By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
Press Release

PGA National Academy Course at Aphrodite Hills has Capillary Bunkers

Editorial Team
PGA National Academy Course at Aphrodite Hills has Capillary Bunkers
September 29, 2023

Paphos, Cyprus

Aphrodite Hills was designed by American architect Cabell Robinson and opened in 2002; Robinson returned to Cyprus to design the new academy course, wihch sits on a site previously occupied by an under-used earlier short course. “We have reduced the area in half – the new course is just under 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres) and freed up the rest of the ground for more real estates,” explains course superintendent David Blair. “The new course has been built to PGA National academy specifications: the holes range in length from 60-100 metres.”

The new course has twelve bunkers, which cover about 400 sq m in total, and which have been lined using the Capillary Bunkers system, including the Capillary Wash Box, which will enable Blair’s team to keep the sand’s colour through pressure washing. “Depaco Golf Construction”, the contractor that built the course, did all the preparatory work on the bunkers, but the Capillary Bunkers liner itself was installed by our golf maintenance team,” says Blair. “CapillaryFlow’s Kneale Diamond came over for a few days to direct operations and to check that the concrete mix was correct. It was a very simple process.”

The work on the new bunkers was done in April, at the tail end of the wet season in Cyprus, but Blair says they have already been tested. “A week after we installed the liner, we had a significant rain, and not a grain of sand moved in the bunkers,” he says.

Although this is a small project, it will serve as a test bed for one that could be a lot bigger. When Aphrodite was built, the bunkers were lined with a geotextile, but it is no longer functioning as designed. “On the main course we have around 14,000 sq m of bunkers, and they are deep and steep faced,” says Blair. “There is no liner in them now – the old fabric was ripped and useless – and they didn’t present too well. We could not keep the colour of the sand, because the fines in the clay contaminate it. Sometimes if we spray a wetting agent and turn on the irrigation to water it in, we get puddling in the greenside bunkers – on the academy course there’s not a drop of water to be seen. On the eleventh hole, we have three bunkers that flood quite badly – we have put Capillary Bunkers into one of them, so we will get a really good comparison this winter.”

Aphrodite Hills earned certification for its environmental work from the Golf Environment Organization three years ago, and has just been recertified. “When we installed the Capilary Bunkers on the academy course, we assessed the sustainability issues very closely – and we have used warm season grasses across its entirety,” says Blair.

LEARN MORE

Want to know more about our products?

Would you like to know more about how our Golf Course and Bunker Renovation Services work? Or how Capillary Bunker liners can help you build bunkers with durable edges, consistent playability, washable sand, optimal drainage and significantly less maintenance? Contact us!

Baseball

CapillaryFlow makes it possible to design baseball fields that are able to withstand tough playing conditions as well as ensure a healthy game experience for players.

Capillary Bunkers

Our proprietary Capillary Material makes it possible to have a bunker liner that rapidly drain while also retaining adequate sand moisture, creating the perfect playing conditions in golf course bunkers.

Capillary Edge

Use a durable bunker edge that molds and bends to any shape to ensure exact original bunker shapes throughout your bunkers’ lifetime, with no soil that ever escapes into the bunker sand

Geothermal heating icon

Capillary Geothermal

Capillary Geothermal distributes an even heat regardless of ground profile and let grass grow and sports be played for longer throughout the season.

Capillary Hydroponics grass icon

Capillary Hydroponics

The Capillary Hydroponics system enables us to grow strong and durable grass with significantly less maintenance and environmental impact

Equestrian

Optimal riding conditions in any weather by providing a ground material technology  offering superior drainage capacity and enabling use of subsurface moisture control - for the optimal footing

Football

Capillary Hydroponic turf lengthens the season with natural strong grass that stays healthier even with a busy schedule

Golf

From pristine golf bunkers to precisely trimmed golf greens, our proprietary solutions make it possible to build and maintain some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world.

Green Cities

Our Capillary Hydroponics solution turns hardscaped surfaces into breathable, living spaces that augment the positive effects of greenery in urban environments.

Subscribe to our newsletter