Course Update 4/11/19

The main focus this week was the Lakes course green surround re-sodding project that addressed the areas affected by Gray Leaf Spot last fall.  As mentioned in previous posts, the damaged Ryegrass turf is being replaced with Kentucky Bluegrass that is more resistant to the Gray Leaf Spot fungus.  The company doing the work is East Coast Sod & Seed out of Pilesgrove, New Jersey.  They are the same group that was here in 2017 assisting us with the fairway re-grassing and tee renovations.  When the project is complete, 57,600 square feet of sod will be installed at a cost of $53,400.

The sod crew normally works a 12 hour day, so that means the maintenance staff is working at least that long.  Anything of importance (irrigation heads, valves, drains, etc.) have to be located and marked by one of my staff, then the work area is painted and reviewed with their foreman.  Measurements are also taken to ensure we're not removing more turf than is being delivered.  The sod crew will then start cutting inside the painted boundary lines, pick up and discard the old turf using our utility vehicles and a tractor with a dump trailer.  The entire area is then raked to clean up all the small debris and a starter fertilizer is applied to provide the sod with essential nutrients once the roots begin to grow.  Once the new sod is installed it is then our responsibility to keep it alive.  The past several days have been warm and breezy with very low humidity, which equates to numerous man-hours watering the sod to keep it from drying out and dying.  Kentucky Bluegrass sod will normally start producing new roots in 3-5 days after being installed if enough water is provided, and should have a significant root mass after 10 days.

Please note that the newly sodded areas will be mandatory Ground Under Repair until they have matured enough to handle foot and mower traffic.

#2 green - The collar and rough have been removed along the rock wall and the maintenance staff is removing the crowned area that developed after the wall repairs in 2017.

#2 green - A sand/soil blend was used to level the collar and rough area and provide a better growing medium for the new turf.  The white flags mark the edge of where the collar and rough meet.

#3 green - The crew from East Coast Sod & Seed is installing new Kentucky Bluegrass sod around the green and bunker.  Two truckloads of new sod are staged behind the green on the cart path.

#4 green - Cutting and removing the old turf around the green and bunkers .

#5 green - Maintenance staff watering the recently installed sod.

#6 green - Ready to start installing new sod.

#7 green - New sod installed around the green and bunker.

#8 green - New sod installed around the green and bunkers.  We had enough new sod to remove the turf below the bunkers that was contaminated from sand washing out during heavy rains.