Completing a few small projects

We worked on a few small projects today:

After spraying the front of 11 fairway with Round-up a few days ago, we seeded the area today.

Also, we painted the floors of the 15th hole bathrooms, trying to keep this little shack in decent shape for the high traffic it receives. 

Great week of progress

The abnormal weather was not only great for the golfers, it was an opportunity for us to get a few projects and tasks done that we normally wouldn't be working on at this time of year. 

We got an early start on our stick clean up, this year we might be done before we would typically start picking up sticks.  This will allow us to move on to other tasks quicker and complete other projects on our to-do list. 

Believe it or not, we mowed all the fairways this week - in February!  This wasn't to produce outstanding conditions for the few golfers, they actually needed it. 

 

It felt great to open up the doors and let that fresh air in.

And have you noticed the trees, they to are waking up from the winter along with the tulips and daffodils. 

 

Normally at this time of year the ground would be froze and we would be taking down trees.  While the ground conditions aren't conducive for this type of work, we are busy getting other projects completed. 

 

A little dirt moving

I spent a little time today with a rented dozer in our 'dump' area in the middle of the course.  Over many years, extra soil, sand and sod had built up from projects, making a significant pile of debris. 

The pile of debris was located next to our service road through the dump.  I was able to knock the height down and smooth out the soil creating a nice berm, which will be planted with grass, as this area is visible from the course. 

We will now be dumping all of our project spoils on the back side of this berm, which will enhance the look off to the left of #4.

 

Removing the last green fence

When I arrived on property 5 years ago, one of the first things I noticed were 3 large green fences scattered throughout the property and neither of them added beauty to the course.  In 2012 we removed the green fence along the range tee, last year we removed the fence along the 12th tee, and this week we removed the fence along the parking lot. 

 We started the removal last Friday, getting the top half down.  With the combination of steel and massive vines, this was no easy project. 

 Monday we started on the bottom half, raking up years of debris as we went. 

 Once the fence was out of the way we pulled out all the posts and dug up the roots to all the vines. 

Finally, at the end of the day we were able to load up all the debris into the trailer and haul it away.  While the fence served its purpose in the past, it was no longer needed and in my opinion an eye sore on a beautiful property.  This change will only add to the aesthetics. 

 

This spring we will landscape this area to provide an elegant break between the parking lot and the course.  We will leave access points through the landscaping to allow members and guests to easily get to any functions / registration tents that may be placed in the lawn for any future events.

Progress made

The bunker on 11 is almost complete, just a few more finishing touches.

Monday we started moving soil.

Tuesday was edging, drain lines and the start of sod.

Wednesday was drain tile, sod and sand installation. 

 

We need to repair one corner of the bunker that we used for an access point, sod also needs be installed in the enlarged fairway in front of the bunker.  Per the Master Plan, 11 fairway can be shortened on the tee side.  We will take sod from the start of the fairway and transfer it over to the new fairway by the bunker. 

Bunker project

The fairway bunker renovation on 11 is progressing well, the weather we are having has been excellent. 

Monday, we started at the old forward tee on 10 - shaping the landform to better fit the surrounding area, softening the valley beside 12 tee.

Work then began on filling in the old fairway bunker on 11.

Next came the addition of the new bunker.

Once the bunker was built, we put a hard edge on the inside.

Drainage lines were then dug and sod has begun to be installed. 

 

Today we will be installing drain tile and laying down more sod.  I anticipate tomorrow we will be able to put sand in the bunker. 

Removing the old bunker

The first step on the bunker project was to remove the usable sand within the bunker and remove the sod surrounding the work site.

First thing this morning we removed the sand, keeping the good sand for the new bunker.

We then removed all the sod surrounding the worksite.  By the end of the day tomorrow we will have the area ready for the shaping of the new bunker. 

Bunker project started

The new fairway bunker on 11 has started.  After some delay waiting for an available date by the contractor, we are now ready to roll.  The contractor (shaper) will be here Monday to implode the existing bunker and shape the new bunker.  If you get the chance to walk out there soon, you will see red flags marking the perimeter of the new bunker. 

 

 

All the sod around the existing bunker and around the new bunker was cut today.  We will begin to remove the sand and all the necessary sod on Thursday and Friday.  Monday, the Shaper and Architect will do their thing and we will be right behind them laying new sod, installing drainage and adding sand.  If the weather is cooperative, we should have everything relatively wrapped up by the end of next week. 

 

 We will also be re-grading the old forward tee on 10, removing the 'tee' landform and shaping it to fit the surrounding area. 

 



Sod project on 10

One of the last projects we need to complete on 10 is the expansion of the green in the corners.  The architect laid out new perimeter edges on three of the four corners, expanding them slightly, which will allow for more pin locations. 

We are pulling up the rough sod and installing bentgrass sod from our nursery.  Our goal is to get all three corners completed over the next few weeks.  After the sod is laid, it will be topdressed, rolled and eventually brought down to greens height. 

 

Once the sod is grown in, we will open up these corners to pin placements, making the green more challenging and bringing the bunkers into play to a higher degree. 

September update

While growing in the rough around #10 this year, we had carts follow our rope to the fairway.  This allowed the rough to grow in but created a small dirt path due to all the traffic.  This shows just how much damage can be done to a course because of carts, and also shows how important rope and stake can be to the health of the course.  It also tells us that installing the path around the new tees was the right decision.  I can't imagine the muddy mess we would have had if the path wasn't installed this past spring. 

This week, before the rain hit, we aerified the dirt path, seeded and fertilized it.  Before long, this area will be back to normal. 

 

It's not very often you see a walk mower on our greens anymore, we got it out this week to fine tune our edges.

Over the course of the summer a few of our edges have crept out.  We went around every green and painted dots on where the green's edge should be.  If needed, we scalped the edge back with the walk mower.  This areas should recover within a few weeks. 

Seeding the old 10 tee

Today we seeded the old 10th tee with a bluegrass / ryegrass blend.  We had to seed this area as the bentgrass that the old tee was covered with was not suitable for higher mowing heights. 

 

This area will make a great spot for small tents during outings and events. 

 

Careful what you wish for

While we needed rain, we now have more water than we can handle.  With the slow soaking rain from yesterday and another batch of storms moving through over the night, the ground is now saturated in areas that are typically irrigated.  We are currently sitting at 3.05" over the last 5 days and more rain moving through today.

Puddles are prevalent on the fairways.  We were not able to mow the greens today as we were pushing water with every pass. 

With little opportunity to get mowing done, we focused on a few projects.  Here we trimmed back the river bank in front of 9 green. 

The landscaping around the old 10th tee was also removed.  This area will be seeded into rough and make a great location for small tents during events and outings. 

Cart path installation

The new cart path to the 10th tee has been installed, stone was laid yesterday and pavement today. 

Yesterday, the area was excavated and stone was put down.

Paving started this morning.

 

Getting this out of the way will allow us to finish up the rough areas around the new tees.  In the near future we will round-up the old 10th fairway and reseed that area. 

10 approach

We continued the renovation of the tenth hole yesterday with the widening of the approach.  We grabbed sod from the beginning of the fairway and laid it on the right side of the approach coming into the green.  The strategic entry to the green is from the right side.  If you can carry the moguls and onto the approach, you set yourself up for a birdie opportunity.  If you miss, you may find yourself with a tough bunker shot or an awkward lie in the rough.  There is also the option to lay up short of the approach and have a 50 yard pitch over the bunker and onto the green. 

Removing sod from the front of the fairway.

Widening the approach to the north.

Clippings and weeds

One of the details we focus on this time of year is the removal of clippings.  We always see a big mess when we mow this time of year due to the fast growth rate of the turf and the wet conditions (rain and dew).  Also this time of year, we get wet weather that slows our mowing down and when we do get a chance to knock the grass down it is much longer than usual.  To remove the clippings, we go out with blowers and disperse the clippings or vacuum them up when needed.  This time of year it is almost a 40 hour/week job to clean up behind mowers.

You will see us out there with blowers and vacuums more frequently than normal due to the large mess the mowers are making.

Another detail we have been focusing on is the weeds.  We saw a good die off last fall due to our spray, but weeds continue to germinate and show themselves.  We have been out a few times hitting our high traffic areas to knock down the weeds.

Busy Wednesday

We had an extremely productive day on Wednesday, getting a few projects scratched off our list before the rain for Thursday.  The first project of the day was planting trees.

We planted a 'Japanese Maple' near the River Rooms entrance.  This tree will replace the fountain that was there. 

 

We then planted 3 trees along the left side of #10, creating a natural outline to the new hole, just beyond and to the left of the new tees.

The new trees span the gap from the new tees to the fence line.

Because of the trees in the middle of the old fairway, the 10th hole will now be played from the new tees.  All of the markers have been placed on the forward tee for the time being, giving the back tee a little longer to firm up. 

Next on the list was grinding the stumps of the trees that were removed over the winter.  With the wind and sun we had over the last week, the ground firmed up enough for us to get the equipment on the course.

To end the day, we topdressed the new tees on 10.  This will help smooth out any of the imperfections and aid in firming the tee up.

 

Other tasks completed on Wednesday included: stick clean-up, landscaped bed clean-up, fairway mowing and preparations/cleaning of the 15th hole bathrooms. 

Master plan

As we near the beginning of the 2016 season, we are planning out our work load ahead of us to finish up the project we started last fall on the 10th hole.  This spring, our project list on #10 includes:

·         Expanding the corners of the green, allowing for more ‘tucked’ pins

·         Expanding the approach to the right according to the architects markings

·         Reseeding the old fairway to rough

·         Planting trees to the left of the start of the fairway

·         Removing the fence between the parking lot and the old 10 fairway, also adding some landscaping

·         Finishing growing in the new grass and sod

·         Installing cart paths to the new tees

 



The completion of these items will cap off the first piece of our Master Plan.

The project on #10 was done for a variety of reasons, including safety.  Another logical reason for starting with 10 was that this piece of the plan needed to be complete before we begin on other projects such us a new short game practice area and updated range facilities.  While these projects are still a long ways off, we are thoroughly planning and preparing for the day when it does happen. 

We are very aware that a large scale renovation on the course will not happen in the near future.  But, what we can do is small scale projects that point towards the end goal.  While a project at first may seem out of place or not carefully conceived, a review of the entire plan would say otherwise.

 

If you have any questions regarding the Master Plan and the end product, please don't hesitate to call me or stop by.  I would enjoy the opportunity to walk you through the entire plan. 

Fence removal, creek cleaning

One of the prominent things I noticed on the FCC property when I toured the course before my interview in November of 2011, was the ugly mesh screens along the range and along 12 tee.  Nothing says 'bad design' like a well placed mesh shield in the middle of the course.  These fences took away from the beauty of the property - drawing your attention to their rusty, large and unnatural forms.  We removed the screen on the range in 2012, I am pleased to announce we have now removed the eyesore on 12 tee, and it looks great.  With the recent completion of the new 10th tee, the mesh screen will no longer be needed.

We tore down the screen, selling the posts for scrap metal, then dug up the concrete foundations. 

 

The view of the area improved dramatically.

 

Another project we are working on is the dredging of the creek bottom.  Over the years, large amounts of leaves find there way into the creek, decompose and raise the level of the creek bed.  Due to the dry conditions lately, we are able to get the heavy machinery out to the creek to dig it out

We are working on 18 today, tomorrow we will tackle 6 and 7.

 

Sod installed

On Monday we removed sod from the 10th fairway that will no longer be in use and placed it on the new tees.

Sod being removed from the front of the old 10 fairway.

Being shuttled and laid on the new tee.

 

Below is a look at some of the work we did for the new tees

Removed the trees from the area.

Added soil to create the desired height.

Sodded the surface and seeded the surrounds.

 

I'm happy to note that the grass has germinated on the tee surrounds.  We have placed covers around the tee to promote more growth before the winter.  I am optimistic that the juvenile turf will survive the winter and give us a great head start coming into next season. 

 

This will be the end of the work on #10 for 2015, we will open it back up in 2016 with some minor adjustments around the green to finish off the project.