#1 Putting Green

You can see the original green dug out and the new green marked in orange paint

One of the main objectives for our greens renovation project was to increase the size of the putting green behind #1 tee box.  This green has long been a popular spot for golfers to spend some time while they wait for their tee time at the first tee.  On busy weekend mornings, there can be quite a few people trying to use this green.  The biggest issue we've had over there is that the green is way too small.  If more than a few people try to use it at a time, it gets too crowded to be useful.  I knew if we were going to keep the green, we needed to take the opportunity and make it more functional.  The new green will be considerably bigger than the old one.  As you can see from the picture above, this green will increase in size from approximately 900 sq.ft. to 3,000 sq.ft!  With such a large increase in size, we expect to be able to have 2-3 holes on that green and be able to handle a lot more golfers, which will help give everyone somewhere to practice on those busy weekend mornings.  We cannot wait to unveil this new practice green to our members and guests this fall!

   

Excavating the new green cavity

Green cavity dug out and ready for drainage and gravel

Installing new drainage pipe and 4" gravel layer

New practice green all finished and sprigged!

Sprigs are down!

Sprigs are spread by hand to ensure uniform coverage

 The first phase of TifEagle bermudagrass sprigs, from Pike Creek Turf, went down on the putting green, chipping green, #9, #10, #17 and #18 last week!  Since then, we've been using our new sprinkler heads around those greens to keep the surface wet and will do so for the next 10-14 days until we begin to see root and shoot initiation.  Then we'll begin backing off the amount and frequency of water until we get to full coverage.  Talking with colleagues that have gone through this process before, it sounds like we will mow them for the first time around the beginning of week 3!  It's hard to believe that in 3 weeks, we will go from what you see now to a green that needs mowed.  We will also begin fertilizing the greens aggressively during the second week and will continue for the remainder of the grow-in process.  The folks at Pike Creek tell me that we should expect to see 100% coverage of the greens in approximately 45 days.  Then it's all about improving density and lowering the mowing height to improve surface quality until we open Labor Day weekend!

Once spread, they are cut in with this machine to ensure soil contact

Finished product!  Doesn't look like much, but will begin to root in and grow like crazy in a week or so