Greens Aeration

Punching holes on #3 green

Yesterday was the first day of aeration on greens.  Spring aeration has always been a sign that the spring season is officially here and that from here on out, our days will be filled with mowing, fertilizing, and watering.  The first day was a big success but wasn't without our share of adversity.  Our topdressing machine has some welds break that we had to repair, but the important thing is that we pushed through it and the front nine is open and ready for play as scheduled.  Today should go smoothly with everyone knowing their rolls and being comfortable within the system.
The next few days will be filled with more rolling, blowing and mowing to get the greens back into the best possible condition by the weekend.

The finished product on #9 green

Spring green up

Well, the sun is finally trying to break through the clouds that have been around all week.  The final rain total for the week is around 5 inches.  Besides having to pump the tunnel out every day, the bunker drainage performed wonderfully.  For the first time in many years, we didn't have any standing water in any bunkers.  This is a tribute to the agronomy staff's dedication and hard work during the renovations over the past few years.

The warm weather from last week and the soaking rain from this week have really encouraged the Bermuda to quickly come out of dormancy.  Once we get past greens aeration next week, we will prioritize mowing of all surfaces to get our first wall to wall cut of the season.

Rain

This latest storm has dumped over 3.5" of rain over the last 24 hours.  As you can see from how much water collected in the tunnel, the golf course is closed for play today.  We shouldn't have any issues getting the tunnel pumped out and the course, although soggy, should be ready for play in the morning.

#15 bunker renovation

The impending storm held off just long enough this morning for the crew to get the new sand installed in #15.  Now that the sand is down, the rain cannot contaminate the new drainage we installed on Friday.  Once the area is dry enough, we will finish all the dirt work and install sod in the new basin to the left.

#15 Bunker Renovation

Day two of the bunker renovation has
been very productive.  Since finishing removal of all old sand yesterday, the old drainage material has been removed and additional drainage trenches were dug out.  Our assistant superintendent, Michael Liebe, was in the mini excavator knocking down the old bunker edge on the west half that is to be converted to a sod basin.  Tomorrow we will finish the grading the soil and get the area ready for sod while simultaneously installing the new drain pipe and gravel in the right side of the bunker.  If all goes well, we should be ready for sod and new sand by the end of the week.

#15 Bunker Renovation

We hosted a superintendent's chapter golf outing yesterday, and now that its over, we are jumping right into our last bunker renovation of the off-season.  The bunker on #15 looks okay because the sand in it is fairly new, but the internal drainage is aging and last season it began to hold water.  Today we are working on removing the sand to expose the drainage.  Once that is done, the left side of the bunker will be converted to a sod basin and the right side will be fully renovated with new drainage and sand.

Spring is in the air!

After a mild winter, it seems safe to say that spring is here.  Nights are warming up, Bermuda is waking up from dormancy, and trees are blooming all over the place.  I love this time of year!  We have been taking full advantage of the nice weather and the course is as ready as ever for a busy spring season of great golf.

Wind

The wind has really kicked up today.  We are seeing sustained winds up to 35 miles per hour with gusts over 45.  Come on out today for a true links golf experience. =)

Winter's Back

Well after what has seemed like months of mild weather, we got reminded that it's still winter.  A fresh dusting of a couple of inches is welcome moisture for the golf course.  We thankfully missed the freezing rain that they forecast.  The snow has all melted and we are back open for play today.  Besides some fog and wet conditions, the temperature should be nice later and we hope to see some golfers.  The high for tomorrow is supposed to be almost 60 degrees!  Go figure!

Mower recycling

Before

After having spent the past couple of growing seasons mowing our 50 acres of rough with one mower.  I began to knock around the idea of putting two rough mowers out there to get it done in half the time, but weren't sure how we were going to make it happen.  We decided to pull our old gang reel unit out from behind the shop.  This mower hadn't been used in years so Mitchell, our equipment technician, got busy grinding reels and checking gear boxes.  Once Mitchell finished with all the repairs, the crew gave it a new coat of black paint.  Another benefit to reviving this old mower, besides efficiency, is that we will be able to reduce the operating hours of our other rough mower.  By keeping the hours down, normal wear and tear will decrease and the mower will last longer.

After

Driving range drainage project

The Public Works department is planning to install a drainage swale on the west edge of the driving range to protect the houses along that property line from potential flooding.  Over the past couple of weeks they have been surveying, marking the area with grade stakes, and setting silt fencing.  Once the finish grade is done on the swale, new sod will be laid over the entire area.  I will provide updates to this project as they happen.

Driving range divots

Divots are in line, less removal of turf

Divots are scattered, more turf removed

With all the additional play we've been experiencing due to the mild weather, the driving range tee has become pretty beat up.  We still have two more months until spring and I would like to remind everyone about the proper way to take a divot while practicing.  The least disruptive way to take divots is to put the range ball on the back of the previous divot.  This basically limits the amount of turf removed by almost half during each shot.  We effectively end up with long, thin strips of removed turf instead of a large mass of random divots that take much longer to recover.  To the right are two pictures showing the difference between the two techniques.  The agronomy staff hopes that this information will help you to continue to get the most out of your time practicing, while helping us keep the range tee in the best condition possible.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Tunnel pump

The crew spent yesterday working on one of the more unglamorous jobs on the course.  The pump for the tunnel needed to be installed.  It had become clogged with silt and was repaired.  Now we needed to clean out the mud and water so we could install the pump.  This is usually a messy process but the guys got it done without a problem.  Now the tunnel is ready for spring and should work like a charm.

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Snow

We had our first snow of the season last night.  Although the snow accumulation was pretty puny, at only half an inch, it did bring some much needed moisture.  It's been very dry lately so we'll take whatever we can get.  The next few days look to be pretty cold but the forecast is calling for a warm up after this weekend.

Chipping green bunker renovation

The crew wrapped up the chipping green bunker renovation this morning.  We ran through this bunker relatively quickly because we didn't need to redesign anything or move any dirt.  We simply scraped out the old  sand and drainage and replaced it.  Even though the bunker is finished, this green complex will remain closed until the green is ready to be opened.  We are excited to get some good growing weather now, but we still need a few weeks in the spring to finish growing it in.  We appreciate your patience during this time and look forward to having a high quality practice facility this spring.

Fog

We were blessed with some fog this morning and I couldn't wait to get out and shoot some pictures of the course.  Fog is one of my favorite weather events that can happen on the course and always leaves me with some neat visuals.  Here is are a few pictures from this morning.

Wetting agent application

I don't want to jinx us but so far this winter has been very mild and dry.  Looking back on our records, we have only had an inch and a half of precipitation since Thanksgiving.  Winter can often be the driest season of the year, especially if you don't get much snowfall.  Winter dessication, or drying out, is a common issue on bentgrass greens.  In order to keep our greens hydrated, our assistant superintendent, Michael, is applying a wetting agent to the greens today.  Wetting agents work to help the water penetrate the greens surface.  Once through the surface, the product helps the soil retain moisture longer, making it more available for the turf.    

Beautiful weather

The weather we've been experiencing lately couldn't be better for golf!  We hope that everyone is taking advantage and hitting the links!

Vandalism

This morning we realized that we had a little bit of damage caused by a vehicle spinning out on #6 black tee box.  The damage is minor but is another reminder that vandalism is a constant danger, especially with so many holes near neighborhood streets.

Electrical repair

Yesterday the crew installed a section of new irrigation power wire on #6.  This wire supplies power to the satellite box for #6 green.  You've probably noticed the holes we've been digging lately.  We found a short in the wire somewhere between the tee and the green  This about 1,500 feet, so the best way we've found to isolate the problem is to go to the middle, cut and test the wire to see which direction the problem is.  Then we will go to the middle of that section, cut and test again, and so on. Now that we have it narrowed down to about 100 feet, we cut a trench and installed a new piece of wire.  Now that the new wire is installed ,and all the areas we tested have been spliced back together, the area can be cleaned up and finished.

Misc. sod projects

Cart path by #10 green

cart path behind #18 green

Yesterday afternoon, the crew had some leftover sod and soil from the project on #12 green so we decided to address some low areas along cart paths.  The areas at #10 and #18 green have been on my mind for awhile so we took the opportunity to use the extra materials to fix these areas.  We will continue to address areas throughout the course similar to this as we go through the rest of the off season.

#12 Bunker renovation

#12 bunker before

Yesterday morning the agronomy staff went out to the bunker project on #12 and wrapped up any last minute details that needed to be addressed.  All the sod was rechecked and ground under repair markings have been placed around the work site.  Like similar projects in the past, this new bunker complex will remain closed until spring when the Bermuda greens up and begins to root into the ground.  Until then, please help keep the new bunker complex intact by keeping off unless absolutely necessary.  

#12 bunker after

Foggy morning

#14 fairway with light fog

The storm that moved through yesterday ended up not dumping nearly as much rain as was expected.  The rain total for the last 24 hours is just under a quarter inch.  However, this rain was enough to force golf carts back onto cart paths today, due to the moisture that remained from the previous storm.

#12 bunker renovation

The crew is hustling today to get all the sand installed in the two new bunkers on #12 before the rain tonight.  Once all the sand is installed, sod will be placed around the edges and around the basin to protect them from contamination.  The remaining sod will be installed once the sod farm can resume cutting later this week.  This will complete this project.

#12 bunker renovation

The crew has begun installing the drainage in the upper bunker today.  This bunker will be ready for sand by the end of the day.  Tomorrow we will focus on digging out the new drainage trenches and installing pipe in the lower bunker.

Irrigation wire repair

This morning the crew is taking a small break from the work on #12 bunker to replace a section of power wire that feeds the irrigation system on the middle of the course.  This section of wire is damaged and needs to be replaced.  Once this wire is installed, we can restore power to the irrigation control boxes in this area. 

#12 bunker renovation

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.

12 bunker

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.   

#12 bunker renovation

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.

Chipping green update

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.

Carts on path reminder

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.

Aftermath of rain

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.