Three golf clubs find cost effective way to renovate bunkers

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Southerndown, Pennard and Secession GC have found that the EcoBunker construction method is a cost effective way to renovate their bunkers.

Andrew Mannion (Southerndown) and Huw Morgan (Pennard) figured that every ‘traditionally’ built bunker on their courses was costing them £350 to £400 per year to maintain.

After renovating using the EcoBunker construction method, feedback is now showing a payback period of four years, leaving 16 years or more with virtually no bunker maintenance burden. The return on investment in both cases is conservatively estimated at 400 per cent.

At Secession GC, traditional bunker construction methods simply could not consistently deliver the high standards of presentation expected at this ‘low country links’. Following a full course renovation in 2015 (which utilised EcoBunker’s unique brown face option), superintendent Mark Mitchell is a happy man: “They’ll give us longevity, cut expenses and give us the look we want throughout the year. We won’t be as much at mother nature’s mercy.” Course designer, Bruce Devlin, is equally impressed: “I’m a traditionalist, but they look more like Scottish revetted bunkers than anything I’ve seen in this country. From a financial and visual standpoint I do believe these bunkers will be a saviour for us. We will not have to rebuild them every three to four years.”

It makes sense to install permanent works, obtaining the best possible results at a minimum of costs, said EcoBunker’s Richard Allen, a civil engineer experienced in the cost benefit analysis of major infrastructure schemes. He has, for the last 10 years, been committed to reducing waste, on and off golf courses. He has focussed on his area of passion; bunkers.

“Major public sector works will not proceed unless they prove by cost benefit analysis a considerable return on investment over their design life. I think more clubs can do this: a rigorous financial analysis of the benefits of proposed course works is well worth the effort. A lot of waste could be prevented,” he said.