Courtesy of EcoBunker
Bunker specialists EcoBunker welcomed 20 greenkeepers and club managers from across Devon and Cornwall, in the southwest of England, to its latest club open day, hosted by Newquay Golf Club.
The open day series is being held throughout the spring and summer, giving club officials and greenkeeping teams around England the United Kingdom a chance to draw on EcoBunker expertise in bunker design and maintenance, and to better understand the benefits to be gained from employing the technology at their course.
“Bunkering is a complex topic, so we want to give clubs across the UK the chance to draw on our vast experience,” EcoBunker CEO Richard Allen said. “Courses need to consider bunker design, drainage, sand choice, which liners to use, edge irrigation and many other factors. We want to help them unpick the topic and find solutions that best fit their needs.”
The recent event at Newquay showcased the results of the first phase of the club’s bunker renovation project, where all par-3 greenside bunkers and the bunkers on the first hole were replaced last fall.
“We’ve been delighted with the impact of Phase One,” Newquay head greenkeeper Dan Kendle said. “We’re exposed to the elements, so the maintenance of the bunkers was a huge issue. Replacing sand, weeding, repairing eroded sections, it all added up to a real drain on our resources. Not only have we massively reduced that burden, but the course also looks better and plays better. We couldn’t be happier with Phase One.”
This was the third open day in the series, following events at Cottrell Park in Cardiff, Wales, and Lexden Wood Golf Club in Colchester, northeast of London. During the events, the team has shared information on course design, irrigation and drainage; at Lexden Wood, attendees even saw the current full course project installing bunker liners.
“When people hear EcoBunker, they will often think of our high revetted bunkers, but there is far more to our service than that,” Allen said. “We bring a holistic approach to every project that considers the course type and layout, the ground conditions, the local climate and many more factors, before applying the most suitable technology, or even removing bunkers completely where they’re not needed. Our open days are a fantastic chance for us to show people what we can do, and for them to learn what is possible at their venue.”
