Golf Fairways Drainage

Drainage, or lack of it, can often be an issue on many fairways, especially where a course has been built on previous farmland or parkland with heavier soils.

Surface run-off can often aid drainage where fairways have adequate slopes, however, continued aeration and decompaction, along with mole ploughing where suitable conditions permit, will be needed to maintain fairways in a desirable condition. However, bursts of heavy rainfall or continuous rainfall will still pose a problem, and this will lead to a soft and puddled fairway.

Where mechanical aeration works do not prove satisfactory, especially over the winter period, then the installation of a drainage system, often with a by-pass system installed over pipe work, may need to be considered, although the cost of these schemes can be prohibitively expensive for many clubs. When considering a by-pass drainage system, it is important to also consider the additional ongoing costs needed to maintain them, so they do not lose their effectiveness or become dangerous to users.

Where sand slits or grooves have been installed as the secondary system overlying pipe drainage then regular top-dressings will be required to ensure any surface slits or grooves do not gape and any initial sinkage as the sand settles is topped up to maintain good surface evenness. In addition, the free draining nature of the by-pass system will require additional irrigation during dry periods to ensure viability of grass cover, otherwise grass can readily thin and die creating a hazard to golfers, producing an erratic behaviour of ball roll and also reducing the quality of presentation, especially mowing as the surface can effectively become ribbed.

Smaller, localised drainage works might also be considered on areas of a fairway which are prone to water retention.

The use of interceptor drains and fan drainage designs might be a useful winter project for some courses to address these localised drainage problems.