#16 retaining wall project

The maintenance team as begun installing sod along the pond edge and around to the bunker left of the green.  Although staples are being used to help keep the sod in place, please be careful when stepping on these slopes because the sod is unable to root in during dormancy.  The rest of the project is on hold for a few weeks until the bridge piers can be installed.  Then the remaining sod and cart paths can be installed.

#16 retaining wall project

The project on #16 is right on schedule and is beginning to take it’s basic shape.  Now that the pond bank has been sloped back, JonesPlan will begin to contour the area to match the rolling hills behind the green.  A new smaller bunker will be installed in the same area as the original bunker to maintain the difficulty on the left side of the green.  The area directly in front of the green will be sloped so that it can be maintained at fairway height and will allow golf balls to roll into the pond if left short.

#16 retaining wall project

The project is now in full swing and Public Works has removed most of the retaining wall and has started pulling apart the old bridge.  They will start moving some dirt around to the front side of the green tomorrow and continue removing railroad ties.  Please use caution in this area when passing through and do not stand too close to the pond edge during this time since the soil on the edge is loose.

#16 retaining wall project

Work has begun on the retaining wall and bridge on #16 greens complex.  The City of Owasso Public Works department is pitching in it's equipment and manpower alongside JonesPlan contractors to remove and reshape the pond bank around #16 green.  Public Works has begun removing the old railroad ties from the retaining wall.    Over the next few days all the old ties and old bridge will be removed.  Once this is complete, JonesPlan will begin to reshape the slopes and get the area ready for sod.
In order to keep this hole open during this project, a temporary green has been installed and new yardages have been posted at each tee box.  Since the bridge will not be available to get to #17 tee box, everyone will need to drive around the pond and down #11 cart path.  Signs will be posted but caution should be used because there will be a lot of construction traffic at certain times.  We appreciate your patience and look forward to reopening this green as soon as possible.

#11 Bunker renovation

The maintenance staff installed all the sod and put the finishing touches on the project this morning.  The bunker complex will be roped off and will stay closed until spring when the sod roots have a chance to root in.  We do ask that if your ball goes into the hazard that you walk around to the flat side and enter from there.  If you try to step on the high side of the bunker, the sod might slip and the soil lip might get damaged.  With your help, this bunker complex will stay in great shape for years to come.

Greens reopening

Bailey Ranch Golf Club is excited to announce that starting Friday December 10th, all 18 holes will be open for play.  The weather for Friday and Saturday looks great and we are hoping for a good turnout of golfers to come and see how far we've progressed in the last two months.  Currently the greens are only a few thousandths of an inch higher than the front nine and they putt very similar to the open greens.  The cutting heights will be consistent by Friday so there should be putting consistency on all greens by the end of the week.
We took the opportunity while we were closed to renovate #1 bunker so it has fresh sand and is ready for play.  There will be a continued effort to complete projects such as bunker renovations, bridge and retaining wall renovations and cart path repairs while trying to impact play as little as possible.  Our goal is to have the majority of these projects completed by Spring so we can have the best golf course possible for the next golfing season.
The maintenance staff will be working hard this week to wrap up the bunker renovation on #11 green and replace all the course accessories that were removed when we closed.  All the tee markers, flag sticks and signs will be brought back out, as well as any other details that need to be addressed.

#11 Bunker renovation

The bunker project on #11 green has gone very smoothly and we are on track to finish the entire project by tomorrow afternoon.  The sand is added to a depth of 3-4 inches on the slopes and 4-5 inches in the bottom.  Once all the sand is in place, a smooth raking helps us to determine where more sand is needed.  The bunker will be hand soaked with a hose to help firm and compact the sand.  The crew is completing the finish grading around the bunkers and getting the soil ready for sod in the morning.  Although the bunkers will appear ready for play, the dormant sod will not be able to root into the ground and therefore, we cannot allow foot traffic in this area.  Once the sod has a chance to root down in the spring we will pull the ropes and signs and open up the complex for play.

#11 bunker renovation

Over the past few days, the maintenance team has been working on renovating the greenside bunker on #11.  We decided to start fresh by completely reshaping and resizing the bunker.  This change will fit into our design philosophy of reducing maintenance costs while keeping playability intact.  The main issue with the old design was that rain water drained into the back of the bunker off of a steep slope.  Surface water should never drain into a bunker, it should always drain away from the bunker.  To address this surface drainage issue, the original bunker was divided in two.  This gave us the flexibility during the redesign to shrink and move the back bunker closer to the green to allow us to get the water flowing around the back of the bunker and down into a basin.  This will keep the sand in place, which will help us extend the life of the bunker, and most importantly, improve playability for years to come.  We also carved out the old material out of the bottoms of the bunkers and so the new bunkers will be deeper shape and will be more intimidating to play out of.