GOLF COURSES
Labour saving bunkers
hen a course is
W busy , maintenance downtime is especially tough . The semi-private Duran Golf Club , located in Melbourne , on Florida ’ s east coast , south-east of Orlando , is a classic example . at busy Duran
Florida course reports major labour savings and quality improvments from ZLine bunker liner
Duran was built in 2004 by architect Chip Powell and is owned by the large , family-controlled A Duda & Sons , an agricultural business . It is part of the Viera community developed by Duda in Brevard County . And it , like a lot of Florida courses , is an extremely busy place . “ Our championship course does about 55,000 rounds a year , while our par three course , which is lit and open till 9pm each night , does 23,000 ,” says general manager Jeff von Eschen .
Von Eschen was part of the construction and grow-in team at Duran , and managed the golf course as superintendent until 2020 , when he became general manager . “ We have 88 bunkers on our championship course , and another fifteen on the par three ,” he says . “ When they were constructed , they were rather deep with high-flashed faces , and obviously this caused problems whenever there was heavy rain , which happens a lot in Florida . A geotextile liner was installed
46 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | September / October 2024