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.

Renovation of the tees on #7.

      I am very pleased to announce that the renovation of the member and championship tee on #7 is complete. This project addressed a big need for additional teeing space for two tees that received a lot of wear during the season. By utilizing some unused area around the tees we have gone from 800 square feet of teeing area to 3,200 square feet.
     The work was completed by a company we use for our fairway aerification, Growing Solutions. This company also did the renovation of the championship tee on #17 and as always they did a great job.
     Below are pictures from throughout the project from start to finish.

                           A look at the green from the back championship tee.

                                                  Forward championship tee.

                                             Work begins with removal of sod.

                       Continuing to remove sod and starting to move soil around

                                               Shaping of the area continues.

                                                      Plenty of rock to deal with.

                                              Front of edge of tee is taking shape.

                                              Tee and tee surround taking shape.

                                                      More rock to remove.

                                               Sub-grade is coming together.

                                                    Continuing with sub-grade.

                                                       Area is coming together.

                         Created swail along the left-side of the tee for drainage.

                                                 Front edge of the tee, left side.

                                               Front edge of the tee, right side.

               Sub-grade complete and mix for teeing surface has been laser graded.

                                                     Bentgrass sod installation.

                                                               Sodding the tee.

                                                     Completed sod installation.

                                              Shot of new tee from the back corner.

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.