I have already reported to you twice this year that it is not impossible to solve the damage caused by floods to the bunkers of our golf courses. Now, I will show you the example of Hoover Country Club and how to avoid the effects of floods.
Before I get started, I will summarize what you need to know about Hoover Country Club (since 1959). It is a member-owned private country club.
The W. Bancroft Timmons and George Cobb original course was redesigned by Bill Bergin in 2010. Patton Creek meanders through the 6,900-yard, 18-hole championship course, providing golfers of all abilities a fair yet challenging test of their game.
The Challenge
Patton Creek flows right through the club’s property. After a major rain event, the creek is likely to break its banks and flood several holes – and their bunkers.
As mentioned above, Hoover Country Club went through a substantial renovation in 2010 at the hands of golf architect Bill Bergin, and a liner was installed in the course’s bunkers.
But the effects of time – and of flooding – had meant that liner was no longer performing as it should.
LJ Robinson, superintendent at Hoover Country Club, says
“We felt the bunkers had got to a point where they had degraded to such an extent that they weren’t performing any more, and we had to do something about it.”
The Solution
Hoover Country Club chose to install the Capillary Bunkers liner system, including the revolutionary Capillary Wash Box, which allows greens crews to pressure wash contaminated bunker sand and return it to its original condition.
The project began in early August 2023 and was finished in mid-October, with contractor Duininck Golf handling the work.
LJ Robinson says
“With the Wash Box, we can skim, then connect a hose to the irrigation system and blast out the rest of the contamination. It will make a big difference for us.”
