Weed Control

Mother Nature has finally given us an opportunity to spray for weeds so we went out yesterday en masse to get as much spraying done as possible.  We began our spring pre-emergent applications with our spray rig and finished all tees and fairways.  We also went out with our tank sprayer and hand sprayed all clubhouse lawns and bunker noses.  The pre-emergent herbicide we are applying will keep all weeds from emerging for about 6 months.  We are starting to see a lot of patches of grass emerging.  This grass is a weed and is called annual bluegrass, or Poa.  It is common and the herbicide we are applying will kill this plant even after it has already germinated.  

Today we are beginning to spray the rough with pre-emergent and continuing to spot-treat broadleaf weeds.  We plan on completing our pre-emergent application by March 1st so we can begin our greens maintenance programs.     

#7 Bunker Renovation

After a three week delay from a record-breaking snowstorm, the maintenance team is back to work on #7 green side bunker.  Today we worked on removing all of the old drainage pipe and gravel.  Once this was complete, we found that additional trenching would need to be done to increase the effectiveness of the drainage.  The crew will spend the next few days digging the new drainage trenches and adding new pipe and gravel.  Weather permitting, we should be adding new bunker sand by the end of the week.

#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.

#16 retaining wall project

The maintenance team as begun installing sod along the pond edge and around to the bunker left of the green.  Although staples are being used to help keep the sod in place, please be careful when stepping on these slopes because the sod is unable to root in during dormancy.  The rest of the project is on hold for a few weeks until the bridge piers can be installed.  Then the remaining sod and cart paths can be installed.

#16 retaining wall project

The project on #16 is right on schedule and is beginning to take it’s basic shape.  Now that the pond bank has been sloped back, JonesPlan will begin to contour the area to match the rolling hills behind the green.  A new smaller bunker will be installed in the same area as the original bunker to maintain the difficulty on the left side of the green.  The area directly in front of the green will be sloped so that it can be maintained at fairway height and will allow golf balls to roll into the pond if left short.

#16 retaining wall project

The project is now in full swing and Public Works has removed most of the retaining wall and has started pulling apart the old bridge.  They will start moving some dirt around to the front side of the green tomorrow and continue removing railroad ties.  Please use caution in this area when passing through and do not stand too close to the pond edge during this time since the soil on the edge is loose.

#16 retaining wall project

Work has begun on the retaining wall and bridge on #16 greens complex.  The City of Owasso Public Works department is pitching in it's equipment and manpower alongside JonesPlan contractors to remove and reshape the pond bank around #16 green.  Public Works has begun removing the old railroad ties from the retaining wall.    Over the next few days all the old ties and old bridge will be removed.  Once this is complete, JonesPlan will begin to reshape the slopes and get the area ready for sod.
In order to keep this hole open during this project, a temporary green has been installed and new yardages have been posted at each tee box.  Since the bridge will not be available to get to #17 tee box, everyone will need to drive around the pond and down #11 cart path.  Signs will be posted but caution should be used because there will be a lot of construction traffic at certain times.  We appreciate your patience and look forward to reopening this green as soon as possible.

#11 Bunker renovation

The maintenance staff installed all the sod and put the finishing touches on the project this morning.  The bunker complex will be roped off and will stay closed until spring when the sod roots have a chance to root in.  We do ask that if your ball goes into the hazard that you walk around to the flat side and enter from there.  If you try to step on the high side of the bunker, the sod might slip and the soil lip might get damaged.  With your help, this bunker complex will stay in great shape for years to come.

Greens reopening

Bailey Ranch Golf Club is excited to announce that starting Friday December 10th, all 18 holes will be open for play.  The weather for Friday and Saturday looks great and we are hoping for a good turnout of golfers to come and see how far we've progressed in the last two months.  Currently the greens are only a few thousandths of an inch higher than the front nine and they putt very similar to the open greens.  The cutting heights will be consistent by Friday so there should be putting consistency on all greens by the end of the week.
We took the opportunity while we were closed to renovate #1 bunker so it has fresh sand and is ready for play.  There will be a continued effort to complete projects such as bunker renovations, bridge and retaining wall renovations and cart path repairs while trying to impact play as little as possible.  Our goal is to have the majority of these projects completed by Spring so we can have the best golf course possible for the next golfing season.
The maintenance staff will be working hard this week to wrap up the bunker renovation on #11 green and replace all the course accessories that were removed when we closed.  All the tee markers, flag sticks and signs will be brought back out, as well as any other details that need to be addressed.

#11 Bunker renovation

The bunker project on #11 green has gone very smoothly and we are on track to finish the entire project by tomorrow afternoon.  The sand is added to a depth of 3-4 inches on the slopes and 4-5 inches in the bottom.  Once all the sand is in place, a smooth raking helps us to determine where more sand is needed.  The bunker will be hand soaked with a hose to help firm and compact the sand.  The crew is completing the finish grading around the bunkers and getting the soil ready for sod in the morning.  Although the bunkers will appear ready for play, the dormant sod will not be able to root into the ground and therefore, we cannot allow foot traffic in this area.  Once the sod has a chance to root down in the spring we will pull the ropes and signs and open up the complex for play.

#11 bunker renovation

Over the past few days, the maintenance team has been working on renovating the greenside bunker on #11.  We decided to start fresh by completely reshaping and resizing the bunker.  This change will fit into our design philosophy of reducing maintenance costs while keeping playability intact.  The main issue with the old design was that rain water drained into the back of the bunker off of a steep slope.  Surface water should never drain into a bunker, it should always drain away from the bunker.  To address this surface drainage issue, the original bunker was divided in two.  This gave us the flexibility during the redesign to shrink and move the back bunker closer to the green to allow us to get the water flowing around the back of the bunker and down into a basin.  This will keep the sand in place, which will help us extend the life of the bunker, and most importantly, improve playability for years to come.  We also carved out the old material out of the bottoms of the bunkers and so the new bunkers will be deeper shape and will be more intimidating to play out of.