In September 2022, Sarnia Golf & Curling Club began a complete bunker renovation, including the introduction of a new bunker liner, Flexxcape™. The 18-hole course had dealt with consistent washouts and contamination from rocks
and soil that not only damaged the bunkers but increased many employees’ workloads and stress. The course enlisted the help of Titan Construction Group to complete the installation and solve these issues, to improve course playability and reduce ongoing maintenance.
Playing the Long Game
While a bunker is considered a hazard— it’s a hazard golfers demand consistency from. They want to have a good lie, each and every time, and they want uniformity in moisture, sand depth and firmness. Bunkers come with unique problems which, left untreated, can lead to consistent maintenance and upkeep. Excessive rainfall often leads to washout, which leads to contamination, and contamination can lead to significant drains on time and money.
Hole 16 | BEFORE FLEXXCAPE
In 2019, after years of dealing with 10+ washout days each season, Joel Henderson, superintendent of Sarnia Golf & Curling Club, knew it was time for a change. Henderson had heard about other golf courses in Ontario using Flexxcape, and decided to see how it performed. Henderson spoke with Burlington Golf & Country Club, who had been doing trials and found the combination of Flexxcape™ and BESTSAND™ SIGNATURE bunker sand worked better for them than any other option. “Our membership’s biggest complaint was our bunkers and we were finally
looking after what they wanted,” he said. “Courses need a way to reduce work and cost of upkeep and that’s why installing the Flexxcape™ system was an attractive option for our property.” Made of a synthetic, non-degradable PVC material, Flexxcape™ is designed to outperform bunker hardscapes. With a porous texture, one-time installation and minimal upkeep, it solves the issues commonly associated with bunker maintenance. The material is made with an undulating, irregular loop pattern, which allows for increased cohesion to sand particles and better water flow, while providing unrivaled protection against washouts. The product is sealed using the Flexxcape Bonding Agent, which melts the PVC and re-orients the chemical bonds for a seamless installation. From bunker to bunker, Flexxcape delivers consistent performance.
The Installation Process
After hearing the success stories, Henderson knew he wanted to use Flexxcape, but wasn’t sure how —until he spoke with his BrettYoung Rep.
Kelly Barnet, the BrettYoung Regional Account Manager for South Western Ontario, received the call from Henderson at the beginning of the project. “Joel initiated the research on the project,” said Barnet. “Once (Sarnia) decided to proceed with the bunker renovation, he reached out and asked me about Flexxcape.” Barnet then conducted a thorough comparison of Flexxcape to other options in the marketplace and found it to be a better option in both performance and maintenance. “Flexxcape consistently outperformed other options and required significantly less upkeep,” Barnet noted. After the decision to use Flexxcape was made, BrettYoung managed the logistics and delivered the product.
Henderson then connected with Derrick Vergeer, owner of Titan Construction Group, who agreed to take on the project. Vergeer’s team dug out and shaped each bunker, then laid out the PVC liner by hand, overlapping the pieces by an inch or two at the seams. After applying the bonding agent and allowing for the curing process
to be completed (24 hours), no staples were required for installation. Sand and sod installation can then be completed right away to finish the project. Everything was done by hand and weather conditions ranged from 20°C and sunny to 0°C and light flurries. “With other liners, the weather dictates the pace of the job, whereas with Flexxcape the weather doesn’t dictate your timeline,” said Vergeer. Titan began the install in late September and completed the project in early December, installing about 50 bunkers total. “Overall, the installation process was really good. It was allweather and it still worked really well and that was really important for us,” said Henderson. Vergeer’s team also found the installation process very smooth. “I’d say two to three labourers could install a bunker in approximately an hour, which is probably half the time needed for other products,” he said.
Performance
“2023 was the best test of our bunkers,” said Henderson. Ontario faced double the rainfall of any recent year and the product’s performance spoke for itself. “We had torrential downpours and we didn’t have washouts.”
In previous years, 20mm of rainfall would be enough to cause major washouts and create days of manual labour putting bunkers back together. After installing Flexxcape, Henderson’s course experienced over 60mm
of rain and the bunkers remained perfect, except for slight re-raking. Flexxcape™ has a high infiltration rate,
which when combined with its strength to hold sand on bunker faces and Sarnia’s grass edges, means far less
risk of contamination. “Having a hard edge can bring contaminants into your bunker and without that, they should play better, more consistently and last longer.” On top of better performance, the bunker maintenance was nearly non-existent. “Maintenance was minimalistic, it was unbelievable,” said Henderson. Henderson has yet to have to repair any of the bunkers, but something that attracted him to Flexxcape was the ease of any potential repairs; you simply remove the sand, patch the material, and re-bond it. “You just patch it like a tire and that’s so easy.”
Results That Last
Overall, Henderson couldn’t be happier with the results. “I think it’s a really amazing product that hasn’t blown up yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” he said.
Over the entire season, Henderson had zero washouts, a happier membership, a lighter workload and above all else, a permanent solution. “You’re creating a work-life balance— it’s a benefit to our membership, but also (to) our health, because I feel comfortable that the product will keep me afloat tomorrow.”
Talk to your BrettYoung Representative today to learn more about Flexxcape and installation for your property.
HOLE 4 | RENOVATED BUNKERS AFTER 65 MM OF RAIN