Golf cart paths are not just a way to get from tee to fairway to green. They protect your course by channeling traffic off the playing areas of each hole, and keep your guests safe from carts and errant balls.

The paths are also another part of the aesthetics that make your course as enjoyable to see as it is to play. They present the opportunity to display parts of your property that may otherwise go unnoticed and, in building your path, you may discover new ways to beautify underappreciated areas.

 

More than a drive from tee to green

Golf cart paths should blend into the scenery and topography of your course. That starts with a detailed study of the course and requires careful attention to the materials and structural design.

Cart path sub-base

The sub-base for a golf cart path is usually the native soil of your course. One important consideration is how well the soil facilitates drainage. We study the cut and grade of the path to ensure that rain run-off does not erode the grass on either side of the path, nor weakens the foundation of the path, which could lead to settling and path damage.

Path materials

The industry standard load tolerance for a concrete cart path is 3000 psi. We find that a small additional investment in time and money lets us produce a path that exceeds that minimum. Particularly if your course experiences extreme weather events or a wide range of conditions across the seasons, we’ll examine ways to increase the strength of the cement or influence the dynamics of how the cement dries in place.

Reinforcing cart paths

Expansive clay soil, extreme temperature variances and significant slopes all point to a need for greater reinforcement. Whereas fiber mesh works for most cart paths, we’ll present options like rebar reinforcements or a larger pavement depth if we think it is necessary to guarantee the longevity of a path.

Expansion and contraction joints

Fusion Golf determines the optimal placement of contraction joints to lessen the likelihood of the pavement cracking. Joint placement derives from the environment, the depth of the concrete, the type of concrete used… all the factors that Fusion considers individually and as a whole to develop golf cart paths across continents, climates and budgets.

 

 Safety considerations for golf cart paths

Safety is a paramount consideration in golf cart path design. The paths are subjected to greater stresses in higher density than any other part of your course. Cracks, sinkage, slipperiness, flooding, grading and size all affect the safety of your guests and the exposure to liability for your course.

A few of the factors that require particular attention due to their impact on safety are:

• Curves: Like any driving surface, the grade of the path must be appropriate for the arc of the curve. Before starting work, we ensure the architect’s design for a path on a section of your cart is consistent with engineering best practices, and recommend ways to bring the two in line, as necessary.
• Slope: The slope of a path cannot exceed the acceleration or braking ability of a golf cart. Fusion also considers how rain will affect a golf cart’s ability to maintain traction on a given surface at a given slope.
• Width: Golf cart paths are traffic lanes, and must be built to allow safe passage of vehicles.
• Curbing: Paths need adequate curbing to protect the turf on either side from run-off and from the occasional rogue driver.

 

Fusion Golf: Form and function for golf cart paths

A shoddy golf cart path is a good drive spoiled. Golfers will only remember a cart path when something goes wrong. Fusion’s engineering and construction expertise lets the path recede into the background, letting your golfers focus on their golf and your course.