Masters: How the SubAir system works at Augusta National Golf Club

Augusta National Golf Club opened in December of 1932, but in every regard it is a state-of-the-art facility.

When spring rain (or in today’s case, fall rain) falls in Georgia, and greens get soaked, the club can fight back by turning on a SubAir system and to remove the water and keep the course playable.

SubAir Systems, LLC, is based just north of Augusta, Georgia, in Graniteville, South Carolina. It’s main product is comprised of a series of pumps and blowers that connect to the drainage system below greens.

To work properly, the underground drainage system needs to be constructed as a “USGA spec green,” with a main pipe running along the fall line of the green with a series of lateral tributary pipes feeding into it. The perforated pipes allow water to enter and flow downhill to an exit area or drain.

When it is activated, the SubAir system acts like a vacuum and pulls air and water down, into those pipes, much more quickly. This video, created by SubAir in 2010, shows how quickly puddles can disappear.

When the SubAir system is used to pull a lot of water off greens, supplemental pumps and drainage mechanisms can be added to pull the water farther away from the green and release it in areas away from play.

When a SubAir system is switched to pressure mode, it forces air into the pipes and up, into the soil and root systems of the grass. This can help to control the temperature of the greens without interrupting play.

When the pumps are running, they create a dull, humming sound that is reminiscent of what you hear inside a plane when the engines are running.

The first green to have a SubAir system installed under it at Augusta National was the 13th green in 2001, but all 18 greens now have it.

Several other golf courses also have a SubAir system now, including Pebble Beach Golf Links, site of the 2019 U.S. Open.

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets recently had SubAir systems installed on their baseball fields and the several professional and college football teams have SubAir systems on their practice and game fields.