A sample of sand from a local source was sent to ETL in Scotland together with a sample of the sphagnum peat. Tests were made with 5, 10 and 15 % (by volume) of the peat with the sand; the 5 % mix was selected. At a tension of 40 cm hydraulic conductivity was 345 mm/hr., total porosity 43.0 %, air-filled porosity 25.7 %, and capillary porosity 17.3 %
The sand was ordered and delivered. No further tests were made until the construction was finished. The sand and peat were mixed remote from the site with a 9-cubic-meter concrete truck mixer. The laboratory warned the superintendent about the danger of over mixing and installing the top layer in wet conditions. Despite the warning work proceeded in wet weather.
Construction was completed in November 1999 and the green sown with a mixture of colonial bentgrass and fine fescue. The green was opened for play in July 2000.
The area of the green is 500 square meters. The green is constructed in a similar manner to the majority of the greens built in the Netherlands in the last 15 years. It consists of a layer of sand, 20 cm thick, topped by a 20-cm layer of a mixture of sand with 5 % sphagnum peat.
There is a fishbone drainage system under the sand layer set in trenches filled with sand. The laterals are at 2.5-m spacing, connected a smile drain. The same sand was used for all parts of the construction.
When the construction was finished samples of the top 20-cm layer were taken
from the green and sent to ETL for test. At 40-cm tension hydraulic conductivity
was 120 mm/hr, total porosity 40.2 %, air-filled 24.6 % and capillary porosity
15.6 %. The sand is uniform sand similar to the first test sand but coarser,
the M50 was 355 µm instead of 300 µm.