Surf and Turf- The Key to Keeping Runoff Water Off Your Greens

Gutters are an integral piece of your property’s wellbeing. They serve to control the flow of rainwater to protect your roof, walls, foundation and landscape. When neglected gutters can go from a necessity to a nightmare. A gutter clogged with leaves, sticks and other debris can cause a leaky roof or water damage to the interior or exterior of your home. Clogged gutters also make nice homes for pests, rodents and mold.

When issues with gutter maintenance arise, it can lead to an abundance of issues on the ground level. Back in 2017, hurricane Irma hit the southeast hard. One area that was heavily affected was Woodstock, GA. This area is known for its lush golf courses sprinkled throughout high-end residential areas. After the storm, many homes found their gutter systems clogged with leaves and storm debris. This left not only these homes, but other properties near by, vulnerable to water runoff damage.

muddy golf course

As storm water began to collect on roofs across the city, many water run-off systems could not handle the large volume of water being forced through them. This was largely due to the fact that many of the gutter systems had been clogged by debris from the storms, or they had been clogged prior to the storms. Routine gutter cleaning maintenance can drastically help your water run off systems to do their jobs correctly during regular weather and even during extreme weather conditions. This excess water was, in many cases, not properly drained. This caused water systems to back up and flood the near by golf courses of Woodstock, GA.

Most golf courses are known for their sophisticated drainage systems. No one wants to golf in a muddy swamp land, and if people are not golfing, the course cannot make money. Many golf courses utilize underground water transportation systems. These systems can be a complicated network of pipe which are used to carry the water to a more suitable place, one that can handle large influxes of excess rainwater.

Drainage is a fundamental piece of golf course architecture. Surface draining is a natural and preferred method of draining water.  It is simple and entails using the land to move water off the course and into streams and other receptacles. Surface drainage is a factor that architects must consider when routing the course. This great drainage allows the course to play firm and fast more often than most courses. The benefit of using surface drainage is it is the most cost effective method. It delivers the most natural and best visual aesthetics. It will also lend itself to the best playability because of the lack of drains. One issue that arises with using drainage systems is the water tends to settle around the drain. This will create a softer area where grass doesn’t grow as quickly and firm conditions cease to exist.

While drainage and construction will never be the sexy topic in golf course architecture, it is the most important aspect of it. Because of the well-designed drainage systems in many of the golf courses in Woodstock, most courses faired the excess rain water from gutter overflow with ease. A gentle- remember to practice regular gutter cleaning.