Why Do Some Courses Have More Ponds than Others?

By: Jeffrey D. Brauer


Besides irrigation storage and decoration, ponds are sometimes required for golf course drainage and, in others, for residential or even regional storm-water detention. In these cases, they are easily incorporated into golf courses as part of the open-space plan.

Florida is known for water-laden golf courses, in part, for the reasons above. In many areas, the land is so flat it is necessary to have ponds provide lower drainage outlets, while simultaneously using fill generated from them to build up fairways. A few courses, like Indian Creek near Miami, were constructed with significant dredging from the bay in generating an island. They were able to fill up to 30 feet, which made the course incredible. It also reduced the need for pipe drainage.

A few other older courses, like Seminole, remain mostly flat, but even experts wonder exactly how it drains so well! They have probably added miles of tile (i.e., French drain) over the years, which are not as effective long term.

In today's world we need to get it right the first time, which involves more surface grade - 2.5-3 percent is the accepted minimum now - and pipes, which can flow well at 10 times few grade (or about 0.25-0.3 percent). Using a combination of shorter surface runs and longer (and flatter) pipe runs is the best way to engineer a flat site for drainage.

In most cases, it is more economically feasible to use a mix of ponds, fill and pipe to create drainage. There is an old engineering rule of thumb that the cost of a bridge's piers should roughly equal the cost of its span, as a test of economic efficiency. I have similarly found it works out cheapest (in most cases) if drainage and earthmoving costs are nearly equal.

This often entails long, linear ponds parallel to golf holes, which provide residential views but also shorten pipe runs from the adjacent fairway. Yes, this can make for a succession of similar, and difficult, golf holes, which many players dislike.

Also, the subsurface water table is often only a few feet below the surface on low, flat sites, which limits cutting drainage swales, since all water tables vary and are higher in the spring, Florida's peak rainy season.

So, basically, a combination of a flat site and higher engineering standards result in some golf courses having many more ponds than you might have seen in earlier eras, like the Golden Age.

Jeffrey D. Brauer began his career as an apprentice in the Chicago area in 1977. His first project was Kemper Lakes, which shortly after hosted the 1989 PGA Championship. He formed GolfScapes in Arlington, Texas, in 1984. In the last 29 years he has designed and consulted on a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from partial renovations to international resorts. His recent work includes teaming with the design team of Pascuzzo and Pate on a remodel of the world-famous La Costa Resort & Spa in California, and renovations at Superior National Golf Course in Lutsen, Minn., and Mesquite Municipal Golf Course in Mesquite, Texas.

He has been a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects since 1981, serving as President during its 50th Anniversary year in 1995-96. Jeff still studies the classic works - both old and new, and has played more than 75 of the best courses in the world.

Jeff gives many presentations and is a regular architecture columnist for many publications and websites, including Golf Course Industry and Cybergolf.com. He has also been a strong advocate for the "Tee it Forward" campaign and strives to make his courses fit the description of "fun to play every day."

Jeff's work has been spotlighted in most of the world's major golf magazines. Golf World ranked him as one of the top-20 golf course architects and Golf Inc. ranked him as the world's fourth-best value in golf architecture in 2010. Jeff's portfolio and reputation keep him at the forefront of desired designers for new courses, reconstruction and renovation projects. For more about Jeff, visit http://www.jeffreydbrauer.com/sites/courses/layout.asp?id=859&page=48451.