In 1998, 17 years ago, our bunkers were rebuilt in-house over a two-year period. The old dirty brown sand was removed, and new white "Temisca" sand imported from Quebec was installed. This was the 'in' sand to use at the time, as The Lake Joseph Club, (the first Clublink course built in the Muskoka area down the lake from us) had just opened and used this sand in its original construction. Our course architect at the time, Tom McBroom who designed Lake Joe, recommended we use the Temisca bunker sand on our newly constructed No. 5 and No. 7 bunkers constructed at that time. With two holes completed with that new bunker sand, it then made sense to carry on and replace the sand in the rest of the bunkers to ensure consistent playing conditions.
During the reconstruction process of the bunkers, the drainage was inspected and new tile was installed where necessary to ensure the proper drainage.
Over many years, with repeated washing down of sand off the bunker faces, the sand has become contaminated with fine dirt, clay and silt clogging up the porous sand. As a result, the sand no longer drains as well as it should. The bunkers like everything else have a lifespan and need to be rebuilt (sand replaced and drainage inspected and replaced if needed) on a reoccurring basis.
The chart below, published by the various allied golf industry groups, outlines how long various parts of the golf course should last after they are reconstructed. If you look at bunker sand in the column on the left below, they recommend every 5-7 years for replacement. If you take this chart literary, this means our bunkers are at least two lives past needing replacement!
When the bunkers are rebuilt in the near future, Doug Carrick will redesign the bunkering to reflect the style of Stanley Thompson. Stanley believed that the lines of bunkers should not be sharp or harsh, but easy and rolling. The bunkers around the greens should always be visible when within striking distance. He believed one should be able to get out in one shot without herculean effort. He loved to design shared bunkers that sprawled between two holes. He liked to display hazards right out in front of the golfer. His bunkers were placed mostly into natural rises to make them eminently visible. The most impressive features of Thompson bunkers are the numerous capes and bays that create wonderful, ever-changing flashes of sand. In many cases, his bunkers were bold, deep, and "in you face."
Last week the greens crew went on a major 'bunker blitz' to check sand depths and move sand around where needed to ensure there was at least 4" of sand in the bases of the bunkers, and 2" of sand on the faces. In a great number of cases, there is a lot of sand there, but it is so compacted from being contaminated, a golfer perceives it as being low on sand. After moving the sand around with the blade, the bases were 'hard raked' to ensure the compacted sand was loosened to allow the club to come through on the ball.
It's crazy the extra amount of labour our end of life bunkers need to get them playable. That day alone there was over 40 man hours of additional work needed to get the sand placed and loose enough to be playable. New bunkers will require half the amount of maintenance due to the sand only requiring a minimal raking.
During the reconstruction process of the bunkers, the drainage was inspected and new tile was installed where necessary to ensure the proper drainage.
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| Bunkers on No. 5 fairway and green during reconstruction in 1997 |
The chart below, published by the various allied golf industry groups, outlines how long various parts of the golf course should last after they are reconstructed. If you look at bunker sand in the column on the left below, they recommend every 5-7 years for replacement. If you take this chart literary, this means our bunkers are at least two lives past needing replacement!
When the bunkers are rebuilt in the near future, Doug Carrick will redesign the bunkering to reflect the style of Stanley Thompson. Stanley believed that the lines of bunkers should not be sharp or harsh, but easy and rolling. The bunkers around the greens should always be visible when within striking distance. He believed one should be able to get out in one shot without herculean effort. He loved to design shared bunkers that sprawled between two holes. He liked to display hazards right out in front of the golfer. His bunkers were placed mostly into natural rises to make them eminently visible. The most impressive features of Thompson bunkers are the numerous capes and bays that create wonderful, ever-changing flashes of sand. In many cases, his bunkers were bold, deep, and "in you face."
Last week the greens crew went on a major 'bunker blitz' to check sand depths and move sand around where needed to ensure there was at least 4" of sand in the bases of the bunkers, and 2" of sand on the faces. In a great number of cases, there is a lot of sand there, but it is so compacted from being contaminated, a golfer perceives it as being low on sand. After moving the sand around with the blade, the bases were 'hard raked' to ensure the compacted sand was loosened to allow the club to come through on the ball.
It's crazy the extra amount of labour our end of life bunkers need to get them playable. That day alone there was over 40 man hours of additional work needed to get the sand placed and loose enough to be playable. New bunkers will require half the amount of maintenance due to the sand only requiring a minimal raking.
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