Blue Mash Golf Course Kemper Sports Case Study

The conditions weren’t ideal — they were real.

The bunker had heavy blue and gray clay contamination beneath the sand. No liner. No functioning passive drain. In a traditional renovation scenario, that subsoil would require excavation, drainage reconstruction, and weeks of closure.

With SandSave, it was irrelevant. The active drainage system bypasses the subsurface entirely — routing standing water directly to your existing drain pipe or any nearby low spot, rather than relying on soil permeability or filter media that clogs within 2–3 seasons.

Heavy blue and gray clay excavated from beneath the bunker — no liner, no functioning drain

The excavation hole: clay contamination visible at depth

SandSave unit in position, crew backfilling with fresh sand

The people behind this install

Kudos to Payton O’Connor, Superintendent at Blue Mash, for following through on Brett Niner’s suggestion and making this trial happen. Brett — Payton’s predecessor at Blue Mash and now with Advanced Turf Solutions — made the initial contact with SandSave at the GCSAA exhibition in Orlando last winter, and stopped by on a sales call to help make the connection.

It was a pleasure working with Payton and the Kemper Sports team — a company that understands the importance of the golfer experience to the bottom line and gives its people the ability to pursue innovative solutions.

A SandSave unit gives the superintendent something no renovation can: permanent control. Reliable drainage. Sand that stays clean. A system that washes bunkers on demand. And full budgetary control over the most expensive per-hole maintenance cost on the course — second only to greens.

Put your time and money where they serve you best.