Aussie Style Bunker Raking Cancel The title field is required!

1. Mark Lyon

   

   0 posts
   
   5/16/2017 2:05 PM

   We are contemplating trying out the "Aussie" style of bunker raking at our club. We have tried to use the back of the bunker rakes that our staff use every day but have had limited success. I have heard of people using push brooms etc. Just wondering what other people have tried and what works/doesn't work. Thanks in advance

   
   
   
   
2. Kenneth Ingram

   

   18 posts
   
   5/17/2017 8:05 AM

   I've seen the back or round side of accuform rakes used. Saw squiggies being used at last years PGA. Not sure about the decreased wash-outs. I teach a soils class now and one of the principles of erosion reduction is surface roughness. So in theory if the edges are raked and rougher erosion would be less. It's an interesting debate. Kenneth Ingram, UMD.

   
   
   
   
3. Nicholas Daak

   

   3 posts
   
   5/17/2017 5:05 PM

   Chris at Hazeltine, host of last years Ryder Cup could help. I know from experience that the faces need to be packed firm. They ran mechanical bunker rakes up and down faces while wetting them a few times during the season. Every night throughout the Ryder Cup we watered bunkers and used back of accuforms. Then in the mornings touched up with accuforms and spring raked bottoms.

   
   
   
   
4. Mark Lyon

   

   0 posts
   
   5/19/2017 4:05 PM

   Thanks for the advice. We do not worry so much about wash outs on the faces. I think it has only rained that hard once or twice in all the years I have worked out here. We were more concerned with some playability issues and saving a little on labor. It seems that roller squeegees are pretty common the more I look into this. I think we are going to give those a try. Thanks again.

   
   
   
   
5. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   5/23/2017 1:05 PM

   We are using the backs of the Accuform rakes for about a year now. I had to get used to the aesthetic-it isn't quite the perfect look or surface, but the little bit of clumping we get settles in. I do feel like it has helped with washing on a site that washes pretty aggressively. We also use a manufactured cracked sand that sets up well when it isn't being fluffed every day, so the ball absolutely rolls off of that down to the raked floor. I have been playing with different schedules to rake floors, touch up foot prints, or rake entire bunkers. Haven't really dialed in yet, but I would have a hard time going back to traditional.

   
   
   
   
6. Lee Strutt

   

   0 posts
   
   9/30/2017 11:09 AM

   Hi Mark we have been using the Aussie style bunker raking all season to good effect. we tried using squeegee on the edges but the team just couldn't get the right finish. so they went on to using yard brooms which have been perfect!
   
   hope this helps

   
   
   
   
7. Ethan Haveman

   

   0 posts
   
   11/24/2018 5:11 AM

   We adopted Aussie style this year, what we've found best (so far) for the edges is a roller squeegee. We rake the bottom of the bunker as normal, not touching the sloped areas. We then roll only areas that were disrupted previously by golfers or the sand pro going in/out.