LAS VEGAS, NV – PTI Golf, a Certified Service Provider for SOX Erosion Solutions, recently completed installation of the SOX product in five lakes throughout the Alta Mesa Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona.
A high-tech system, SOX Erosion Solutions, is starting to make headway in the golf industry battling lake erosion. Based in Florida and active in the southeast for two decades, SOX recently expanded to the southwest by partnering with PTI Golf, a golf construction, landscaping and maintenance company serving the southwestern United States for over 30 years. This was PTI’s first official installation of the highly successful SOX program.
“We were very pleased with the outcome,” said PTI’s Sam Wolfe, who headed up the project. “We installed over 5,000 linear feet in five lakes, a big job for our first go-round. It worked out well, and Alta Mesa will reap the benefits for many years to come.”
Alta Mesa is a private club that offers an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Dick Phelps. He incorporated eight lakes on the gently rolling 160-acre course that extends to 7,127 yards. Over the years, natural erosion has created issues along the lake edges, and after considering many options, Alta Mesa management settled on SOX.
“The SOX solution really provides a natural look to the lake edges,” said Mike Molten, Golf Course Superintendent at Alta Mesa. “There is a nice subtle transition down to the water surface as opposed to the artificial look with the traditional erosion treatment programs. It is also very stable. We did five of the lakes this go around, and after seeing the finished product, most of our members said, ‘Why didn’t you do all of them?’ We’re very pleased with the end result.”
SOX Erosion Solutions is the developer AND manufacturer of this bioengineered living shoreline system. The SOX systems are made with a high density, polyethylene, knitted technical mesh. Because the system is knitted, plants, sod and vegetation can take root right through the material without damaging it. Water can infiltrate and exit, allowing the vegetation to flourish. SOX is the only such knitted solution in the marketplace.
Here’s how it works:
First the crew does an analysis of the area, and then develops a restoration plan. Anchors are positioned and staggered. The bottom portion of the Sox is staked, and then the top is rolled over like a taco and filed with organic material that will help wick in moisture from water in the lake. The ends of the material are sewn shut. The top is then staked off and the material is covered with sod, vegetation and/or plants, providing immediate stabilization.
After it all settles in, what’s left is a beautiful lake bank with protection against erosion.
“The final SOX product is aesthetically beautiful, but it is also a very powerful defender against future erosion,” said George Deussen of SOX Erosion Solutions. “There is not another method available that captures all of that. It’s a pretty significant departure from traditional methods, which usually involves some type of hard material like concrete, and a bladder system. It’s not stable and it’s not a great fit with Mother Nature.
“Our system is about mitigation; about defending the bank from future erosion. This is a long-term solution, creating an active, living, breathing shoreline.”
One other big advantage of the SOX system is that the installation process is far less intrusive than traditional erosion repair.
“We were operating throughout the 10 weeks during active play,” said Wolfe. “But with SOX, we’re not bringing out massive cement trucks, or having to drain lake to basically nothing. The SOX installation makes a small footprint, allowing the golf course to generate revenue, with golfers playing all around us while we worked.”
Nate Walkin of SOX, who was involved in the project, was pleased with PTI’s work and is excited about the future of the relationship.
“The PTI crew was fantastic,” he said. “They were never afraid to reach out for help if they needed it. Sam Wolfe took the lead and he was awesome. We couldn’t be happier to have them working with us out west. The future is bright.”
ABOUT PTI GOLF
PTI Golf is a family owned construction, landscape and golf maintenance company with over 30 years of hands-on experience in the Southwest. They proudly serve the golf, sports and landscape industry to enhance quality and improve conditions in a safe, environmentally friendly manner. For more information call (702) 315-5121, or visit www.ptigolf.com.
Contact:
Mike Jamison (407-474-0531)
