18 BL I NDER BUNKER Creating long-lasting bunkers LedgeRock Golf Club enhanced playability, reduced maintenance costs and extended bunker lifespans at its course by using Blinder Bunker Liner LedgeRock Golf Club – a Rees Jones design near Reading, Pennsylvania – opened in 2006. No viable bunker liners were available at the time, so the bunkers were constructed by placing sand directly on the soil and drainage lines. With washouts from heavy rainfall, over time the sand became contaminated with silt and stones. The club was keen to solve this problem, so worked with superintendent Alan FitzGerald to find a permanent solution that would avoid the need to rebuild the bunkers in the future. After experimenting with several products, in 2015 FitzGerald and the club partnered with Blinder Bunker Liner, which was created in the UK in 2010 and is the original porous, seamless rubber bunker liner. For the initial trial in the US, Blinder was installed in three of the course’s bunkers. With the course approaching its 20th anniversary, the club worked with Jones and his associate Bryce Swanson on redesigning and modifying some of the course’s holes. Bryce and Rees used data on how the course plays to reduce the size of bunkers while enhancing the playability of the course and reducing the long-term labour costs associated with regular maintenance. In 2022, the club rebuilt 60,000 square feet of greenside bunkers using Blinder. By the summer, Blinder USA’s certified installer George E Ley Company had cleaned out and drained the bunkers, installed the liners and added a new sand from Fertl Soil. When the old sand was removed from the course’s existing Blinder bunkers – seven years after they were constructed – FitzGerald reported that the sand and the liner were in the same condition as the day they were installed. “By removing all points of potential failure, the entire Blinder system is the best way to ensure the longevity of the sand and the bunker itself, fulfilling LedgeRock’s goal of finding a long-term solution to extend a bunker’s lifespan,” he said. For more on Blinder Bunker Liner, turn to page 33 or visit www.profusion-enviro.com/blinder Photos: Blinder Bunker LedgeRock GC rebuilt 60,000 square feet of greenside bunkers using Blinder
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