Perth, Australia: One of Australia’s leading golf courses, Links Kennedy Bay, has fully re-opened following an 18-hole redesign that includes the addition of more than 100 pot bunkers featuring synthetic revetted faces from United Kingdom bunker specialists EcoBunker.

The ambitious project was led by former Tour professional and course architect Graham Marsh, working alongside Western Australian industry leader Trevor Strachan.

With the original back nine sold for development, the redesign required a brand-new back nine as well as the rerouting of holes five to nine. The changes gave Marsh a rare blank canvas to elevate playing conditions while safeguarding the long-term integrity of the course.

“The use of EcoBunker was validated through a feasibility study by Trevor Strachan, which confirmed its long-term advantages over natural revetting,” said Adam Strachan of Sports Turf Construction, Project Manager for the redevelopment. “I was initially concerned about using synthetic faces in such a beautiful, natural landscape, but the results are superb. The bunkers are indistinguishable from natural revetts and come with a minimum 25-year lifespan.”

Chief among the challenges for the redesign were the extreme weather conditions in the area. Along with the very hot, dry summers, Perth is renowned as one of the windiest cities in the world. In addition, the region receives up to 600 mm of rain annually, most of which comes in the winter months, making bunkers vulnerable to sand blow, wash out and erosion.

“The course previously had natural revetted bunkers, but with exposure to the elements many wasted away into sandy faces and became very irregular. The new design ensures consistency across the course, maintains the intended challenge that golfers face from the bunkers, delivers a sharp, natural aesthetic and will do all these things for many years without significant maintenance,” added Strachan.

Bunker walls on the course now range from 60 centimetres to a dramatic 1.8 metres. Installed by Sports Turf Construction with support from EcoBunker Australian distributor Turfcare Australia, the system adapted to every design challenge across the four-phase project.

Strachan said: “The course takes inspiration from the world’s great links courses. We’re particularly proud of our interpretation of the famous ‘Hell Bunker’ from the 14th at St Andrews. EcoBunker gave us the stability to create an intimidating, visually striking feature that will stand the test of time. After building 100+ EcoBunkers at Kennedy Bay, I’ll be looking to use this technology wherever possible in future projects.”

*EcoBunker is a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.