#7 Bunker Renovation

Having just finished #14 bunker on Friday, we moved right onto the next bunker on our list, #7.  The bunker on #7 won't need as much work as previous bunkers.  We plan on removing all of the old sand and drainage; digging additional drainage lines and installing new drain pipe, and adding new bunker sand.  We had a good day today, removing approximately 50 tons of old sand.  Now that this step is complete, the old drain pipe and gravel will be removed next.
The 10+ inches of snow that is expected tonight will most likely keep us from continuing until next week or later.

#14 Bunker Renovation

On Friday, the maintenance staff finished the bunker renovation on #14.  The new bunker complex has been marked ground under repair and will remain closed until spring.

#14 Bunker Renovation

The maintenance team has worked very hard over the last few days shaping and compacting the new bunker slopes in preparation for sod.  The "flush out drains" were installed and sod was laid around the entire bunker.  The flush outs are installed to allow us to manually flush irrigation water into the drainage system to keep it clean and functioning properly.
Now that sod has been laid, the new bunker is starting to become more apparent.  New drainage pipe and gravel will go in today and all the new bunker sand will be installed by tomorrow afternoon.
Please remember that although the bunker may appear to be open and ready for play, dormant sod cannot root in and this bunker must remain closed until it can root into the soil this spring.  We will be installing rope and ground under repair markings to assist with any ruling issues.  Thanks for your cooperation during this time.

#16 retaining wall project

It seems that it's been awhile since the last update on the project on #16.  The project is basically done, except for the area where the bridge will be located.  The Public Works department was planning on beginning construction of the bridge abutments, but a significant winter storm moved in and forced them to prepare for that event.  Now that we have several inches of snow on the ground, the bridge project will have to be on hold until the snow melts and the ground dries out.  Once the bridge piers are built, the concrete must cure for a few weeks and then the bridge can be lifted into it's final position.  After the bridge is in place, the finish grading, cart paths and sod can all be installed.

#16 Bridge project

Over the last few days, golf maintenance staff has been coordinating with the Public Works department in constructing the abutments for the bridge behind #16 green.  First the holes for the piers were dug using an auger.  Second, the wood forms were built with steel anchors and crossbars for added strength.  Yesterday the concrete was poured and covered.  The concrete will need to cure for approximately 28 days.  Once the concrete has cured, the bridge can be installed and cart paths can be poured.

#14 Bunker renovation

It is now day three of the bunker renovation on #14 and the maintenance team has wrapped up the most physically demanding aspect of the project: digging the drainage trenches by hand.  Now they are moving on to backfilling the slopes with soil to re-establish the original bunker edges.  The crew will work on this over the next day or so to ensure that the slopes are smooth and compacted.  Once this is complete, the sod, drainage materials, and sand can be installed.

#14 Bunker renovation

The maintenance crew began work on the bunker on #14 today.  All of the old sand has been removed as well as the old drain pipe.  The original bunker edge was uncovered during the excavation process so we decided to use this edge to "reset" the bunker to it's original proportions.  The maintenance staff has also begun installing the forms used to create the new sod edge.  Soil will be back filled behind the forms and graded to the grass all the way around the bunker.  This effectively reduces the slope and decreases the likelihood of sand erosion in the future.

Snow

We officially had our first snow accumulation of the season Monday.  Although it isn't all that impressive, once it melts, the snow will help provide some much needed soil moisture.  The snow will also act like a blanket, insulating the turf from the extreme temperatures we are going to have over the next few days.

Poa control

Our staff is taking advantage of the calm winds, and warm weather, over the last few days by treating the collars with herbicide.  This herbicide will not harm the dormant Bermuda but will kill any weeds that are present.  The blue color around the green is dye that is used to mark where we have applied.  This dye will fade over the next few days.
The weed we are after is annual bluegrass, or Poa, as it is commonly referred.  Poa is a common weed in this area and thrives during the fall and spring.  We need to control it around the greens because the seeds can easily be transported onto the green by equipment and foot traffic.  Once Poa establishes in the greens it spreads easily and is extremely difficult to remove without injury to the Bentgrass.  Poa is inherently susceptible to disease, heat/drought stress and grows at different rates than Bentgrass.  This can cause infested greens to become bumpy, decreasing putting quality.

Greens maintenance

It may not seem like it, but winter is commonly the driest season of the year.  Sand based greens can easily loose too much moisture if not monitored closely.  The common symptoms of drought stress can be easily mistaken during this time of year and rainfall is scarce.  To combat this our assistant superintendent, Michael Liebe, is spraying a wetting agent on the greens.  This product retains moisture in the top 4-6 inches of the rootzone, which keeps the turf from drying out too much.  The ability of this product to keep soil moisture at an optimum level will allow the greens to take advantage of mild days during winter by encouraging growth.