Well after some rain delays and thanksgiving, the crew is back out working on #12 bunker. Topsoil is being added and tamped to finish forming the back sides of each bunker. In the photo you can see that we have begun cutting the new lip of the back bunker. Once the bottom of the bunker is dried out, the inside of the bunker can be tamped so we can begin hand digging the new bunker drainage.
The next step in the renovation is the installation of the drainage. The drainage that carries the water from the bunker drainage to the creek must be installed before the new drainage inside the bunker can be put in. Once the pipe is laid, the trenches will be backfilled and the final shaping can be done.
Rough grading has officially begun on the renovation on #12 greenside bunker. The new bunker shape is beginning to emerge. Similar to the renovation on #8, the square footage is being reduced while keeping the most used portions. The remaining bunkers are being recontoured and new drainage will be installed. The part that is being removed will be converted to a grass basin.
The over the last few weeks, the Chipping green has made a lot of progress. Mild temperatures, heavy rains, and a steady diet of nutrients have really helped this green get back on track. We will begin lowering the height and topdressing with sand while we are still under good growth conditions.
This morning we received our first groups of play since the rain yesterday, and this is what I saw on #12.
Please remember to follow all cart rules. We have them to protect the course from this kind of avoidable damage. Thank you.
Whenever it rains more than an inch, the staff must go out and check drain basins and fix bunkers. Here is a picture of the guys in action repairing the bunkers on #5 green. As you can see, the heavy rain eroded the sand exposing the soil underneath. Silt will wash off this exposed soil and contaminate the bunker over time.
The agronomy staff has spent the last few days laying sod into the damaged areas on #2. Today they are down to the smallest areas and should wrap up by the end of the day. Once our sand pile dries, a heavy application of topdressing will be applied to aid in the establishment smooth the new sod.
The leaves are really changing and it's looking more and more like fall. Hopefully winter isn't in a big hurry to get here!
We came this morning and saw that the system that moved through last night dumped an inch of rain. We are cart path only today and possibly tomorrow since more rain is expected.
