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.