Thorndon Park Golf Club in Essex is blessed with considerable heritage, a well designed course, and stunning scenery set in the grounds of Thorndon Hall. Unfortunately, it was also mired with significant drainage problems on seven of its greens, which became so debilitating to play during the winter months that golfers were unable to enjoy the beautiful course year-round.

After some deliberation, the club opted to trial the Turfdry Drainage System on their chipping green, enticed by the prospect of the advanced drainage technology offered by Hydraway Sportsdrain. Following installation, the club commented not only on the effectiveness of the system itself, but also on the smooth, efficient and professional nature of the Turfdry team, who had been under close scrutiny as a consequence of the chipping green’s proximity to the clubhouse.

In the wake of the ‘test’ installation, Head Greenkeeper Rob George remarked that the“system has worked perfectly”, and that its performance in wet conditions was “miles ahead of the remaining problem greens”.

In addition to the system’s superb technical performance, he was also impressed with the minimal impact of its installation: between the highly trained and professional Turfdry staff, and the fact that Hydraway Sportsdrain is less than one-third the width of a conventional 80mm plastic pipe, the works were carried out with minimum disruption.

“Whilst the installation of the system may look invasive and scary, the results speak for themselves; this green was back in play within 4 weeks and has not had any adverse comment or defect. The Turfdry Drainage System is highly recommended and Turfdry is a very professional organisation.”

Subsequent to this successful trial, the Turfdry Drainage System using Hydraway Sportsdrain was installed on the remaining six greens suffering waterlogging problems, in addition to constructing and re-levelling selected tees, and has helped the course secure its place in the top 100 golf courses in England.