Sportcrete Americas says it is introducing a product to the United States that will change the face of golf courses.

The Sportcrete bunker drainage system uses a base of 2-inch thick crushed granite that is sprayed with a silicon solution that coats the rock and hardens it much like concrete. The process also keeps the rock intact and porous. Because the rock remains porous, it promotes impressive drainage to bunkers while reducing surface run and erosion of the sand trap.

Rich Richeson, a PGA professional, heard about the European drainage system that required little if any maintenance. He approached Kevin Michael, director of operations at Grand Oaks Golf Club in Grand Prairie, Texas. With an eye on replacing several bunkers, Michael offered up one for testing. Several days later, Grand Oaks experienced unusually high winds, hail and 8 inches of rain. The bunkers looked like swimming pools, except for the one that had been treated with Sportcrete.

Richeson, now a partner in Sportcrete Texas, said, "This product is going to revolutionize how golf course bunkers are constructed, renovated and maintained. There is simply nothing like it. Whenever you go to a turf grass conference, bunkers are the No. 1 pain for superintendents because of the man-hours involved in the maintenance. With Sportcrete, even when it floods, the sand stays on the face of the bunkers and never washes off." Contact http://www.sportcrete.com, 800-713-0281.