Overcoming Environmental Challenges: Sustainable Solutions at KN Cam Ranh Golf Links

The Challenge

The natural beauty of the Vietnam landscape provided idyllic surroundings for a championship golf course, but those spectacular ocean views and rolling dunes came with their own unique set of challenges. The natural conditions in Vietnam, notably the heavy rain season, made water management a major concern for Graham and his team.

Perhaps more concerning, and an issue that came with significant financial implications, the team needed to find a way to use on-site materials for the construction of greens and bunkers, while taking water management requirements into consideration.

management requirements. Tests conducted by Graham revealed that the sand available would not enable the team to grow the quality of greens necessary for a championship course—but using this sand was critical to the project.

The Solution

Utilizing the sand found on-site from the excavation of the irrigation lake would not only maintain the natural environment, but financially speaking would eliminate the cost of buying a specified sand and hauling it to the property, which would take a toll on the project budget. Unfortunately, as proven by Graham’s testing, the sand did not have the necessary physical performance characteristics to succeed in the rainy and wet climate of Vietnam.

Having worked with Profile Products for over twenty years, Graham immediately recognized the need for Profile Porous Ceramic (PPC) Greens Grade, an inorganic amendment, to ensure the on-site sand would enable him to produce a championship level playing surface..

“We could have used the sand as it naturally occurred but we simply wouldn’t have had the same results,” noted Graham. “If you use the sand as-is, you develop problems very early on. It’s essential to adjust the sand to have the right drainage rate, especially during the wet season, otherwise the greens can’t manage the rainfall.”

Graham noted that the team was “able to take the sand from the course, add Profile to increase the drainage rates by 25% as well as balance the air porosity and water holding capacity to enable the sand to perform its best.”

Blended with sand in a greens mix, the Profile Porous Ceramic particles improve water- and nutrient-holding capabilities, increase oxygen levels at the root zone, and facilitate drainage when soils are saturated.

Results

As a result of the mix, fertilizers have more efficacy, and water management at Cam Ranh is much easier.

The solution provided by Profile not only delivered a substantial short-term financial benefit to Cam Ranh—Graham estimates that the project would have incurred tremendous costs to haul in another sand—the quality of the greens is expected to deliver improved long-term maintenance benefits which offer additional positive financial implications.

The golf course will be a critical feature of the future upscale development at Cam Ranh, and the quality of the final product was extremely important. After opening in March 2018, KN Golf Links at Cam Ranh has attracted international attention thanks to its spectacular greens and stunning landscape.