Turf Talk: Bunkers, Forward Tees and a Wet Start to 2026
The Maintenance Department is looking forward to the 2026 season. Despite a January that’s been more West Coast than “winter wonderland,” we’ve had a productive start.
Our main focus has been the irrigation upgrade on Pacific #4 and #5, which is nearly complete. Chris Young—our course architect and contractor—has also been on site building additional forward tees on Pacific #1 and #9. These tees will be sodded in early March.
Bunkers: How They’re Built (and Why They’re a Challenge)
Bunkers are a continuing focus for us, and I’m often asked how they’re constructed and maintained. Here’s the breakdown.
How our bunkers were built
- Designed and shaped by Chris Young
- Liner installed below the sand to help prevent rocks from working up to the surface. It was among the best options available 20 years ago when the course was built. (Newer technologies exist now and may be used in future renovations.)
- Drainage installed beneath the liner
- 6” bunker board installed around the edges to establish the final shape and separate the grass rootzone from bunker sand (you can see an example from the renovation on Pacific #3)
- Baja Tan bunker sand installed, originally at about 6” depth in the main hitting area, tapering to roughly 2” on steeper slopes to help reduce fried-egg lies
- Once the surrounding turf establishes strong roots, the bunker board is removed and the bunker is prepared for play
Sounds tidy on paper… and then real life happens.
Day-to-day bunker maintenance: the realities
During the golf season, we usually aim for three bunker services per week, which typically looks like:
- Quick touch-ups (footprints and basic smoothing)
- Full rake-out (at least once per week)
- Full service (about every two weeks): trim surrounds, check depths, move sand where needed, and rake thoroughly
Staffing and scheduling can make that tough at times, but we’ll always do our best to keep conditions strong.
Common bunker issues we battle
- Poa seed & divots: Divots often end up in bunkers with Poa seed attached. In cooler parts of the season, this can lead to grass growing in the sand—meaning hand-pulling, and occasionally a growth herbicide (not our favourite, but effective).
- Sand pushed to the faces/edges: Repeated bunker shots can build up the front edges over time. A great example is the new chipping green bunker—only 4+ years old and the front edge is already up about a foot from the original design.
- Raking habits: Most golfers rake sand toward themselves as they exit. That pulls sand out of the main hitting area and can expose the liner. Sometimes sand gets raked so far to the edges that the entry area shrinks—and Poa happily moves in. (Watch the left-side bunker this spring when we edge it out—you’ll notice the hitting area increase.)
- And of course… deer: The “Highland bunker crew” often visits at night—especially right after a full service—to lie in them, play in them, and generally redecorate.
Looking ahead
Improving bunkers has been a goal the past few years, and it remains one for 2026. We’ll be adding sand where needed throughout the season.
Let’s have a great year. And a friendly reminder: playing the appropriate tees helps pace of play—and everyone’s enjoyment of the game.
