FEATURES
Report From the Course
Spray-On Bunker Liner Option

Just like truck bed liners, there is an option out there for bunker liners that can be sprayed on: polyurethane-based liquids from Klingstone www.klingstone.com. The bunker barrier, according to the company’s Web site, “permeates and binds soil particles in the bunker cavity to stop contamination of the sand, eliminate erosion, stabilize bunker faces and enhance the effectiveness of you drainage system.”

A Klingstone-treated bunker at The Keswick Club in Viriginia Bunkers at Grand Traverse Resort in Michigan were recently treated with Klingstone. Photos Courtesy Of Klingstone Unless Otherwise Noted. A finished bunker at the Stanford University practice facility. The bunkers at the Tom Fazio-designed Spring Hill Golf Club have high flash faces. Photo Courtesy Of Tim Johnson, Spring Hill Golf Club. When the bunker sand at Spring Hill was changed for aesthetics and playability, the crew was able to sweep the bunkers clean with a broom, and the Klingstone secured the bunker subgrade. Photo Courtesy Of Tim Johnson, Spring Hill Golf Club.

Tim Johnson is superintendent at Spring Hill Golf Club, which began construction in 1997 and opened for play in 1999. Johnson, who was the construction superintendent at the Wayzata, Minn., course, says, “We began experimenting with Klingstone in spring 1998 and began using it in all our bunkers by the end of that year.”

The course features a total of 84 bunkers. “All of our bunkers, fairway and green, have high flash faces on them per architectural design,” he says. The course was designed by architect Tom Fazio.

“The reason we sought out this type of product for our installation was because of the ease of installation and the permanent nature of the product. We did not want to be reconstructing our bunkers in five years because of liner problems,” Johnson says of the spray-on liners.

He says, “There is virtually no maintenance to the bunker liner because the Klingstone is permanent. The only areas we have had to rework are the areas [where] we installed the product incorrectly.”

Spring Hill was the first course that installed the Klingstone product. Johnson says, “We were the guinea pig for the product, so the bunkers we did early on in the project, where we were establishing an application rate, are the bunkers that received the application incorrectly (too light of application rate).”

Johnson says, “Six years after installation of the bunkers and the course had been opened for play, the membership decided to switch to different sand for aesthetics and playability. We saw first-hand how the product holds up in the bunker cavity. The Klingstone was still as good as the day we put it in. In fact, we were able to completely clean out the old bunker sand and sweep the bunkers clean with a broom because of the Klingstone securing the bunker subgrade

“Any bunker recontouring was easy, because the work could be completed and then sprayed with Klingstone, as the Klingstone will bind to itself.”

Are the liners effective, and how do they stand the test of time? Johnson says, “Our bunker sand is still as clean as the day we put it in. The only contamination we have is through silt coming into the bunker from surrounding turf areas. In Minnesota, our ground moves a lot in the spring as we come out of the winter freeze. It was our experience that the fabrics needed constant attention with the securing staples not only in the spring, but throughout the year. We have no maintenance on our Klingstone liner as it permanently binds to the bunker subgrade. We have not experienced any cracking of the Klingstone subgrade because of the freeze/thaw cycle we experience every year.

“After so many years on the course, I think if people do the math for this product, it is the most cost-effective bunker liner on the market, simply because there is little or no maintenance on the liner after the installation. Our Klingstone now has a 12-year track record. Additionally, the product has kept our sand as clean as the day we put it in. After five years of our new sand, it still percolates as well as it did from day one.

“I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this product to any golf course. Each application has its own unique installation process due to soil conditions, so using the Klingstone people for help with the process is a must.”