Bunkers at Rancho San Lucas course take shape with EcoBunker

EcoBunker’s synthetic revetted bunkers are being introduced at the new Rancho San Lucas golf course in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Designed by Greg Norman Golf Course Design, the new course is located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean on a gently sloping site featuring deep arroyos and canyons.

“The Norman firm had experience of our product at Medalist in Florida, and as Rancho San Lucas is an oceanfront site, wanted the course to look as much like an authentic links as possible,” said Richard Allen, CEO of EcoBunker. “That meant bunkers with a revetted edge. These are notoriously difficult to maintain in a warm season environment, where natural revetting turf typically lasts little more than a year – the soil and root matrix does not bind the turf wall together in the way cool season grasses do, so when there is heavy rain, the soil washes out of the structure and the wall collapses. Due to the rhizatomous (creeping) nature of most warm climate grasses, it is also very difficult to retain the classic layered aesthetics.’’

Danny Fore, an associate at Greg Norman Golf Course Design, is overseeing the day-to-day work at the site alongside project manager John Nurminen, who is supervising construction.

“I was sceptical at first about bringing an artificial substance into a natural environment,” Nurminen said. “But after seeing the installation process and the way it fits together, I am more than impressed – I’m blown away.”

The project is EcoBunker’s first in Mexico.

“The construction crew, from Mexican contractor Par Tres Golf, had never done anything like this before – in fact they had never even built natural revetted bunkers,” added Allen. “After two days of very intensive training, they reached a high standard and with careful supervision I’m confident they’ll do a great job.”

Sean DudleySean Dudley

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