Supply chain problems are one of the most visible side effects of the global pandemic. They have caused shortages in everything, from baby formula to new cars.
There is however a shortage of something you might not expect to find at a desert golf course: sand for bunkers.
The shortage caused plans to replace sand at 51 bunkers of the 27-hole Desert Princess Country Club facility in Cathedral City, California, to be canceled. Golfers were hitting into bunkers with only black rubber liners, rather than sand.
Rodney Young, Desert Princess’ first year as head golf professional, stated that “we are going to write off it this year because (the upcoming] prime season.” “We cannot be doing bunker project. We are going to reset, reorganize, and see if it can be done next July.
The course was able to find about 500 tons of sand from central California. This means that the greenside bunkers at the Lagos nine-hole layout’s greenside were finally filled with white soil. The rest of the work for the Vista and Cielo 9s will be done next summer.
The Desert Princess board had approved the replacement bunker sand. Work had already begun on greenside bunkers at the Lagos course, which is one of three nine-hole layouts at Desert Princess. This plan was similar to the one that is used at many other golf courses in Coachella Valley every summer. In anticipation of the busy winter months, take the summer months with fewer players and invest in improvements to the layout.
The lack of bunker sand, as well as inability to obtain it to the Cathedral City facilities, caused the stoppage of work on the 27 holes that were supposed to be completed in August and September.
Young stated that Desert Princess staff decided that new sand was required in the greenside bunkers due to contamination by desert blow sand, and deteriorating liner. Young stated that some course members claimed the sand hadn’t been changed in at least 15 years.
Not just desert sand
The sand used to make bunkers on golf course fairways is different from the sand used in natural desert dunes. Desert sand is between 0.1 and 1.5 mm in size, compared to bunker sand which can hold up to 1.0mm. It also doesn’t bear the weight of a golf club when it hits the sand. The United States Golf Association has identified nine characteristics of bunker-sand. These include size, particle shape, crusting potential, color, and crusting potential.
The Desert Princess staff began removing the old sand in August. They assumed that each of the three nine hole layouts would take at least two weeks. Officials discovered that the 1,700 tonnes of sand, a mixture of 50 percent Desert Tan and 50 per cent Augusta White to give the bunkers a brighter appearance, was not available.
Young stated that Jerry Hernandez, our superintendent and director of agronomy, had spoken to many vendors in order to find sand. He was located all across Utah, California, and other states.
Young stated that Desert Princess officials once found 500 tons of sand within Orange County. However, the vendor couldn’t find drivers to transport the sand to desert.
The bunkers did not have sand but they had new liners. Polylast is a new liner made from recycled tires. It is laid in square mats instead of traditional cloth liners. These mats not only allow water to drain, but also keep rocks and desert sand from reaching the bunkers’ surface. A local rule allows a golfer to drop a ball from a bunker that has no sand.
After finishing a round without sand, David Henley from Indio said that “it’s definitely a different look.” The black looks striking on a green course of golf.
Henley laughed, “And it was okay because I’m no great bunker player anyway.” “I might just play bunkers with one free drop.” I can understand why there wasn’t sand to begin with.
In recent years, other desert courses have experienced various shortages. This is often due to COVID-19 or supply chain problems. These shortages include everything from overseeding rye seed to sod. A desert superintendent is in the middle of renovations and hopes that these problems will be avoided.
“Let’s just say that for anyone that saw it or listened to the people saying it, hey, there’s a seed shortage, let’s say pins and cups, but if you listened and got ahead of it it wasn’t that big of a deal,” stated Ben Vann in his first year as Thunderbird Country Club’s superintendent in Rancho Mirage. The club is close to the end of a two year renovation. “If you waited and tried everything as we have always done it, there was trouble.”
Young stated that the lack of sand had an impact on scheduling for activities like overseeding greens and aerating them. Most important was the decision not to change the sand on the Vista or Cielo nines in this year’s tournament.
Young stated that the other courses have been fully aerified from wall to wall. However, Vista will be open until October 16th.
Young stated that Desert Princess is committed to the course’s success and hopes to spread the word about the course throughout the golf season. Desert Princess is open to outside play, as well as those who are staying at the nearby DoubleTree by Hilton resort.
Young stated that “very few people knew we took public tee times.” “Everyone believes we are private, because we have a resort country club name.”
Larry Bohannan, The Desert Sun’s golf writer, is Larry Bohannan. He can be reached at larry.bohannan@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4633. Follow him on Twitter @larry_bohannan. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Desert Sun
By: Larry Bohannan
Title: Supply chain issues delayed bunker work at this California golf course, leaving players to hit into rubber
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/10/11/supply-chain-issues-california-golf-course-bunkers/
Published Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2022 12:00:34 +0000
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