Links Kennedy Bay, one of Australia’s leading golf courses, has fully re-opened following an 18 hole re-design with the addition of over 100 pot bunkers (pictured) featuring synthetic revetted faces from U.K. bunker specialists EcoBunker a core part of its design.

One of the prominent fixtures of the Western Australia golfing scene located 50km south of Perth, the course re-opened on November 2, 2025 and is now taking public bookings online.

The project, led by former Tour professional and course architect Graham Marsh alongside Trevor Strachan has been in re-development works for more than five years.

With the original back nine sold for development, the re-design required a brand-new back nine as well as the rerouting of holes 5 to 9. The changes gave Marsh a rare blank canvas to elevate playing conditions while safeguarding the long-term integrity of the course. 

One of the challenges for the re-design was the weather conditions in the region, with Perth renowned as one of the windiest cities in the world. In addition, the region receives up to 600mm of rain annually, most of which comes in the winter months, making bunkers vulnerable to sand blow, wash out and erosion.
 
Adam Strachan of Sports Turf Construction and project manager for the redevelopment, said the addition of the pot bunkers had long-term advantages.

“The use of EcoBunker was validated through a feasibility study by Trevor Strachan, which confirmed its long-term advantages over natural revetting,” he explained. “I was initially concerned about using synthetic faces in such a beautiful, natural landscape, but the results are superb. The bunkers are indistinguishable from natural revetts and come with a minimum 25-year lifespan.”

“The course previously had natural revetted bunkers, but with exposure to the elements many wasted away into sandy faces and became very irregular. The new design ensures consistency across the course, maintains the intended challenge that golfers face from the bunkers, delivers a sharp, natural aesthetic and will do all these things for many years without significant maintenance.”

Bunker walls on the course now range from 60cm to a dramatic 1.8 metres. Installed by Sports Turf Construction with support from EcoBunker Australian distributor Turfcare Australia, the system adapted to every design challenge across the four phase project. 

“The course takes inspiration from the world’s great links courses,” Strachan concluded. “We’re particularly proud of our interpretation of the famous ‘Hell Bunker’ from the 14th at St Andrews. 

“EcoBunker gave us the stability to create an intimidating, visually striking feature that will stand the test of time.”

Pictures: Medi8Golf