Fall 2012: Valhalla Reopens September 1, 2012

Posted on August 17, 2012January 24, 2021Categories CUSTOMER PROFILE, PROJECTSTags , , , , , , , ,

Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, site of the U.S. victory in the 2008 Ryder Cup, will reopen on September 1, 2011 after major renovations. Nicklaus Design was brought in to oversee design changes to the layout that was originally opened in 1986. In addition to reconstructing all of the greens, the renovation included the practice range and a new state-of-the-art HDPE irrigation system (designed by Tony Altum; installed by Leibold Irrigation).

A master drainage plan that was designed by Turf Drainage Co. of America was designed with the objective of having the fairways perform at a level comparable to sand capping the golf course. The TDA system, however, did not require the movement of any dirt or a grow-in after

Fall 2012: Current Projects

Posted on August 15, 2012February 14, 2022Categories PROJECTSTags , , , ,

East Coast

Concession Golf Club was named after one of the greatest shows of sportsmanship in the history of the game. During the 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale, Jack Nicklaus conceded a putt on the final green to Tony Jacklin. The Concession Golf Club allowed the matches to be tied for the first time in Ryder Cup history. Thirty six years later, Nicklaus and Jacklin combined to design The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, FL. Terry Kennelly, Superintendent at The Concession, just completed the second phase of drainage work at the club.  The project was designed by David Steel of Turf Drainage Co. of America, and was installed by Siphon Systems, Inc. out of Jupiter, FL. The original phase

Valhalla Renovation Starts

Posted on February 27, 2012January 24, 2021Categories PROJECTS

Valhalla Renovation Starts Drainage Phase April 2012

Roger Meier & Chris Cochran

Roger Meier, Golf Course Superintendent at Valhalla Golf Club, has been busy.  Since closing the golf course in August of 2011, he has overseen the reconstruction of all of the greens, practice range, renovation of rough areas, along with adding or renovating 12 bunkers, and the on-going installation of a state of the art irrigation system.

Starting April 9th, Siphon Systems, Inc. will begin the installation of a drainage system designed by Turf Drainage Co. of America. The system was designed with the objective of providing drainage results comparable to what could have been achieved with sand capping the course. The installation of the drainage system will not require the grow-in that

ON DISPLAY at the GIS Show in Las Vegas, TDA Booth 2264

Posted on February 27, 2012January 24, 2021Categories PRODUCT, TECHNICALTags , , , , ,

If you are attending the GIS show in Las Vegas this week, please come by and visit. We will have our wildly popular Irrigation Driven Pumps on display. These are the drainage pumps that you can install anywhere on your course without having to run electrical service to the site. 

 mini_idp_1

In addition, we will have our flagship product Turf Drain, along with the patented Perma Basin, Channel Drains, and the Turf Drain Siphon System, plus many other items from our line on display.

Why would you want your bunker to do this?

Posted on February 27, 2012February 14, 2022Categories PRODUCT, TECHNICALTags ,

Why would you want the subgrade of your bunker to be so firm that you could bounce a golf ball on it?

You might be interested in considering a PERMA BUNKER when you see the quality of the sand four years after construction.


This picture shows the sand around the Perma Basin that is installed in the PERMA BUNKER. The sand is in the same pristine condition as the day it was installed, because the stabilized subgrade has stopped the contamination that occurs in other bunker construction methods.

Mike Archer with Greenscapes Six has built 1,000 bunkers with this method over the years. This method has many advantages, not the least of which is cost. This bunker method can

Why NO drainage system can “wick” water

Posted on December 12, 2011February 14, 2022Categories PRODUCT, TECHNICALTags , , ,

There has always been a lot of misunderstanding about where The Turf Drain Siphon System has applications. We are often asked if it works by “wicking” water off of the soil. The answer is no.

The Turf Drain Siphon System is a transportation system, not a collection system. In a later newsletter, we will discuss where and when it has advantages over other transportation systems. However, the purpose of this article is to clear up the notion that any drainage system can “wick” water. There are various claims by manufacturers and installers of other drainage products and systems that they wick water, or pull water from the soil profile. Either these claims are made to purposefully oversell their products, or

Golf Course Architect Jeff Blume turns to TDA drainage solutions for Conroe Country Club renovation

Posted on September 26, 2011January 24, 2021Categories PROJECTSTags , , , , , , ,

Conroe Country Club in Conroe,TX reopened for play last year after a complete renovation of the greens and tee complexes.

Architect Jeff Blume coordinated the restoration of the course, originally built in 1931, and designed by John Bredemus. The project included the construction of USGA spec greens that were grassed with Mini Verde Bermudagrass. Drainage concerns were addressed using Perma Basins, IDPs, and Turf Drain products manufactured and supplied by The Turf Drainage Company of America.

Turf Drain was utilized for internal bunker drainage to insure that gravel was not introduced into the bunker sand and possibly become a contaminant.

Perma Basins were installed in newly created collection areas around the greens so that these depressions would remain firm and

Installing drainage like this could be making your problem worse, Part 1

Posted on September 26, 2011February 14, 2022Categories PRODUCT, TECHNICAL

Visiting courses all over the country, we observe two common mistakes installing drainage that can actually cause your drainage problem to worsen as opposed to improve. The first is installing perforated pipe and gravel to an area where there is no control over the relief.  This could be a lake or a river that fluctuates during rain events, or a tidal area that inundates the system on high tide.

In either case, a perforated pipe and gravel system immediately starts to function as a leach field instead of a drainage system. In a situation such as this, as the water level at the relief rises and fills the pipe with water, the water seeps out into the gravel bed and

Roaring Fork Club, Basalt, CO – Matt Brewer saves thousands with new IDPs

Posted on September 26, 2011February 14, 2022Categories PROJECTS, TECHNICALTags , , ,

The Roaring Fork Club, a private golf and fly fishing club, is located just down valley from Aspen in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America. It is home to a Jack Nicklaus Signature course that plays along the Roaring Fork River.

As you can imagine, the winter snowfalls can be a real challenge for long time superintendent Matt Brewer to deal with in the spring. Matt turned to Turf Drainage Co. of America to help him with his most difficult areas. A strategic plan was done in 2010 to give the club a realistic appraisal of the overall cost of the project.

Next, the club decided which holes were the worst, and embarked on the

Fall 2011 – Franklin Hills, Franklin, MI, starts Phase 1

Posted on September 26, 2011February 14, 2022Categories CUSTOMER PROFILE, PROJECTS, TECHNICALTags , , , , ,

Franklin Hills Country Club and the term immaculate condition are synonymous. But, for Brian Schweihofer,the one aspect of the course that he was not pleased with was drainage.

Prolonged wet stretches, such as what the Midwest expereienced in 2011, meant missing mowing opportunities that kept Brian from having the course in tournament condition every day. Brian and Dennis Hurley, President of TDA, spent three days walking the course in order to provide the club with a detailed plan of what was needed to gain control over the course during wet periods. The membership approved the plan by a wide margin in July, and will start the first phase of construction in September of this year.

Siphon Systems, Inc, a certified