Bunker work and course update

     Sorry for the delay. I had hoped to have these pictures up a few weeks ago. The pictures show the work we did on hole #11. The response so far has been very positive with only a few negative comments. To those members I would ask that you play the hole several times and see if it has any positive or negative effect on how you play the hole. The sod on #11 is doing very well and we should be able to put the first mow on it next week.
     I also want to bring everyone up to speed on when we will be making changes to start times and the opening of the range. First, we will go to 8 a.m. tee times on  Tuesday April 10th. Second, the back range tee will open to use on the mats Tuesday April 3rd. On April 19th we will open the chipping green approach and start hitting off the grass on both range tees. The rotation will be the same as years past with mats only on Tuesday and Wednesday and on the grass Thursday-Sunday.
     On a final note the coolers should be back out on the course next week. We ordered new coolers and we are getting those ready along with our ice machine for the upcoming season. If you have any questions about the course please let me know. I hope everyone is enjoying this unusually warm weather we have had this month and I look forward to seeing y'all on the course.

Bunker work

     An ongoing part of maintaining any golf course is bunker repair. We work on the bunkers everyday in season and this includes raking, pulling edges, fly-mowing the zoysia-grass rings around the bunkers and edging the bunkers. After significant rain events we spend time pushing any sand that has washed down the face of the bunker back up.
     During the winter we spend time making any necessary repairs or changes to the bunkers and also add sand as needed to maintain a 4" layer of sand in the bunker. Throughout the course of the season the sand moves in the bunker and this movement is caused by many different things including rain, wind, golfers, maintenance personnel and wildlife. Very often I hear golfers talk about the consistency of the bunkers. Outside of the sand that we use, this is very difficult to control. Our course has 76 bunkers and not one is built the same as the other. Each one has its own unique traits and that contributes to differences in how each one plays. The area we have a better chance of controlling is proper sand depth. We check depths as often as possible and add sand when needed. However, keep in mind we are talking about 76 different areas throughout the course that change daily based on golfer use and the weather for that day. One of our best tools for maintaining proper sand depths is golfer feedback. We appreciate the feedback on bunkers that need sand and we try to address each one as quickly as possible.
     Over the next few weeks we will be focusing on sand depths in the bunkers and making any necessary changes to bunkers to improve playability and maintenance. This past week we completed work on a couple of bunkers that including reshaping the bunker and adding sand. Next week we will begin working on the bunkers around 11 green. Along with adding sand to the bunkers we will also reshape the right greenside bunker to address the erosion of the bunker edge. This renovation will improve both the playability and maintenance of the bunker.
     Next week I will post some pictures of the work we are doing on #11 and the work we did on other bunkers as well. Enjoy your weekend and let's hope we dodge another snow storm from Mother Nature.

Indoor putting course at River Creek

     It is once again time for the Mitch Kumstein Indoor Putting Tournament. A few years back we designed and created an indoor putting course for the clubhouse. We even have two holes created by our own executive chef  Matt Crum. The idea was to provide a little taste or reminder of playing golf during the winter-time, which until this year has not provided many days of suitable golfing weather.
     The majority of the course is built out of our original range mats. Chef Crum's holes utilize an outdoor carpeting that doesn't have the same lightning fast speed of the other holes, but present a wonderful challenge of their own. Each hole consists of four range mats that are connected and each mat has been modified to affect ball roll and challenge each player's putting skills. Bunkers were cut in to provide an additional challenge and we are working on incorporating water hazards into next years event. The movement of each hole was created by using pieces of wood ranging in size from 1x4's to 4x4's. We even have a couple of doglegs that utilize a bank shot off the rail to try to score an ace. The finishing hole makes the player decide between two cups. The putt must be perfect or the ball will roll back to the player. If they choose correctly the ball travels down the staircase in a pipe to the "island green" at the bottom. Choose wrong and the ball comes back to the player.
      This event is fun for both the employees and the members. Although it is a challenge to transport and build the course, it is very satisfying to look at the assembled course and know we created it out of spare parts. I hope that this event continues to be a favorite with our members and who knows, maybe we will have to update some of the holes to present a new challenge. Below are photos of the course during assembly and after the landscaping was installed. Absent from the pictures is the beverage cart, which we park in the middle of the room.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Brumbaugh and Course Architect  Jose  Cruz during assembly

Chef Crum's Skeetball hole

Ninth hole down the stairs

Pipeline to "island green"

GCM 1/22/12

     For my first post to this blog I was trying to think of something amazing to write about. However, I had to remind myself that this is a tool for keeping members informed of what we are working on currently and some items that we will be working on very soon. 
     Since the weather has been very mild this winter we have spent more time than usual doing course setup which includes: changing cups, tee detail, raking bunkers and rolling greens. We have had the opportunity to do some winter project work like clearing the ravine on 15 along with clearing the river line on 9, 15, 16 and 17. We also cleared the natural area by 4 blue tee. Several volunteer sycamore trees had grown over the past few years and we needed to knock that area down before it affected the tee shot from the blue and gold tee. It is also important to keep this area under control because it is our access to the outlet for the overflow structure for 4 pond. 
     Along with our outside projects we have also been performing maintenance and repairs on the course equipment and accessories. Each winter we go through every piece of equipment to make sure it is ready for the coming season. 
     We are currently working to get our Audubon certification. We have completed 4 steps in the process and we hope to be finished with the final steps by the fall. This is an initiative for every course within the company and a symbol of our continuing efforts to be environmental stewards.
     As a final note, I plan on posting to this blog each week and I look forward to any comments you may have. See you on the course. 


Andy Tomlinson
Golf Course Superintendent
River Creek Club