New Seabury Country Club in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has completed a major drainage programme on both its courses. Florida-based XGD Systems handled the work.

Course superintendent Scott Nickerson says the low-lying nature of the New Seabury property meant that drainage was always a problem after any significant rain event. “Our whole front nine sits at sea level,” he said. “It’s pretty flat. For years, anytime we had any amount of water – from a half-inch to two inches of rain, it would just sit in the low spots for weeks. Where we used to shut down the course from two days to a week following a rain event, now, after XGD’s drainage work, we were open and mowing in that area within 24 hours.”

The two courses at New Seabury – the Dunes and the Ocean – were both designed by golf architect William Mitchell in the 1960s. New England architect Mary Armstrong remodelled the Dunes course in 2001. The Ocean course has spectacular views over Nantucket Sound and Martha's Vineyard.

In a five year project, XGD has installed its patented drainage system into 25 greens and completed US$250,000 work of fairway drainage work. More recently, XGD returned to install drainage in eight bunkers.

“XGD bunker drainage is an alternative to traditional four-inch bunker drainage with peastone backfill,” said company VP Mark Luckhardt. “We use our two-inch XGD pipe with bunker sand backfill on six foot spacings to eliminate wet sand issues and lower the water table in the bunker.”

Nickerson says that, thanks to XGD, New Seabury now drains quickly and well. Members are happy this major issue was addressed and the superintendent is thrilled since it’s one less thing for he and his crew to worry about each time it rains.