I borrowed this underground radar unit from the Town of Highlands to scope out a few land areas on the course. The technology isn't really new, but it has improved over the years. It works very much like an ultrasound machine used during pregnancy. By walking this over land, it will give you a readout of bedrock and even pipes and water lines. The town has it for obvious reasons such as detecting utilities underground. It is great to determine how much rock is under the surface; at what depth and if it is solid. It has a $17,000 price tag so owning one isn't practical based on how much use it would get. It is fascinating to think about all the technology that is out there right now when it comes to golf course construction. Then, think back to 1926 when construction started at Highlands CC and those men had nothing! Trees were cut with axes as the chainsaw wasn't even mainstream at that point. Holes were shaped after they determined what was underground because there was no device like this to tell them. It certainly gives me more respect for the old days of golf course construction and architecture!
