Recent works at Burford Golf Club marked a milestone for sportsturf contractor Djuke – its 1,000th install of the Hydrowick drainage system.
The achievement comes fewer than nine years after the 100th install, at Beaconsfield Golf Club, which says its system is working better than ever.
Private member club Burford was constructed in 1936 with traditional clay push-up greens of that era . “In my first ten years here, we were forever pushing water off the greens and nearly always ended up playing on temporary greens every winter,” explains head greenkeeper Richard Hitchman.

Minimal disruption
That changed when the club called in Djuke to trial the system on a couple of problem greens. “Straightaway we noticed the minimal levels of disruption compared to other drainage systems. The day after it went in, we could have had the greens back in play,” says Richard.
“When it rained, areas once the wettest on the course became the driest, so then it was just a case of how quickly we could get Hydrowick installed on all the other greens.”
The final four greens, including the milestone, were completed in August 2025, following multiple installs each year. “Hydrowick has transformed our greens. Now they’re not laying wet or under stagnant water, they’re happier, healthier and show no signs of anaerobic stress. We’ve all but eliminated temporary greens over the last two years, despite seeing 1.1 m of rainfall last winter.”

Beaconsfield “better than ever”
At Beaconsfield, then course manager Stuart Langhorn became an early adopter of the drainage system after installing it in 2016. As a true 12-month club, membershp demand has,” He says. “The process was so straightforward and the price so competitive that we came to terms with the fact it might only serve us well for a few years, and we’d have still been happy. Nearly ten years on, the greens are drier, allowing us to conduct cultural practices year-round to build further on the impressive drainage we’re now achieving across all 18 greens.”
Hydrowick utilises a gravity and capillary action to quickly ‘wick’ surface moisture and disperse excess water. The rope and fibreglass construction provides a durable, longlasting solution for turf areas including golf greens, tees, fairways, parks and residential and commercial landscaping.
www.djuke.co.uk