Course Drainage Works Update

After many months of heavy rain, we have enjoyed some respite recently with the rain relenting. We have recently seen carts come back to the course and golfers returning in droves. A large part of the reason we managed to get carts back on the course 12 days after we were closed was due to the drainage works conducted by Course Staff and Contractors Cherio and D&A Irrigation. If any benefit came from the deluge, it was Course Superintendent Jordan Roach and his team identified several areas that could benefit from better drainage.

A bit of an outline of some of the works completed includes: 

2nd Hole   

  • A 600x600mm storm water pit installed between the 2nd and 6th holes. This will not only help with draining water away from the immediate area but will also aid future drainage works carried out in that area of the course.
  • A new drainage line installed thought the fairway, discharging into the open drain between the 1st and 2nd Holes.
  • The open drain between 1 & 2 has been desilted and cleaned up to allow better flow of water.
  • 60m of 225mm storm water lines and 120m 100mm subsoil drainage placed in some of the various trouble spots on the hole.

4th Hole  

  • A swale (open drain) was created between the 3rd and 4th holes to try and drain some of the static water that has been known to build up in that area.
  • The swale drains into a 450x450mm pit and drained via a 30m storm water line off the cliffs into the the ocean.

6th Hole

  •  The natural creek between The Coast and St Michaels (which had been choked with sediment over the course of many years) was cleared. 160m of the creek line was re-established through the use of an excavator. A constant stream of water has been flowing through this watercourse ever since, even with weeks of no rain.
  • 40m of subsoil drainage was installed on the left-hand side of the hole from between the cart path to about the 100m marker, draining into the creek.
  • More work is planned on this hole to solve the issue of the notorious “wet area” on the LHS near the 150m marker.

12th Hole

  • Subsoil drainage was placed behind and to the right of the green with the aim to catch all the run off from the high area and divert it.

13th Hole

  • Major trunk drainage installed at the beginning of the fairway and the right-hand side.
  • Three 600x600mm storm water pits amd one 450x450mm pit installed.
  • 50m of 225mm storm water line and 40m of 150mm storm water line together with 90m of 100mm subsoil drainage in the same trench, wrapped in geofabric and 10mm aggregate.
  • Significant amount of swales created to carry the water towards the storm water pits to eliminate water pooling.
  • New swale drain on the RHS of 13th hole, adjacent to ladies 16th tee to eliminate flood area.

14th Hole

  • A 600x600mm storm water pit installed on the RHS, approximately 100m from the green to catch runoff from the 15th.
  • 42m of 225mm storm water line, draining over the cliff into the ocean.
  • Subsoil drainage linking up with storm water trench.
  • Trenching was a major issue on this hole due to the proximity to rock and the nature of that rock being some of the most challenging to work with on the course.
  • A further 20m of subsoil drainage near rock area on RHS of hole to catch subsurface seepage, draining in to new pit.    

Some figures of the works done to date:

  • 220m of storm water lines installed;
  • 400m of subsoil drainage installed;
  • Two 450x450mm pits installed;
  • Five 600x600mm pits installed;
  • 72 tonnes of 10mm aggregate used.