Newnan, Georgia, United States: It’s only two weeks since Newnan Country Club, about 35 miles southwest of metro Atlanta, completed the installation of the Capillary Bunkers liner product on its golf course.

But superintendent Andy Scott already is already seeing major benefits.

“We’ve had three big rainstorms – three inches overnight – since we finished the installation, and we have come in the following morning and found little or no washouts in our new bunkers,” said Scott.

“Member reaction has been great. I’m getting compliments every single day about how they look and play. It’s probably too early to say this is the best decision of my life, but I’m pretty close to it.”

Newnan was founded in 1919, though the golf course dates from later, but Scott says it was showing its age.

“This project was a long time in the making,” he explained. “I have been here 10 years, and I have been asking to do a bunker renovation ever since I joined the club!

“We are a fairly typical small town country club, so for us it was a significant long-term investment. As such I was determined that when we did the bunkers, we were going to do them properly – not a half job. I wanted to go all-in.”

This determination to do the job properly, combined with Scott’s pre-existing relationship with Business Development Manager Cory Blair, led him to select the Capillary Bunkers product. “I did look at other liners, but I felt certain I was making the right choice,” Scott said.

Lining the bunkers wasn’t the only component of Scott’s project. Decades of wear and tear had left many of them mis-shapen, and with surface water draining into them.

Newnan hired contractor David Johnson of Florida-based JGCC Golf N Sports Turf to deliver the job.

“We gave him a lot of input, but broadly we let David guide us in the right direction,” said Scott. “If he proposed something that we thought over the top, we discussed it between us, and reached agreement.” 

Johnson broke ground late in January and finished construction in early May. “We kept the course open, closing holes as needed,” said Scott. “Our membership is quite small and close-knit, so communicating which holes were closing when was not too difficult.”

Capillary Bunkers is an Associate Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.