Pinnau GC, near Hamburg has become the first golf course in Germany to install the AquaEdge lake edging system, the latest innovation from the team at EcoBunker Ltd.
Aquaedge is an effective, natural-looking solution for provide erosion control to lake and stream banks. The system has been trialled successfully at three projects in the UK and also implemented, in a high-profile project at Golf de Lignano in north-east Italy. Reading about the Lignano project in an industry magazine, Erik Ballauf, Pinnauʼs course chairman, realised AquaEdge could be the solution he had been looking for.
The course features a memorable par three, with an ‘almost island’ green. The hole also features a beach bunker, but had lost much of its wow factor as the wooden piled bulkheads were rotting and starting to lean. The club was also concerned about the safety of golfers and greenkeeping staff when either putting or controlling machinery close to the retained edge.
Following a request from Ballauf, EcoBunker Ltd sent in its local agent, Sven Hanfft, to survey the wall geometry, take photographic records and ascertain what the club wanted to achieve.
After obtaining the information, Richard Allen, CEO of EcoBunker Ltd and leader of design, produced a technical solution, tailor-made for Pinnau, along with a fixed price quotation. The scope of work included the design, provision of all specialist materials, a one day site inspection by Allen himself on the first day, and full time supervision of the works by a senior EcoBunker representative. The existing 60m long log wall was removed, and the new wall completely installed, along with a newly shaped beach bunker in only four days.
Richard Allen said: “Great credit should go to the Pinnau greenkeeping team who demonstrated great skill and enthusiasm throughout. There were two keys to this successful project – the leadership and commitment of the local team, and secondly the importance of design. Good design can eliminate, or at least substantially reduce, risk for the client. When working in water and unstable ground the risks are significant, so it is really rewarding to see a challenge such as this, and the others we’ve completed, get so much positive feedback.”
EcoBunker http://ecobunker.co.uk/
Pinnau GC https://www.pinnau.de/golf/hamburg/
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