Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
28 Ground-Penetrating
Radar Investigation
of a Golf Course Green
Computer Processing and Field
Survey Setup Considerations
Barry J. Allred, Edward L. McCoy, and J. David Redman
ContentS
28.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 353
28.2 Materials and Methods........................................................................................................ 354
28.3 Results and Discussion........................................................................................................ 356
28.4 Summary............................................................................................................................. 361
References ...................................................................................................................................... 361
28.1 IntRodUCtIon
The golf industry in the United States has experienced extraordinary growth since 1950. The num-
ber of golfers during the period of 1950 to 1998 increased from approximately 3 million to 27 mil-
lion (National Golf Foundation and McKinsey & Company, 1999). From 1950 to 2000, the number
of golf courses increased by 12,000 (Beard, 2002). By the year 2000, there were over 15,000 golf
course facilities throughout the country (National Golf Foundation, 2001). Most of these facilities
have nine or eighteen holes, but there are a substantial proportion of facilities that have 27, 36, 45,
or more holes. In regard to golf course maintenance costs, the estimate for the amount spent in 1996
alone was over $4.5 billion (Beard, 2002).
Keeping these facilities in good condition requires continual maintenance and occasional remod-
eling of the various parts that make up a golf course, especially the greens. The most important
subsurface features for golf course greens are the constructed soil layers and drainage system infra-
structure. There are two commonly used ways of constructing a golf course green: the Califor-
nia Method and the USGA (U.S. Golf Association) Method (Hurdzan, 1996). The investigation
described in this case study focused on a USGA Method green because of its greater complexity
compared to a California Method green. Recommendations for the USGA Method green call for a
0.3 m layer of sandy material directly below the surface that is, in turn, underlain by a 0.1 m gravel
layer resting on native soil into which gravel backfilled trenches have been cut containing 0.1 m
diameter drainage pipe (Figure 28.1). The drainage pipe trenches that are cut into the native soil
are typically 0.2 m deep and 0.25 m wide. The lateral edges of the sand and gravel layers within a
USGA Method green are vertical.
353
 
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