EcoBunker AquaEdge
The first maintenance free water edging.
Anyone responsible for maintaining water features on golf courses, or in parks or gardens, will often experience difficulty maintaining a ‘soft’ interface between water and landscaping. There are some instances where it is desirable to maintain a natural water margin. They can be important ecological habitats, and unmanaged these shallow areas support emergent vegetation, which in turn provides cover for threatened species such as amphibians and water voles.
However, when these areas impinge close to areas of play on golf courses, problems arise. Banks can erode and adjacent high footfall areas can become slippery and dangerous for golfers and maintenance staff. Furthermore, access is difficult for maintenance, and as a result these areas often become muddy and unsightly. There’s also the rules issue. It can often be difficult to determine what is in or out of a hazard. Contentious golfing rulings often result in dozens of red and yellow stakes, which in our opinion are very unattractive.
Key Advantages
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Safety
Provides a stable edge to water margins, reducing risk of vehicles, maintenance staff or golfers slipping or sliding into the water.
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Ease of Maintenance
Very little maintenance required in comparison with many other edge details.
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Improved Aesthetics
It is very difficult to maintain pristine edges to water features. Aquaedge not only makes beautiful and elaborate edges possible; It makes them easy and natural looking.
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Ease of Construction
By comparison with traditional methods, installation requires much lighter construction plant, reducing potential damage to the golf course and saving money.
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Speed of Construction
Installation is much quicker than all traditional lake edging construction options.
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No more ruling disputes
The debate of whether a ball is in or out of a hazard becomes a thing of the past. The margin of the hazard is accurately defined, and all those ugly yellow and red stakes can be dispensed with.
AquaEdge in the news
As many engaged in golf course maintenance will know, the margin where water meets grass is also a problem. Our response is AquaEdge – a ‘buffer’ which is also a retaining wall comprised of horizontal layers of sand filled synthetic grass.
The engineering factors and constraints of water margins are complex. Things to consider include foundation design, hydraulic loading, flow velocity, erosion potential, imposed loads, construction and environmental hazards, and health and safety issues.
AquaEdge is a civil engineering process which includes an initial investigation, design and specification work, planning, the supply of the various components and installation.
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Testimonial
I do feel you have a great product. I’ve been talking with my superintendent about something like this for years now.
Mike Harmon, ex USPGA Tour Professional, Director of Golf, Secession GC
EcoBunker is a truly innovative idea. It represents huge cost and labour savings and has solved the particular problems we face on our course which is populated by sheep. This method of construction stands head and shoulders above other bunkers we have built. It not only looks fantastic but performs equally well. We are now in the process of re-constructing all 84 of our bunkers under licence.
Andrew Mannion, Course Manager, Southerndown GC, Wales
It’s my pleasure to recommend Llewellyn Matthews and EcoBunker Ltd. After experiencing Llewellyn’s talent at Trump National, Jupiter and Secession GC, I am confident he will produce the highest quality results in a professional manner. His attention to detail whilst working in harmony with everyone on the project is commendable. I look forward to including Llewellyn and EcoBunker Ltd on future projects.
Tom Pearson, President, Tom Pearson Design
Richard’s invention is a truly innovative solution that will enable traditional revetted bunkers to be built in areas where previously this has not been an option due to climatic factors.
John Copeland, Superior Golf Concepts (Florida, USA)
We’ve had a really positive reaction from both members and visitors. Most of them don’t even realise that the bunkers faces are synthetic….they just get on with their game and enjoy it. I’ve been a member here now for 29 years, and bunkers have always been a problem. But now, with the synthetic faces they are absolutely superb, and it’s all to the benefit pf the golfers who play Southerndown GC.
Alan Davies, Club Captain, Southerndown GC
It was a very big year for Southerndown GC. We hosted the Top Amateur event, The Duncan Putter, hosted Final Qualifying for the Seniors Open at Royal Porthcawl and then welcomed the best golfers in the British Isles for the Home Internationals. Most of the players didn’t realise that the bunker faces were synthetic, and those that did thought they were very good.
John Peters, Director of Golf, Southerndown Golf Club
St Leon Rot demands high standards, and we were challenged with designing and building a range of resilient bunker styles on the new short game academy. EcoBunker justified their rising reputation in Germany by providing top quality turf, fully professional site support and responsive technical back up.
Christian Althaus, Althaus Golf Design
Richard, you’ll be pleased to know that our EcoBunkers at Secession have now survived Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Irma (yesterday)! Many filled with sea water. Skim the silt, add an inch of sand, a little raking and we will be back in business!
Michael Gonzales, Secession GC, SC
It was fascinating to see your new EcoBunker construction comprising revetment of the faces using artificial turf to thwart erosion caused primarily by sheep. You are pioneers in the field. I congratulate you on your initiative as well as the skill of Andrew and his team in implementing the extensive work. They have not only achieved your aim but have improved the appearance of the course dramatically in consequence. From a playing point of view, the bunkers are fair – if to be avoided. They are a lesson to the many courses in the world.
Donald Steel, Donald Steel
We’re EcoBunker
Specialists, passionate, innovative and dedicated.
The success of our company owes a great deal to our committed core team, who have worked together for over 10 years. After 4 years with our first venture Envirosports Ltd, the entire team of technical, construction and sales staff stayed together to form EcoBunker Ltd in June 2014. Since then we have grown steadily and recruited high calibre individuals to strengthen further our skills base and range of services.
Centaur Asia Pacific is the exclusive distributor for EcoBunker in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Queensland State of Australia.
Updated on: 9 May 2022
