Well designed course signage is an essential item of course presentation, but for time-pressed greenkeepers it inevitably requires time and manpower to keep strimming the grass around the mounts of each and every sign. Eagle, the UK’s leading course signage manufacturer, now has a complete, cost-effective and very long lasting solution to this problem, and it’s called ‘BaseGuard‘.
Clubs often put shingle, decorative slate or chipped bark around the signs’ mounts, which then needs even more time keeping them tidy and dealing with weeds and grasses that grow through. BaseGuard is a permanent yet porous solution that once poured won’t require any further attention, can be mown over without any problem, looks much neater and enhances the overall presentation.
BaseGuard comes in several hardwearing colours, doesn’t ‘crumble’ with foot traffic, is moss and weed growth resistant, and because it’s made substantially from shredded recycled car tyres, is an environmentally-friendly use of waste materials.
One very satisfied customer: Rookery Park GC
Club Manager Robert Pettett at Rookery Park GC in Lowestoft recently purchased BaseGuard to go around the bases of their new Zyplex tee signage. “Back in spring we installed a Eagle Zyplex twin post sign on each tee and single posts on seven separate Ladies tees, and then discussed what type of material to put around the mounts’ bases, eg. pea shingle, decorative slate, etc. to keep the bases tidy and looking presentable.
“We then heard from Eagle about BaseGuard, which is very similar to the rubber chippings base we created for our practice nets, and decided it offered a much better and more cost-effective, maintenance-free solution for the signage mounts.
“As it was the busiest time of the year, our greenkeepers didn’t have time but two of our Greens committee volunteered. They made a frame for pouring the baseguard into, and did two signs’ bases as a test. Using a Type 1 aggregate base and a blinding layer of sand, they mixed the bonding agent supplied and poured the baseguard which took a couple of hours to set.
“The results were fine, and the remaining signs were done over a couple of weeks. BaseGuard around our Zyplex signs’ bases looks far better than the other alternatives we were considering. It can be safely mown over assuming the blades aren’t set too low, and from experience we know it will last for years without any further maintenance, saving us valuable greenkeeping time and money.
“BaseGuard is a great solution in every way to the age-old problem of keeping the grass under control around the signage, and I can happily recommend it to any golf club.”
Installation
Installing BaseGuard can be carried out virtually all year round, as the ideal curing conditions are between 10-20°C, although wet weather is best avoided. Its patented curing technology means the surfaces are ready in about 1-2 hours, an advantage when working in high traffic areas like tees as disruption and the need for zoning off is minimised.
Eagle’s new BaseGuard service www.eagle.uk.com/signage/baseguard.html