Next week’s Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside the Italian capital, Rome, will again be played on a course whose bunkers have been lined with the Capillary Bunkers system.
Marco Simone, originally designed by American architect Jim Fazio, was completely rebuilt by Dave Sampson of European Golf Design during 2019 and 2020. The course’s back nine was entirely grassed by the end of the summer of 2019, but the Covid-19 pandemic made phase two, the front nine, a little trickier.
“I was on site in March 2020, the day Italy shut its borders, so I had to get out of the country very, very quickly,” says CapillaryFlow EMEA sales manager Kneale Diamond. “But SOL Golf, the contractor who built the course are very experienced and extremely good at what they do, so all was well.”
Around 8,000 square metres (86,000 square feet) of bunkers were built and lined. “Obviously, the bunker drainage is vital for the Ryder Cup – given the time of year when it is played, there isn’t a lot of spare time if it rains heavily,” says Diamond. “But even more important than that is the quality of surface in the bunkers. This level of competition demands a perfect sand surface, and only Capillary Bunkers can combine outstanding drainage performance with world-class, consistent surfaces.”
About CapillaryFlow
CapillaryFlow is a technology company whose patented innovations are enabling golf courses sports grounds, and other leisure spaces like city parks to build long-lasting and low maintenance greens, bunkers and grounds. Controlling the water, carbon dioxide and oxygen levels for various soil profiles in these spaces is a major challenge. Our proprietary CapillaryFlow technology offers a simple solution that ensures optimal moisture levels and good drainage regardless of the weather conditions. http://www.capillaryflow.com
Capillary Material is the common factor across most of our solutions including Capillary Bunkers, Capillary Hydroponics and Capillary Geothermal. It is a patented and engineered polymer-based concrete that is the only building material that can move water both up and down to precisely regulate the moisture content of any adjacent material, such as sand or soil. 2. Capillary Bunkers is recognized as the world’s leading and most advanced bunker liner, and the most durable bunker construction method. It allows water to flow through the base of the bunker while keeping sand on the faces and preventing washouts, keeping bunkers in perfect shape during any weather condition. Over 800 courses around the world have built or renovated their bunkers with Capillary Concrete, including dozens of golf’s top 100 courses.
