Every golf course faces some type of drainage problem on any of the part of its property. Poor drainage on golf course affects the playability, appearance, economics and reputation. Muddy golf course, dirty shoes, mud balls and cart restrictions spoil the game and take away the enjoyment of golf for the golfers.
Hire a drainage consultant
Hiring a golf course drainage consultant who has the experience and knowledge to device the master plan is the first and very essential step. You will be surprised to see that the drainage technique changes from each hole and according to the topography surrounding it. He makes the drainage plan according to some objectives and it is important as it has a lot of effect on the economics:
- If the goal is to be tournament condition
- Just dry up the wet areas for cart movements
- Keep the golf course from closing
Drainage designs for golf course:
- Trenching:
This is done for effective drainage for the fairway and cart paths. This is achieved with vertical multi flow installations. Bunkers on golf course are drained in this manner. These installations are good as they leave a very narrow scar on the turf. Depth of the trench depends on:
· Depth of maintenance practices
· Depth of saturation
· Width of the area
· Response time
· Speed of full drainage
· Subsurface features
· Location of irrigation lines
- Length of line and spacing
Subsurface drainage of turf is very effective within 5-8 feet on leveled surface. It is wider on slopes as gravity aids in collecting water in the drain. The best thing on the fairway is the placement of a central collector. It has arms reaching the low lying areas and it is the best thing on the course.
- Product size
The lengths of pipes are based on the assumption of collecting water from a 12-foot wide area during the rainfall of 1 inch.
- Transport
There should be good transport to transfer the collected water. Many a times, the water is discharged in a pond or a storm sewer or a stream. It might be collected and reused. The transport lines need to have the carrying capacity of at least the sum equal to all the collection lines. Check valves are necessary to see that the water level do not rise higher than the collection system.
- Labor estimates and costs
This includes total labor hours, number of workers, rental equipments, materials like sand, sod, etc.
You may get overwhelmed when you go through the master plan for the drainage of the golf course and the total costs. The drainage plan can be worked out in a cost effective way. The plan can be used to soliciting bids from contractors and evaluating the job. Experienced contractors are cost effective due to their efficiencies in moving the materials.
There should be proper drainage on golf course as this will ensure maximum usage of the course. Excess rainfall or imbalanced irrigation may cause saturation. This may lead to other problems like unhealthy turf, disease and compaction. Hence, drainage of golf course is very important.
