Pasatiempo Golf Course’s Superintendent, Dean Gump, didn’t want to alter his Alistar McKenzie designed greens. He did, however, need to improve the greens’ drainage, and found the solution to his challenge.
He hired Sand Channel Drainage to install their signature 16” on center Sand Channel Drainage System on his worst green, and within a few years had Sand Channel Drainage installed in all 18 of his greens. Always rated in the top 100 golf courses of the country, this 23 year old installation continues to work ’like the day it was put in’.
Sand Channel Drainage installs a 9 inch deep, one inch wide channel of sand every 16 inches on center, and then installs the same 9 inch deep and one inch wide sand channel in a perpendicular direction every 48 inches on center, with a one inch perforated pipe at the bottom of the 48 inch on center sand channel. These one inch pipes then connect to a perforated 2 inch pipe–on greens–or 4 inch pipe–on fairways. On greens, the installation machine pre-cuts a 2 inch wide by 3/4 inch thick strip of grass and flips this strip of grass on its back, just ahead of the cutting blade. The blade then cuts the 9 inch deep and one inch wide sand channel. The one inch perforated pipe is laid at the bottom of this channel, and the channel is immediately backfilled with bone-dry sand. The excavated soil is removed, and the strip of turf is carefully laid back in place over the sand channel. In this manner, a green is completed within three days, rolled and sanded repeatedly, and opened, in some cases, the next day.
Jason Green, the superintendent of San Jose Golf Course heard about Pasatiempo Golf Course’s success with their greens, and decided to try it out on his worst green. The next year he had the Sand Channel Drainage System installed into four more greens, and now is installing Sand Channel Drainage into 16 of his 18 greens. The remaining two involved extensive re-design work, and he is therefore installing USGA greens.
Bob Yeo, the superintendent at Pebble Beach’s Spyglass Hill Golf Course needed his fairways to be playable during the AT&T. He hired Sand Channel Drainage to install their signature drainage system into three of his fairways and one of his roughs. Sand Channel Drainage installed drainage into these fairways without his having to close the fairways to play. On fairways, the resulting sand grid is reseeded, as the soil is typically too full of clay to replace over the sand channel.
After patenting the equipment, Michael Lansdale, the owner of Sand Channel Drainage, is pleased to offer our services to all golf courses throughout North America. We can complete all 18 greens in 9 weeks, and install fairway drainage one half fairway at a time so that the golf course has no down time. To view our 3 minute video find us at www.dryturf.com. Call (800) DRY-TURF today for a quote and our availability to drain both your greens and your fairways, with minimal disruptions.
Using reclaimed water
on golf courses
With water being a valuable resource many golf courses are now watering with reclaimed water, and are therefore seeing the salts content in their soils approach toxic levels. Sand Channel Drainage installations can also decrease salt build-up by 50% in the first year, and continue to flush through salts year after year.
(800)379-8873
www.dryturf.com
