Drainage against moisture barrier on USGA greens Cancel The title field is required!

1. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   12/27/2015 7:12 AM

   Has anyone dealt with drainage issues with contours sloping towards greens? We have trapped water that seems to be moving laterally subsurface and hitting the moisture barrier on the greens well-it then has no where to go. We are talking about soils that have 2-4 inches of relatively sandy soil, then hardpan red clay below that. I have used some wicking drainage with relative success, but am interested if anyone has dealt with similar issues or different techniques. Thanks.

   
   
   
   
2. Philip Desbrow

   

   0 posts
   
   12/29/2015 6:12 AM

   Had same issue and we decided to tear them out where the water was traveling. Mainly they were at the low end of the green typically in front of the approach. We also added a smile drain while we were in there and has worked out great.

   
   
   
   
3. Clay Putnam

   

   33 posts
   
   12/29/2015 7:12 AM

   Had a similar issue many moons ago with the front of a green that did not have a "smilie" drain. An old timer turned me on to a trick of using a 24" chainsaw to cut channels on 6" centers into and away from the wet area, filled with pea gravel and greens mix. Problem solved.

   
   
   
   
4. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   12/29/2015 1:12 PM

   Thanks for the input....
   
   One question for each reply...
   
   Phillip, did you remove the entire moisture barrier in the trouble areas, and if so, do you have issues with moisture wicking from green to surround? We have bent greens and bermuda surrounds. I was also thinking of making 'breaks' in the barrier to remove some water, but it will then feed into my greens core.
   
   Clay, did you have somewhere to outlet the water channels, or did they distribute the water enough to let them go?
   
   Thanks for the feedback.

   
   
   
   
5. Clay Putnam

   

   33 posts
   
   12/30/2015 5:12 AM

   Yes, we did outlet the water into an existing French drain close to the green.

   
   
   
   
6. Corey Eastwood

   

   80 posts
   
   12/30/2015 11:12 AM

   Greens with barriers and no smile drain will eventually give trouble.

   
   Corey Eastwood CGCS, Stockton Golf & CC, Retired
   
   
7. Joshua Sawyer

   

   0 posts
   
   12/31/2015 8:12 AM

   Maybe a different question on the same topic...how many are using moisture barriers on USGA greens? Especially when not in native sandy soils...