Rancho Manana and BunkersPlusâ„¢ team up to refurbish their bunkers

Rancho Manana Golf Club in Cave Creek, Arizona, is one of the most popular courses in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Opening in the late 1980s, the course has become known as one of the most scenic in the southwestern USA.

The bunkers, however, had become a major problem. Poor drainage had led to inconsistent lies throughout the golf course.

“Our bunkers had never been redone since we opened in late eighties,” said General Manager Dale Samar. “The sand had gotten pretty hard, and rocks were coming up from bottom and sides as they caved in from drainage problems. Luckily, the owners decided to let us have them redone.”

Just as important as the decision to refurbish the bunkers was the decision on which company to do it. And Rancho Manana chose BunkersPlus™, a division of Pro-Turf International, Inc. in Casa Grande, Arizona.

BunkersPlus™ utilizes Linebacker™ bunker liner, and Samar sang the praises of that material.

“Their Linebacker™ was new and different from liners I had seen,” he said. “It wasn’t like fabric…more like a material that formed with the bunkers. They covered most of the sides and left the bottoms of the bunkers open so we could install new drainage. The newly installed liner will help keep rocks from collapsing in from the sides of the bunkers.“

There was one major challenge relating to the time of the year when the work was done – right in the heart of the golf season at Rancho Manana. But, BunkersPlus™ overcame that.

“They actually did the project during our peak season, and they were able to work around golfers,” said Samar. “We never had any complaints about the ongoing construction. They did a very nice job of working around the golfers.”

BunkerPlus™ officials were thrilled to secure the job at Rancho Manana.

Kip Wolfe, Director of Operations for Pro-Turf International said, “We have been in the golf construction and renovation business for over 20 years and have used all the different bunker liners available from glue to fabric. We decided to formulate our own liner that would provide golf course bunkers solid protection from dust, rocks and soil erosion at a price that is affordable.” 

The regular players are just as thrilled with BunkersPlus™ effort. “We are definitely happy with the work,” said Samar. “Our golfers have commented on a daily basis on how much better the bunkers are.”