Bunker renovation

     Here it is March 6th and we have significant snow cover. We had hoped to be at least 2 weeks into the bunker renovation but mother nature had a different plan. As of right now we are scheduled to begin work on March 10th and at this point I am hoping to see the contractor's equipment show up on that date. Next week's forecast is looking pretty good with Wednesday night and Thursday being the only exceptions. Hopefully that will change as we get into next week and we can finally get this project rolling. With that said, I wanted to give everyone a clear understanding of what to expect on the course while the work is being done.
    The plan right now is to work on 2 holes at a time. This means those holes will be closed to play to allow the work to move along quickly. All of the sand will be removed from the greenside bunkers and the drainage will be replaced if necessary. Once the drainage is set they will reset the edges of the bunker and install a 1.5" layer of gravel. The gravel will be sprayed with a polymer that will join all of the gravel together to create a single layer. This layer will allow water to move through very quickly to the drainage lines and this is what eliminates the sand from washing. Once the polymer has dried new sand will be placed in the bunker. As soon as the sand is in place the bunker will be ready for play. Throughout the process I will keep everyone updated on our progress and let you know which holes we will be working on each day.
    If you have any questions about the project please let me know and I will be happy to answer any questions or address any concerns. I look forward to seeing everyone on the course and I hope everyone is as excited about this project as I am.

Taking care of the course.

     The snow finally melted last week and we were able to open the course and play some golf. I was very excited to finally see some grass and I am sure everyone was ready to get out on the course and enjoy a round of golf. Unfortunately in this state of elation, most everyone forgot about proper course etiquette and doing their part as a golfer to repair any damage to the course. Divot replacement was  limited, and several times carts were driven off the path to hurry around their playing partners so they could save 5 or 10 seconds. Fortunately the greens were still frozen so ballmark damage was limited.
     I can not stress enough the importance of replacing divots and repairing ballmarks. Both of these practices take seconds to perform and have a huge impact on the conditioning of the course. Ideally I would love to see all divots replaced and then topdressed to seal the edges but we need to start with just replacing the divot. This is especially important this time of year when the turf is dormant. Getting into the habit of replacing divots now will lead to good habits for the rest of the season and will play a big role in keeping the course in good condition throughout the year.
      If you are one of the few that did your part thank you and keep up the good work. Also, if you see someone not doing their part give them a hard time. Make them aware of the impact on the course and get them going in the right direction. If you are reading this and you are one of the many that did not replace their divot or repair their ballmark there is still hope. You still have a chance to do the right thing and be a part of the solution and not part of the problem. Show some pride in your course and follow proper etiquette when playing golf here or anywhere else. If everyone takes care of their own divots and ballmarks the course will benefit and be in better shape for it.
     Hopefully we will see an improvement in this area and if you have any questions about the course please stop me on the course or shoot me an email at andy.tomlinson@ourclub.com.
 

SNOW COVER ON THE COURSE

     I wanted to update everyone on where we are with the snow melt on the course. I wish I had better news but we still have a significant amount of snow throughout the course. We were able to drive most of the course today but #15 still has too much snow on the path to get through. On a positive note we did see a significant amount of melting yesterday and we should see a fair amount today since the high temperature will be 54 and the low tonight should be around 43. I will keep everyone updated on our progress and with any luck we will be on the course very soon. Below are some pictures of the course I took today. See if you can pick out where the gas line is in the first picture.

#1 and #10 fairway.

#10 fairway and green.

Shot of #1 from tee to green.

Shot of driving range from the figure eight.

Shot of #18 from the figure eight. 

#18 from tee to green.

#17 looking back at the tee from the green. 

A look at #8 from the rock outcrop behind the professional tee. 

A look back at #7 from the professional tee on #8.

Looking down the fairway on #6. 

A look at #3 from the professional tee. 

Bunker renovation on #17.

      Over the past 16 years we have dealt with several floods on the 17th hole and no area has been more affected than the bunker on 17, particularly the first half of the bunker. With that in mind we decided to downsize that bunker this fall with the hopes of improving the playability and aesthetics of the hole.
      The first issue we had to address was the drainage in the bunker. Since we were going from sand to soil we needed to remove the perforated pipe and replace it with solid pipe. We also added three areas along the drainage line for water to enter the pipe to help the area drain.
     Once the drainage was complete we started removing the large pile of debris that we had scraped off from the years of flooding. That material was moved to #16 to help stabilize the river bank in an area that is prone to flood damage.
     Next we started hauling in soil to reshape the area and to add the berm that would separate the new grass area from the existing bunker. A lot of this material was plugs from previous fairway aerifications that we stockpile throughout the course for use on renovation projects. Most of the material had been composting for years and makes a great growing medium for seeding or sodding. Once the soil was in place we added some pre-plant nutrients to the soil to improve the sods ability to establish roots.
     With the grading complete we started sodding the area. Given the amount of sod we needed to put down we were able to finish the installation very quickly. The area took 19 pallets of sod to cover with is roughly 10,600 sq.ft. The final step was watering the sod and fortunately Mother Nature decided to help us out and sent us some nice rainfall to help with establishing the sod.
     Currently we have a drop area in place near the beginning of the approach but that will be removed this spring. I hope that everyone enjoys this new area and that it will provide a much better playing experience and a better view from the tee.
     We are planning on doing some work on the existing bunker this winter which will include drainage repair, adding sand and repairing the flood damage to the bunker edge at the back of the green.
     Below are some photos taken during the project.