🔈Design bunker edges, without limits. Check out the new Edgevantage now.
🔈Design bunker edges, without limits. Check out the new Edgevantage now.
Read your bunker sand analysis in seconds and see how it compares with the USGA range, before you buy a single ton. Then work out how much sand your bunkers need.
Free. Metric and imperial. A first check only, see the note below.
Most golf bunker sand questions come down to three things: will it drain, will the ball plug, and will it stay on the faces? Upload the analysis from your lab or supplier and the Sand Agent, a free AI tool, draws your gradation curve.
The USGA does not publish a bunker sand specification. The calculator uses the USGA sand specifications for putting greens as a reference curve, alongside the USGA guidance of no more than 3% silt and clay in bunker sand.
Will it drain? Very fine sand, silt and clay slow infiltration and keep floors wet.
Will the ball plug? A very uniform sand stays loose. A wider mix packs firmer.
Is it within the range? See exactly where your curve sits against the USGA reference.
Enter your bunker area, or a quick length and width, and set floor and face depths.
Root zone sand for Capillary Hydroponics greens, tees and sports fields is checked in the Sand Agent. Go to the Sand Agent →
Four simple on-site tests for fines, drainage, grain shape and whether your sand can be washed and reused. USGA figures show infiltration in bunker sand falling from 22.8 to 7.5 inches per hour within two to three years as fines build up. In Capillary bunkers, the Capillary Wash Box removes those fines instead of replacing the sand.
"After washing out the fines, it played really well." Heath Allen, Superintendent, Kinderlou Forest Golf Club. Order the kit →
There is no single best sand. Look for most particles in the medium to coarse range, little silt and clay, and angular grains that resist plugging. Then test it in a trial bunker.
No. It publishes a range for putting green root zones, which the calculator uses as a reference, and recommends no more than 3% silt and clay in bunker sand.
The USGA recommends 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) on floors and 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) on faces.
Colour is a visual choice. Drainage and playability come from particle size, shape and fines content, so check those first.
The recommended ranges are based on industry experience and research and do not guarantee how a sand will perform. Always confirm results with an accredited soil testing laboratory or your sand supplier before ordering or installing sand. CapillaryFlow accepts no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of the calculator's results.