The greenside bunkers at White Wing have been a hot topic
for some time. Since the installation of the new bunker liners and replacement
of the old sand we have been experiencing less than desirable results and
maintenance issues with the renovated traps. After laboratory tests we found
that it has a low pentrometer rating for use as bunker sand. A pentrometer tests
the firmness of the sand which translates to how likely the ball will bury or
have a “fried egg” lie. The USGA recommends
that the number be close to a 2.5 or higher. The sand that was tested by the
lab came back with a lower number than what is recommended. We tried to
incorporate other sand in an attempt to bring this number up. Also we removed
sand as it was too deep in some areas with little to no luck. In late 2013, the decision was made to shell
out, or remove, this undesirable sand and begin searching for something that
would be firmer, allowing for better bunker performance. Also during this time
we were able to address any liner issues that we were having and make repairs
to some of the bunker edges as needed. We have since made the decision to go
with sand from Osburn Materials based in San
Antonio Gary Wilson paid a visit to that location to see
this sand in place, talk to the Director of Maintenance there about the sand
and even hit some balls out of the bunker for a true test. At this time we are
putting the new sand in the front nine bunkers and will continue to monitor the
sand depth as they compact and are used. The old sand is being saved and can be
used for numerous other projects such as filling rough areas on the driving
ranges and topdressing greens and fairways this summer. The plan is to have
this project completed by the end of March.
