Golf Course
Construction
Site Preparation
TRF 250
Golf/Sports Field Construction
Site Preparation
 Surveying and staking
 Identifying and developing the power and
water sources
 Land clearing
 Rough grading
 Shaping of features such as greens,
tees, and bunkers
Surveying and Staking
 To develop a base map of the area being constructed
you must:
 Identify sensitive areas such as wetlands and flood
plains
 Locate reference points such as fence rows, large
trees, trails and streams
Once these areas are located maps can be generated to
indicate the general size and location of the fairways
and greens are identified. The overall grading design
with existing and proposed contours. Locations of
irrigation , shelters, cart paths, roadways, etc.
Surveying and Staking
 A centerline is located and placed down
the center of each golf hole and staked.
 A permanent benchmark is established
for the property and used for grade
changes
 The perimeter of each hole is then
staked (stakes should be used to mark
greens tees, fairways, etc)
Erosion control
Most areas have regulations to minimize erosion
and siltation on a construction site
The projects civil engineer will prepare a plan to
that includes devises such as:
 Sediment basins
 Silt fences
 Hay bales
These devises are installed before the clearing
and grading operations begin
Identify and Develop
Utility Sources
 Electricity must have if distance is very
far cost could be high
 Water where is the water going to come
from
Land Clearing
 Everyone needs to be agreement on the
final course design and layout before
clearing starts
 Specimen tree should be marked
 This phase should be done in stages to
prevent any irreparable damages
Land Clearing Cont.
 Clearing should begin along the
centerline for a width of 20 to 50 feet
 Vegetation is stocked pilled, burned or
removed from the site
 The architect then walks each hole to
visualize how the hole fits with the terrain
and how the hole will play
Land Clearing Cont.
 Clearing is then done to the perimeters of
each hole
 Trees that are not going to be removed
need to be protected
 Areas out of play should be left
undisturbed to provide habitat for wildlife
Land Clearing Cont.
After vegetation has been removed
 Stumps, roots, rocks and stones need to
be removed to a depth of 12 to 15 inches
(Grubbing)
 Do not bury organic materials
Rough Grading
 All major contours and features of the course’s
subgrade are set to shape within 6 inches of the final
grade (this often requires heavy earth moving
equipment)
 Topsoil is often stock piled and spread back over the
coarse
 Grade stakes are utilized trough out the hole to indicate
where the subgrade needs to be cut of filled based on
the plan for the course's construction
 Shapers are often used to acquire the mounding often
used of golf courses today
Rough Grading Cont.
 Seed bed preparation is begins once the
subgrade is completed
 The subgrade should mirror the final
grade
 The subgrade should result in positive
surface drainage with a 1-2 % grade
 Rough grading is finished when all top
soil is properly placed back in position
Soil Cultivation
 After rough grading is complete the soil is
often severely compacted
 The soil can be cultivated using chisel
plows, subsoilers, disks, harrows or
plows
Drainage
 Drainage Drainage Drainage!
 Storm water drainage must be designed
to conform with local regulations
regarding upstream and down stream
watersheds
 100 year rain fall maximums are used
Water- Retention Facilities
 Lakes, ponds, dams, spillways etc are
part of the storm water management and
irrigation source
 Created concurrently with the rough
grading phase
 Usually located at the low end of the
course or throughout the course
Surface Storm Drainage
 Rapid and easy way to remove excess
water from the course
 2-3% slope ideal less than 1% too slow
 Swales, ditches and over flow structures
that connect water-retention facilities
 Water in active play should not have to
move more than 150 feet in either
direction
Subsurface Drainage
Management of storm water infiltration and
percolation of water trough the soil profile
 Must have if subsoil has a clay profile or an
impermeable hard pan
 Consist of surface catch basins connected to a
network of pipes that intercept an move water
away from the playing surface
 Commonly used on greens, tees, fairways, and
bunkers
Subsurface Drainage
Outlets
 Must have an adequate outlet for storm
water
 Such as: ditches, ponds or larger
drainage lines
 Sump and pump
Subsurface Drainage
 If the coarse is located in a area with a
high water table then it may be
necessary to place the lines deeper to
lower the water table
 Trenches should be 6-8 inches deep an
can be up to a foot wide
 With a minimum slope of ½ percent
Subsurface Drainage
 Types of pipe: clay tile, concrete, or flexible
corrugated plastic
 Drainage line patterns: gridiron, herringbone
 Design is typically place diagonally to the
grade
 Must have a continuous downward slope
 Spacing should be no more than 10 feet in any
direction
Construction and Shaping
of Features
 Greens
 Tees
 Bunkers
Greens and tees 75% of the strokes and
5% of the area
Greens
 USGA Construction
 Refer to handout
Tees
 Concentrated use most of the abuse on the
golf course
 Should be well drain and nearly flat with out
any depressions
 Tees should have a 1% slope from front to
back
 Tees should also have a 1% slope away from
the point where the tee is entered by the golfer
Tees Cont.
 Some times constructed like a USGA
green
 At least should have the top 6 inches with
an amended soil and the use of
subsurface drainage lines
Tees Cont.
 Can’t build too big!
 Tees should have 100 square feet of
usable space per 1000 rounds of golf
 All par 3 holes and the first and tenth
hole should have 200 square feet of
usable space per 1000 rounds of golf
 Shade problems
Bunkers
 Used to force strategic play on the golf
course
 If constructed improperly costly
maintenance and unsightly bunkers will
occur
Bunkers Cont.
Sand selection
 Sand should drain well and play well (no
fried eggs)
 Sand selected based size of particles,
purity, shape, composition, and color
 Angular sand works well
Bunkers Cont.
 Surface water needs to be diverted from
running into the bunker
 This can be accomplished by swales on
the high side of the bunker
 Bunker erosion and sand contamination
are often time consuming and costly to
repair
Bunkers Cont.
 Interiors should have a 2-3% slope to ensure
drainage
 Herring bone or gridiron along with a smile
drain should be installed during construction
 A 2 inch gravel blanked is then installed over
the drain pipe and the surface of the bunker
 4-6 inches of compacted sand is then added
Irrigation System
 Could be up to 25% of construction
budget
 Installation can begin once the subgrade
is within a few inches of the finish grade
 Major drainage lines need to be installed
first
 Quality plans and installation is a must
Irrigation System Cont.
 System is staked out first this includes
the locations of all lines controllers and
valves and other key irrigation features
 Plans should be followed as close as
possible
 Individual sprinkler heads need to be
staked as accurately as possible
following design specifications
Irrigation System Cont.
 Depth and width of trenches varies
according to pipe size (10 inches depth
for every 1 inch of diameter)
 Trenches should be free from rocks
 Trenches should be back filled by hand
until a minimum of 1 foot of back fill
material covers the pipe
Irrigation System Cont.
 Once the pipe has been installed it needs
to be connected to the water source
(pump system)
 The systems then needs to be flushed
 The sprinklers can now installed but
above grade
 The system can now be pressure tested
 Be sure to get an as built irrigation plan
Seedbed Preparation
 May be completed before the irrigation system
is installed
 Top soil is spread over all areas except greens,
tees, and bunkers
 Take precautions to insure that the contours of
the coarse are not altered
 6 inches of topsoil needs to be added to all
fairways, tee and green surrounds
 4 inch minimum of topsoil added to the rought
areas
Seedbed Preparation
Cont.
 Once the topsoil is in place cultivation
needs to be done to a depth of 6 inches
 The soil is then raked to a depth of 4
inches and any rocks larger than ½ inch
diameter needs to be removed
 The soil is the ready for any amendments
that may need to be added
Soil Modification
 Sandy soils
 Clay based soils
 Soil should be modified to a depth of at
least 6 inches
Soil Modification
 Soil pH and Fertility amendments
 Soil sample
 Easily done before planting when they
can be incorporated into the soil
 Fumigation
Final Grading
 Smoothing the seed bed to remove any
depressions or rough areas
 Breaking up large clods of dirt
 Removing rocks larger than 2 inches
 Removing roots and stems
 Smoothing low and high spots
 And conditioning the seedbed for planting