The success of the first drainage project was great but there was still one lingering spot of saturation. So in the fall of 2022 we broke ground and drained the remainder of hole 16. The plan called for the same components and materials as used in the first phase. The layout was slightly altered as 16 now featured a burn running the length of the area in focus. The drain lines here now only had to return to this trench, the other areas the run directly into the vault. We were able allowing us drain 200 yards of fairway and approach with just over 1,400 feet of pipe. Once the water reached the burn it was sloped so that water flowed towards a the new vault on the eastern end of the hole.
The pictures above show the 16th hole, October 2022, after it rained over a inch. We marked the location of the puddles with irrigation flags (in slideshow below), and then it was a like solving puzzle searching for the most efficient pathways to capture the most water. The paths we picked were also selected to avoid crossing the irrigation system when possible.
The work went smoothly thanks to warm dry weather. The drain lines were installed in two weeks and the vault on the third week. During this process we keep the hole open as a par-3, and we were able to reopen it fully the weekend before Thanksgiving for the last hurrah of play. The new infrastructure already is making a difference and we look forward to seeing it perform next golf season and for many storms to come.
