Bunker Renovation Process & SandMat Bunker Liner

Over the next few months, I will be primarily posting about a series of projects that will take place on the Preserve. The projects I will be referring to are the bunker renovations that began taking place this morning. We have planned for 1860 tons of new sand that will cover roughly 1.7 acres of bunkers 6" deep. Our goal is to complete renovation to each bunker on the golf course and practice area before the beginning of spring. This will allow us to focus on the basics of golf course maintenance when the growing season is in full force. The renovation to our bunkers will consist of this multi-step process:

1) Removal of all existing bunker sand and contaminated drain line gravel.
2) Restore all bunker faces, lips, floors, native and original design edges, along with filling and/or
collapsing ground squirrel holes.
3) Fill empty drain lines with fresh pea gravel.
4) Install SandMat bunker liner with 6" and 8" steel staples.
5) Evenly unload new bunker sand creating a uniform 8"-10" layer.
6) Irrigate sand and solidify the surface with a plate compactor reducing the depth to a desired
6".
7) Rake the sand creating a smooth ideal bunker texture.

This process will take place for every bunker on the golf course and practice facility.

Before we began this renovation project, the bunkers were becoming very contaminated with dirt primarily due to winter washouts from ground squirrel holes and steep slopes leading into the bunkers. The SandMat product that we will be installing should greatly reduce the contamination issue and make the white sand in our bunkers last a much longer period of time. Here is a bit of background information on the SandMat bunker liner material:

This bunker liner is a high loft nonwoven geotextile consisting of durable polyester fibers resin bonded with insoluble polymer to form an evenly distributed, three dimensional blanket matrix specifically intended for bunker sand stabilization and drainage. The SandMat bunker liner rolls are 116" wide and shipped to site in opaque protective plastic bags. SandMat 400 is 75' long, SandMat 350 is 75' long, and SandMat 200 is 100' long.