Sundridge Park Golf Club boasts two eighteen-hole courses, tucked away in a beautiful pocket of greenery in an otherwise bustling and urban part of Kent, and has been offering picturesque and challenging golf to members for over a century. In recent years however, one of the biggest challenges on the course – for golfers and greenkeepers alike – has been increasingly waterlogged greens, diminishing an otherwise superlative golfing experience.

With 25 years’ experience installing industry-leading drainage systems on over 80 golf courses nationwide, Turfdry were a natural fit for the club. The firm’s commitment to developing cost effective solutions – achieved through clear communication with clients to understand their goals, and cutting-edge technology used and installed by its experienced, enthusiastic team – is epitomised by the Turfdry Drainage System using Hydraway Sportsdrain.

An alternative to conventional plastic pipe, Hydraway Sportsdrain delivers maximum drainage efficiency with minimum disruption to existing turf: it intakes water 3-times quicker, is installed in trenches only 50mm wide, and is even effective at zero-gradient – thanks to its unique construction that offers unparalleled clog-resistance, whilst maintaining optimal filtration.

For greens drainage, strips of turf are first removed from the green in accordance with the drainage design; these strips are labelled and stockpiled. Hydraway drains are then installed directly into trenches as they are cut into the stripped areas of the green, which connects into a plastic carrier drain that carries water to a suitable outfall. Aggregate is used to top up the trenches, before strips of turf are returned to their original position – to facilitate quick and healthy recovery.

Despite 27 years of successful use on golf courses – and an independent telephone survey undertaken by STRI in 2003, which reported 100% of clients contacted found the system to be effective - Hydraway Sportsdrain has taken time to establish its credentials as the optimal drainage solution for waterlogged greens and fairways.

As Turfdry’s list of clients swells however, more and more clubs like Sundridge Park are seeing the striking results that the Turfdry Drainage System delivers as the measure of truly exceptional drainage.

Turfdry drained the 'back-nine' greens of the West Course at Sundridge Park in autumn 2015, as Phase 1 of the project, and the benefits were immediately apparent. General Manager, Ben Riley, reported in late November 2015, "Pleased to say that we have been extolling the virtues of the Turfdry system and a number of clubs have been over to see the works, or are lined up to do so". Phase 2 of the project (the 'front nine' greens of the West Course) was completed in autumn 2016. 

After a one year break when the club concentrated on a bunker renovation project on the course, the Turfdry Drainage System was installed on four of the West Course’s fairways in 2018, and nine greens of the East Course during the autumn of 2019. The final nine greens of the comprehensive greens drainage project were completed in 2021, with all 36 of the club’s greens now boasting a Hydraway drainage system.

Following the success of the greens drainage project, the club has engaged Turfdry to turn its attention towards the fairways, where work has already begun to deliver the early stages of the major improvement scheme that is to be delivered in phases over the coming years. For more details on Turfdry’s fairway drainage works at Sundridge Park, click here, or take a look at some other greens drainage projects here.

See the installation process of the Turfdry Greens Drainage System in action at Sundridge Park Golf Club