Irrigation System Upgrades

 The irrigation system upgrades have begun this week!  Yesterday was the first day the contractor was out on the golf course exposing valves in preparation to install the new irrigation control wire for the irrigation system.  Today they began plowing the wire from the shop through the back nine.  The contractor will need a day or so on each hole to install the new wire, pipe and sprinkler heads.  Please be mindful of the crews safety and avoid playing the hole that they are working on.  There will be signage in the pro shop and on the hole they are working on to remind golfers not to play that hole.  We appreciate your cooperation and are excited to get the improved irrigation system up and running soon!

As always, if you have questions or would like to know more about the work being completed, feel free to contact myself or the pro shop for more details.

Thanks and see you out on the course!

Greens/Irrigation Renovation Project

 As you play the golf course over the next few months, it will be hard to miss the red lines that have been drawn around the greens.  These lines show the location of the original greens edges that were built back in 1992.  Locating these edges is the first step of the greens renovation project that is kicking off during the summer of 2021!  We are very excited for this project to get underway.  Expanding the greens is only one of several goals we hope to accomplish with this project.  The main goal of the renovation is to convert the old Bentgrass greens to TifEagle ultradwarf Bermudagrass.  Bermudagrass will give us the ability to have firm, smooth, fast greens every summer regardless of the weather.  Bailey Ranch was designed as a links golf course where firm, bouncy conditions create a focus on the ground game.  Golfers don't often get the full intent of our design since our Bentgrass greens are slow and soft throughout the summer.  Bentgrass can survive our summers, with lots of care, but doesn't allow us to create this desirable playing surface due to us focusing entirely on turf survivability.  Bermuda greens will allow us to optimize our conditions to suit the demands of our members and guests throughout the golf season, when they are here.  Often, our Bentgrass is best from fall through spring, when fewer customers can enjoy it.  

Greens won't be the only improvements being made during this project.  Irrigation upgrades and Par 3 tee box laser grading and sodding are planned as part of the project.  The irrigation system as become increasingly unreliable and accuracy of our water applications has always been an issue.  These upgrades will increase our control and accuracy of how we water which will, in turn, reduce our water usage and improve the overall health and playability of the golf course.  The Par 3 tee boxes have become severally crowned over the decades from divots being taken and sand topdressing being applied.  The tee tops have become so sloped that often I hear from golfers that they have trouble finding flat lies on the tee box.  We are very excited to be able to address this issue while making these other improvements.