First phase of major bunker renovation project completed

By Alistair November 24, 2017 14:31 Updated

Welsh based company Durabunker recently completed the first phase of a major bunker renovation at world ‘Top 100’ venue The Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island in South Korea, in preparation for the first ever PGA Tour event played in the country recently.

Working with vice president of PGA Tour Design Services, Steve Wenzloff, and course architect David Dale, the original designer of the golf course, the Durabunker team made four separate trips to the site to lead and guide the bunker renovation element of the project.

David Dale commented: “We’ve been impressed everywhere we’ve seen it done. We did extraordinary due diligence before finalising this decision. The playability and appearance of the synthetic bunker faces is exactly what one would expect from revetted bunkers. Considering this product is virtually maintenance free, maintains design integrity and prevents sand contamination – there’s a lot to like.”

Rhydian Lewis, co-inventor of all design patents for Durabunker, commented: “When I first began working on the development of the product at my home club, Maesteg GC, in 2009/10, it was little more than an idea that we wanted to explore. I could not have imagined that within a few years our company would be working with the PGA Tour. Having qualified construction specialists, as well as greenkeepers with over 15 years bunker building experience, helps us provide a first class service to complement our product. Our experience working with architects such as Nicklaus Design and Gil Hanse (designer of the Rio Olympic Course) is also allowing us to add a design element to our contracts, offering added value to every project.”

Other PGA Tour venues such as Tiburon GC (host venue of LPGA Tour Championships) and Conway Farms, which recently hosted the BMW Championship, have also commissioned Durabunker and have followed many UK and European courses in opting for synthetic bunker edges.