Ocean Geotextile and HDPE Liner for Bunkers and Lakes at Noida International Golf Course

Ocean Non Wovens supplied 6,000 sq m of Ocean Geotextile in 150 GSM and 300 GSM, and 600 sq m of Ocean HDPE Liner (green barrier) 400 Micron, for the green bunkers, lakes and related works in the construction of the Noida International Golf Course in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Golf course construction is drainage and water engineering under a thin layer of turf and sand, and geotextiles and liners do much of that work out of sight.

Project snapshot

Building a golf course on the Yamuna plain

Noida lies on the alluvial plain between the Yamuna and the Hindon, where the natural ground is silt, fine sand and clay. That soil drains slowly when wet and stains or contaminates anything placed over it. A golf course built on it has two opposite water problems. Bunkers and playing surfaces must shed water fast after monsoon downpours. Lakes and water features must hold water through the dry, hot months before the monsoon.

Geosynthetics answer both: permeable geotextiles where water has to pass and soil has to stay put, and an impermeable liner where water has to stay in.

Geotextile in bunkers: keeping the sand clean

A bunker is a shallow excavation filled with specified sand. Without a barrier, three things go wrong over time. Fine subsoil migrates up into the sand and turns it hard and discoloured. Stones work their way up from the base. And on the bunker faces, storm runoff washes sand down to the floor, exposing the soil beneath.

A non woven geotextile laid over the shaped and compacted bunker base, under the sand, separates the two materials while letting rainwater pass through to the drains below. A lighter grade such as 150 GSM gives that separation and filtration where the base is smooth and well prepared. Fabric on the faces must be pinned and lapped so that raking and maintenance do not drag it up.

Geotextile under lake liners: cushion and filter

Ornamental and irrigation lakes on golf courses are usually lined with a geomembrane, and the liner needs protection from stones and roots in the excavated subgrade. A heavier non woven geotextile, such as the 300 GSM grade supplied here, is the usual cushion layer beneath a liner, and can also go over it before soil or stone cover is placed. The thicker fabric spreads point loads that would otherwise puncture the sheet as the lake fills.

Geotextile also wraps the subsurface drains that run under fairways, greens and bunkers, holding back fine soil so the drains do not silt up.

Grade selection on any site should follow the design: subgrade condition, water depth and the cover placed over the fabric.

The 400 micron HDPE liner

400 micron is 0.4 mm, a light HDPE grade. Sheets of this thickness are used for small water features, shallow ponds and barrier layers on well-prepared ground, where the liner will be covered or ballasted and the head of water is low. Heavier lakes and large reservoirs normally take 750 micron and up. The liner was supplied as a “green barrier”, a small area next to the geotextile quantity. Ocean’s pond liners page sets out thickness by application.

Whatever the grade, an HDPE liner on a golf course should be laid on a smooth, stone-free base over a geotextile cushion, anchored in a trench at the crest, welded at the seams and covered or filled promptly. HDPE expands in heat, so slack must be left on hot days in the Delhi NCR summer.

Installation notes for golf course works

1. Shape and compact bunker bases and lake beds before any geosynthetic is laid. Remove roots, stones and debris.
2. Lay the geotextile loose and flat, with overlaps as specified, and pin it on slopes and bunker faces.
3. Place sand or soil cover from the edges inward. Keep machines off uncovered fabric.
4. On lake beds, lay the cushion geotextile first, then the liner, then any protection layer and cover.
5. Inspect after the first heavy rain: look for exposed fabric on bunker faces and washed-out edges.

Ocean has supplied geotextiles for other sports surfaces, including a 120 GSM non woven for a football field in Mumbai and geotextiles for a cricket ground in Puri, Odisha. The Ocean Geotextile range runs from light landscaping grades to heavy protection fabrics.

Frequently asked questions

Ocean Non Wovens for sports and landscape projects

Ocean Non Wovens manufactures and supplies geotextiles, HDPE liners, drainage cells and other geosynthetics for sports grounds, golf courses, parks and landscape water bodies. Our landscape and architecture solutions cover drainage, lining and planting layers. To discuss a course, lake or sports field, contact Ocean Non Wovens.