Ryder Cup features Better Billy Bunkers

Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course is set to host the 2014 Ryder Cup from Sept. 26-28. The course annually hosts the Johnny Walker Classic on the European Tour and provides a wonderful contrast to typical Scottish courses.

Built in 1993, the Jack Nicklaus design was renovated in the winter of 2011. Certified Installer Edinburgh Landscaping renovated all bunkers on the course with the Better Billy Bunker method in preparation for the Ryder Cup. The Better Billy Bunker method is a liner-less bunker drainage system that eliminates washouts and contamination during rain events. The method uses a spray on binder, which is applied to local pea gravel and once cured, provides a firm but porous surface that allows water to percolate through the sand and Better Billy Bunker to the drain lines, without erosion occurring.

With a percolation rate of approximately 1500 inches per hour the method can handle an extraordinary amount of rain in a short period of time, without washouts. Weather can play a huge factor during any golf tournament and during the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor there was no exception as heavy rains forced a Monday finish. Improvements across the board, including Better Billy Bunkers, have Steve Chappell and staff prepared for most anything Mother Nature has in store.