Those who watch us fabricate our features know it is our tendency to overbuild our creations. We know what too weak looks like (through experience) but believe we can’t build too strong. We used to use really heavy steel to build our structures but over the years we’ve found ways to build even stronger while making things a little lighter. This allows us to build more fanciful creations and even realize some savings on steel. Back when we started we used much heavier bars for the armatures but the 1/4” pencil rod forms so much easier and is definitely quicker. By triangulating this light framework back to the structural members it is plenty strong when we are done. Using the quarter inch rod makes tying on the galvanized lath much easier and quicker as well. If you study the photo you can see the steel plates where the two sections of the feature join together. A well braced lifting point with a removable eye bolt is also visible at the upper centre. The hole marker number plate is visible in the centre of the photo. It is plasma cut from 1/4” thick steel plate. The players on the course are all armed with a steel golf club and this will easily stand up to whatever happens through many years. And all of the frame will be covered with a thick layer of hand troweled and sculpted fibreglass reinforced concrete.
