Capillary Concrete Signs Up with Asian Golf Industry Federation

Singapore: Capillary Concrete, the world leader in solving bunker drainage problems, has joined the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF).

Capillary Concrete is an international company that is part-owned by Swedish golfing great Annika Sörenstam and Martin Sternberg, CGCS, an active golf course suMartin Sternbergperintendent for more than 30 years, multi-course owner and PGA member. (Martin Sternberg pictured on right.)

The team at Capillary Concrete consists of several experienced turf professionals including Stig Persson, former Chairman of the Swedish Greenkeepers Association, FEGGA (Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Associations), Ted Fist, former Head Course Manager from Chicago, Illinois, Sternberg and strong administrative teams in offices in Orlando, Florida and Gothenburg, Sweden.

The acclaimed product was invented and developed by Sternberg as a means of resolving all bunker problems in even the most severe golf course locations.

“Capillary Concrete bunkers were first installed in 2010 in Scandinavia in a very tough climate with severe winter ground freezing conditions. Today, thousands of bunkers have been built or renovated with Capillary Concrete all across the world, from Australia to Japan and Africa and Europe to the United States,” said Sternberg, a 25-year Certified Golf Course Superintendent with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the first European superintendent to reach this status in 1992.

“Capillary Concrete is available throughout the world, in every major golf market. We are pleased to be joining the AGIF as an Associate Business Member. Working with our distributors, it is our intention to participate in the various golf course superintendent seminars and field days,” added Sternberg, during a recent Asian swing that was highlighted by installation demonstrations.

As well as distributors in Japan and Korea, Capillary Concrete has appointed Centaur Asia Pacific as its distributor in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Centaur is a Full Business Member of the AGIF.

Sternberg added: “Our references around the world can attest that our product is very easy to install, offers superior moisture control and provides a significantly improved overall economy against the alternatives. In addition, we have achieved the goal of creating ideal conditions for the golfer, maintenance team and club owners. You can save upto five times the cost of the investment if replacing the bunkers on the entire golf course. Our solution is so strong and durable that we provide a 10-year 100% performance guarantee.

“Many of the world’s golf courses are struggling with water supplies being less and less available and costs rising. Capillary Concrete can offer a real substantial advantage in water savings … and the potential for this product is very exciting.”

Eric Lynge, the AGIF’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We welcome Capillary Concrete into the Federation and look forward to helping the company roll out its fantastic product in Asia.”

From Asian Golf Industry Federation

Al Maaden, Marrakech rénove ses bunkers avec du béton !

Il y aura bien du sable dans les bunkers d’Al Maaden, mais la base a été effectuée en béton poreux, appelé Capillarty Concrete.
Al Maaden sera ainsi le premier parcours du Maroc à être équipé de cette technologie, installée récemment au Golf National en prévision de la Ryder Cup, et nous avons pu apprécié son efficacité lors du dernier Open de France !
Matériau poreux, Capillary Concrete assure le drainage naturel de l’eau contenue dans chaque centimètre carré du bunker. Ainsi, les épisodes pluvieux sont rapidement absorbés par à un rythme de plusieurs centaines de centimètres par heure.
Après évacuation de l’excès d’eau, le sable reste humide par capillarité. L’innovation consiste alors à conserver ce taux d’humidité en surface aussi longtemps que possible, grâce à l’action de Capillary Concrete, qui restitue l’humidité au sable par ses micropores uniques et par capillarité. Ainsi, le système breveté contribue à stocker l’eau et à restituer l’humidité en surface, au fur et à mesure de son évaporation par temps sec.

Gleneagles’ Queen’s course taken back to James Braid’s original design

 


An 18-month renovation project at The Queen’s course at Gleneagles has now been completed. The famous James Braid-designed course has undergone a series of subtle changes with the aim of enhancing playing conditions. 89 bunkers throughout the Queen’s Course have been lined with the Capillary Concrete system, helping to maintain playing conditions and drainage. The visibility of sand lines has also been enhanced.
“Our work over the last 18 months on The Queen’s Course has taken it back to how it would have been in Braid’s day,” said Scott Fenwick, Golf Courses and Estate Manager at Gleneagles.
“Braid’s bunker designs at Gleneagles were based on the courses supporting summer play only, so to bring them back to his original design concept, and make them playable all-year-round, marks a tremendous achievement.”
Archive photos and Braid’s original design plans were used as part of the project, which has seen fairway lines taken back to their original location – increasing the fairways size by around 40 per cent.
“On the 11th hole, for instance, we’ve removed one bunker and resurrected another that used to sit in the rough – bringing back into play a more strategic hazard and ultimately transforming how the course is played, giving golfers a more traditional experience,” Fenwick said. “Additionally, around the course, we’re re-introducing Scottish heather to frame the fairways and better reflect the course’s appearance in the 1920s.”
As part of the project, the bowl-shaped green on the sixteenth hole has seen the installation of Energy-Passive Ground Water Recharge Pump technology. This helps ensure equal moisture distribution throughout the depth of the bore hole, capitalising on the soils natural contraction and expansion.
The restoration and renovation work on the Queen’s Course follows on from similar projects on the club’s King’s and PGA Centenary courses – all of which have focused on restoring James Braid’s original designs.

From Golf Course Architecture web.