Tee Update #3

This years tee project has come to an end with the winter weather setting in.  

18 blue and white tees are shaped but no seed or sod has been put down.  Dave Esler and his crew will be back in the early spring to put the finishing touches on the two tees.  

Most tees, with the exception of 1 and 15 have a nice stand of bent grass growing and should be in good shape come spring.  

Currently, 1 and 15 have covers on them that will help with germination but as the temps drop in the coming week seedling growth will stop.  We'll have to wait til next spring to see some growth. 

Tee Project Update #2

The tee project is wrapping up.  Most tee tops have been seeded and a number of tee banks have been sodded.

Tee tops that have seed and sod are:  #2, #4 blue, white and yellow, #5 white, #6 white, #8 white, #10, #11 red.  Tee tops with seed and banks to be sodded are: #3, #4 red, #12, #14.  #1, #9 blue and #15 will hopefully be finished this week if weather permits along with the remainder of the bank sodding.

The pictures below show some of the progress.  The white blankets on top of the tees are germination blankets that hold in moisture and a bit of heat that aids in the germination and growth process.  

#1 during construction

#1 

#2 blue and white pre-construction

#2 blue and white prior to seed and sod

#2 blue and white

#2 white T.  Bentgrass germinating under the blankets.

#2 yellow and red pre-construction

#2 yellow and red

#3 blue and white

#3 yellow and red

#4 blue and white pre-construction

#4 blue and white

#4 yellow before seed and sod

 #4 yellow

#4 red

#5 white during earth moving

#5 white during construction

#5 white during the sodding process

#5 white

#6 white

#8 white

#10 blue and white

#10 yellow and red

#11 red

#12 blue and white

#12 yellow and red

#14 pre-construction

#14 after

Fall Aerification

Since early September the crew and I have been aerifying the course.  With the exception of #6, #15 & #18, all of the fairways have been core aerified.  We picked up the cores on holes 4, 9, 11 & 17.  We will also do this to #15 when weather permits.  As you may recall we started topdressing these fairways this year.  After the cores are picked up sand is spread over the fairway and allowed to dry before it is broomed into the holes by a drag mat pulled by a cart.

The greens were deep tined on Sept. 29th and October 1st.  This process involves laying down a thick layer of topdressing sand, letting it dry, deep tining (3/4" solid tines going 7" deep), hand brooming the sand into the holes, pickup excess sand and water.  We have done this process at least once a year for the last 4 or 5 years and we have improved the internal drainage of the push up greens on the course dramatically.      

As you can see it is labor intensive and it takes a couple of long days but the results are hard to beat.  Thanks to my crew for all their hard work!!

Tee Project Update #1

The tee project is moving along nicely with all of the good weather.  At this point, the new white tee on #8 is complete and the new white tees on #5 and #6 are awaiting sod.  

Below we are adding sand to the new tee top on #5 white.  

The new red tee on #11 is under construction also and will be completed next week. 

Below is a before picture of #2 tee complex. 

#2 Tee complexes will be tilled, reshaped, laser leveled and the banks will be sodded.  The tee top alone will be seeded.  

Fun in the sand

This past Monday the club held an event for the Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser and the golfing format was a scramble.  So, the crew and I took the opportunity to do something different with the raking of the bunkers.  We striped them!

Topdressing Fairways

Due to a number of factors our fairway topdressing program has been slowed this year.  Two weeks ago we became fully operational and the program on fairways is going strong.  Last week marked the first application of sand for the fairways on holes 9, 11, 15 & 17.  #4 was also topdressed for the second time since last fall.  

The success of the program on #6 fairway has encouraged us to expand it to include other fairways that suffer from soft conditions after rain events.  The before mentioned fairways have been identified as the ones in most need of a sand cap and will be topdressed on a regular basis.  The goal is 5 applications per fairway, per year at 10 tons/acre.   

Currently, we topdress: 

• All greens (biweekly)
• The chipping areas on #1 green, #8 green & #14 green (once a month)
• The approaches on holes 4-10 & 17 (once a month)
• The tees on holes 5-8 (once a month)

New Water Main

The Shakespeare House's water supply has been leaking for the past few months and before it gets worse or even blows we decided to install a new one.  To limit the disruption we chose to have the new 2" water line installed by a directional borer.

The old water line goes through the front lawn of the clubhouse.  The new line travels to the turnaround and 90's directly underneath the Bard's room.  This work was done last Thursday and Friday.  The plumbing will take place today to hook up the new service.

The pit near the flagpole is where the near water line begins and due to the age of the components we will be having a plumber install new valves and piping.  The walls of the pit will also be replaced.  As you can see they are in disrepair.

A busy Wednesday.

With the closing of the club for the day, many projects were accomplished.  The morning started off with the chip and seal around the Hamlet.  The process involved the filling of any low areas with crushed asphalt, then an application of tar.  Pea stone was then applied for the finished product.  The pea stone looks identical to the material currently being used on the course, so it creates a nice transition.               

A month or so ago the Hamlet staff entered the pro shop and were hit with a terrible smell.  To their horror they found sewage water throughout the bathrooms and porch of the building.  The sewage lift station had shut down causing all of the water to back up into the building.  One of the pumps has gone bad and after more investigation it was found out that pumps were too old to repair/rebuild, so while the chip and seal process was going on new sewage pumps were installed in the lift station. 

The third and final project of the day was the pouring of concrete for our sand/mulch bins.  As you may know in the past we have had our topdressing sand deliveries dumped in the parking lot.  With topdressing of the fairways our sand use has increased to a point where it has become necessary to have an additional storage space for the sand.  The new sand bins will accommodate 2 -3 semi loads of sand and will help us from keeping the sand out of the parking lot. 

Sometimes things happen...

One little mistake and there you go into the pond!  Even though the crew at the club are skilled at their craft, mistakes do happen.  Max was eventually pulled out and the pond bank will be repaired. 

Spring is Here?

Spring is officially here, at least the calendar thinks so.  Yesterday we had 2" of fresh snow on the ground and this morning it was 15 degrees.  With the cold temps over the last few weeks the ground was hard enough for the crew and I to grind the stumps that were created from the winter tree removal.  Typically, we accomplish this task after the snow melts and the ground has dried.  So, a bit of a silver lining.

Normally, we are mowing at this time of the year.  But, this year it looks as though it will be a couple of weeks yet.  The 10 day weather forecast shows signs of warming but temps in the 40's with a couple of low 50's mixed in.  

A New Viewpoint from 86ft in the Air

This past week I needed to rent a 86 foot tall mobile lift to remove a couple of dead trees near the buildings and to also trim the top of a large oak near 9t that had a large hanging branch in the top.  As I was driving the machine back to the shop I decided to take a picture.  Quite a view.....