who benefit from increased playability. Plus, it lessens the time needed by our maintenance team to keep the bunkers up to our standards. It’s well worth the investment.” “We knew the renovation would create a buzz in the Orange County golf community,” said Schwinkendorf. “Pacific Life, the property owner, challenged us to elevate the quality of the golf course without closing down during construction. So, we worked with the club’s staff to facilitate golf traffic with minimal disruptions. Despite logging nearly 200 daily rounds during construction, we completed the project in less than four months.”
GCBAA Earth Shaping News | 4TH Quarter 2018 23