NEWSLETTER – Page 2

Fall 2012: Where are the drain lines?

Dennis Hurley August 17, 2012February 14, 2022CUSTOMER PROFILE, PROJECTSdrain, Franklin Hills, French drain, seepage drainage, Turf Drain

Where are the drain lines? One of the biggest challenges of any drainage project is making it look as if the project never took place. Nobody likes to see droughty drain lines for years after the completion of a project, especially not Brian Schwiehofer at Franklin Hills C.C. in Franklin, MI (just outside of Detroit).

Anyone that has ever visited Brian’s course would vouch for his attention to detail, and 50,000 feet of visible drain lines would not have been acceptable in Brian’s world. Any project can suffer from some wilted lines during prolonged dry stretches, particularly in the first couple of years after the completion of the project. Here at Turf Drainage Co. of America, we have witnessed millions …

Fall 2012: Tech Section – Cardinal Rule #1: Proper seepage drainage must have an adequate airspace

Dennis Hurley August 17, 2012February 14, 2022TECHNICALairspace, cardinal rule, drainage envelope, proper design, seepage drainage, Terzaghi formula

Cardinal Rule #1: Proper seepage drainage must have an adequate airspace

If we could only explain one principle to improve people’s understanding of proper seepage drainage, it would be that proper seepage drainage must have an adequate airspace to drain to in order to be effective. If a person absolutely understood this one critical concept, 90% of failed drainage installations would be eliminated. Hardly a day goes by that we don’t have some type of discussion with a golf course superintendent, engineer, or golf course architect whereby it is obvious that cardinal rule #1 is either not truly understood, or is underestimated in its importance.

The basis of all seepage engineering is a formula for the proper design of …

Fall 2012: Installing Drainage Like This Could Be Making Your Problem Worse, Part 2

Dennis Hurley August 17, 2012January 24, 2021PRODUCT, TECHNICALcollect water, collecting water, collection, perforated pipe, transport water, transportation

This is the second of a series of articles about installation mistakes that can actually cause your drainage problems to worsen instead of improve (Part I). A common practice in the golf course industry is the use of perforated pipe for transporting water. Every drainage system has two major functions; collection and transportation of water.

Collection can either be done by an open inlet collecting surface water, or a seepage line collecting water that is trapped on the profile. Many superintendents feel that if they use perforated pipe for their transportation lines, it can also collect their seepage water. Makes sense right? Maybe not. When a perforated line is used to transport water from a surface inlet, the …

Fall 2012: Valhalla Reopens September 1, 2012

Dennis Hurley August 17, 2012January 24, 2021CUSTOMER PROFILE, PROJECTSdrainage plan, Leibold, Louisville, Sanders Golf, sod harvester, TDA, Turf Drainage, Valhalla, Valhalla Golf Club

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

Dennis Hurley August 15, 2012February 14, 2022PROJECTSConcession Golf Club, David Steel, Mather Golf Club, Terry Kennelly, Turf Drainage Co. of the West

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

Dennis Hurley February 27, 2012January 24, 2021PROJECTS

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 9^th, 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

Dennis Hurley February 27, 2012January 24, 2021PRODUCT, TECHNICALChannel Drains, GIS Show, IDP, Irrigation driven pump, Perma Basin, Turf Drain Siphon System

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.

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.

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Why would you want your bunker to do this?

Dennis Hurley February 27, 2012February 14, 2022PRODUCT, TECHNICALMike Archer, perma bunker

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

Dennis Hurley December 12, 2011February 14, 2022PRODUCT, TECHNICALmoisture levels, transportation system, Turf Drain Siphon System, wicking

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

Dennis Hurley September 26, 2011January 24, 2021PROJECTSArchitect Jeff Blume, bunker drainage, Conroe Country Club, Conroe Texas, IDPs, Irrigation driven pump, Perma Basins, Turf Drain

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 …

The Turf Drain Siphon System™ is the first drainage system where you can install drainage without the need to grade pipe. Piping can go over mounding or into an ungraded trench.It has application in flat coastal properties where there is a need to take the water a long distance with little elevation change.

Any property where grading pipe may be difficult, such as rocky property or a course with lots of underground obstructions, can benefit from a Turf Drain Siphon System™.