New-use bunker liner material guaranteed for 10 years

Golf course managers looking for a long-lasting solution for lining bunkers can check out a new use for a decade-old product on the GIS trade show floor this week; Sand Guard by Porous Pave, Inc.

Sand Guard is installed with Porous Pave XLB, a permeable paving material that’s flexible and durable, according to the company. Batch mixed on site and applied directly on bunker floors at a 1-inch thickness, Sand Guard forms one continuous, consistent rubber-rock permeable surface. It seals bunker floors to keep sand clean, stabilizes the sand and holds it in place on bunker slopes. It eliminates puddles and minimizes erosion and washouts by allowing storm water to percolate quickly down to drainage pipes.

The product can infiltrate 5,800 gallons per hour per square foot, which the company says is three times more permeable than other non-fabric liners, and is superior for draining rainwater from bunkers.

“Sand Guard offers important advantages,” says John Harvey, ASGCA, ASLA, president of A. John Harvey Golf Course Design, LLC, Long Valley, N.J. “It is a homogenous material that establishes a solid, uniform liner with consistent thickness and strength, not just a thin coating sprayed over the top of loose gravel. The material’s rubber content gives it durability and flexibility to expand and contract, so it withstands high heat and freeze-thaw cycles without cracking, crumbling or heaving.”

Others apparently are paying attention.

“We are renovating our bunkers and looking for a different liner that holds up during rain events and prevents sand contamination,” says Doug Hoeh, North Golf Superintendent and Ski Mountain Manager, Treetops Resort & Spa in Gaylord, Mich. “We are testing 1,250 square feet of Sand Guard with Porous Pave XLB in a bunker. So far, its performance has been better than other products we have used on our courses.”

Porous Pave XLB consists of 50-percent recycled rubber chips and 50-percent dried granite aggregate, delivered in bags and mixed on site in a portable mortar mixer with a moisture-cured liquid binder. The company says the process is quick and installation easy, with minimal disruption to property or operations. It pours in place, conforms to shape and cures in 24 hours.

“Since we first introduced the product 10 years ago, golf courses have used it for paving patios and cart paths,” says Dave Ouwinga, president of Grant, Mich.-based Porous Pave. “Impressed with its performance, superintendents asked for a bunker liner application. In outdoor applications, Porous Pave has the strength to support vehicle and foot traffic, endure sun and rain in summer, and withstand snow blowers, shovels and salt in winter. Compared to that, underneath a layer of bunker sand is like a sheltered environment. It will guard bunkers for years and is guaranteed for a decade.”

Ouwinga notes that the product has been used on loading docks and parking lots, walkways and sidewalks and courtyards and patios, and is the only permeable paving material that works on steep slopes up to 30 degrees. Technical specifications, independent lab test results and distributor locations are available at www.porouspaveinc.com.

Photo: Golfdom