Exploring Eco-Friendly Cart Path Alternatives
By now, South Course regulars have likely noticed the walnut shells lining our cart paths. A major tenant of Greenway Golf’s commitment to ecological stewardship is managing resources to mitigate climate change, and we are exploring this 100% biodegradable alternative to concrete to reduce our carbon footprint.
CONCRETE
Concrete, vital to modern life and the backbone of our buildings, roads and bridges, also generates 8% of all planet-warming CO2 emissions.
NUTSHELL & HULL WASTE
Nearly 6 billion pounds of hull waste is generated every year in California alone, with limited practical application. By diverting secondary agricultural by-product to create an ecologically sustainable cart path surface, we're working to reduce our carbon footprint.
PROJECT START
We have engaged a consultant to study drainage & walnut shell sizing to determine initial specs. Two walnut shell grinds have been chosen to test.
PROJECT SUMMARY
We experimented with a mix of the two grinds and depth of the application on holes 15 & 17 of the South Course and found that the smaller grade shell grind was too fine and that our depth was too large.
PROGRESS SUMMARY
We ultimately settled on using the larger grind shells and reduced the depth of the paths for the final application on the entire South Course. We are still in the experimental phase and the winter months will be an important period of discovery on the viability of the surface as we continue to refine it.
NEXT STEPS
We are exploring natural sealants to bind the surface. We will also test and monitor the paths for winter weather during the coming months. We will report back with our findings and progress in the new year.