2019 Drainage Project Update 8/24/19

The drainage contractor recently started working near Orchard #1 green to address the swamp that formed on both sides of the cart path as a result of last year's record setting rainfall.  In situations like this, it's easier to use the excavator and dig up the low areas where we think drainage pipe should be.  Most of the time if we find pipe it's either crushed, clogged, or both and needs to be replaced.  Such was the case here on #1.  The contractor began digging in the low areas to locate the pipe then removed the dirt and muck above it.  A couple lateral pipes were also found that connected to the main pipe and were reconnected to the new pipe.  After the trench was dug and we figured out what pipes came from where, a fresh layer of gravel was placed in the bottom of the trench and new 4" perforated drain pipe was installed.  A 12" diameter basin was also installed that allowed us to connect two inlet pipes to our new outlet pipe, and the large basin acts like a cleanout port to easily stick a hose into any of the three pipes to flush out debris should a blockage occur.  Once all the pipes were installed and connected, more clean gravel was used to backfill the trench.  Once the areas dry out the contractor will strip all the damaged sod and clean up the remaining debris.  Drainage sand will then be used to cover the gravel and obtain the final grade, followed by installing new rough sod.

The contractor is starting to dig test holes to locate old drainage.

The old drainage pipe is removed while the trench is being dug.  All the water in the trench is groundwater that would eventually make its way to the surface without adequate drainage.

This is where the old pipe makes a 90 degree turn and discharged into a collection pool in the rough.

Here's a couple of the old pipes that are now connected to the 12" basin and flowing freely.

Here's what the area currently looks like and has dried out considerably.

Course Update 8/15/19

Fairway aerification took place this week after postponing last week due to weather delays.  The same contractor was used during previous aerifications and all 27 holes were completed over four days (the fourth day was required due to rain on Tuesday).  Because we only closed 9 holes per day the contractor didn't need as much equipment, but still used three tractors, two large aerifiers, and one recycling machine with a total value of $180,000.  They charge us $270 per acre to core aerify and recycle the plugs which comes out to $10,800 for our 40 acres of fairway.  The aerifiers were setup with 48 hollow tines that removed a 3/4" diameter core 4" deep, which created 24 holes per square foot.  That equates to 41,817,600 holes across all the fairways.  That may seem like a lot of holes, but it only affected 5% of the total surface area.  The next step in the process is topdressing all the fairways, which will begin after the Men's Member/Member tournament.

Aerification is an important and necessary practice in providing great playing conditions.  CLICK HERE to learn more about the process and why we do it.

The contractor uses two large aerifiers that each have a 98" working width for maximum productivity.

Once the plugs (cores) dry out enough they are broken up with two heavy steel drag mats that go over every fairway several times.  The goal is to separate the soil from the organic matter (thatch) so the soil can be worked back into the holes.

Once the fairways are dragged the contractor uses a recycling machine hooked to another tractor to pulverize the soil and thatch into finer pieces.

The debris on the surface of this fairway is thatch that was left after the recycling process.  Thatch is found in every turfgrass area and some thatch is needed to insulate and protect the plant.  Too much thatch is a problem and causes playing surfaces to be soft and spongy, and holds water which leads to more disease.

The final step in the process is for the maintenance staff to blow the thatch and any remaining debris off the fairways and then clean off irrigation heads, yardage markers and drains.  Here all five blowers are working together on Orchard #8 to clean off the lower fairway yesterday afternoon.

Course Update 8/8/19

Aerification season is underway and all 29 greens were DryJected this week.  This year we moved aerification of greens and fairways to the week after Men's Invitational to take advantage of "summertime weather" for faster healing and recovery, a full complement of staff to complete aerification while keeping the other courses open for play, and we are trying to avoid likely weather delays in October that occurred the last two years.  Another advantage to aerifying now is that once the playing surfaces heal, golfers won't experience any disruption for the remainder of the summer and well into fall.  More clubs in our area are moving their aerification practices to early August for the same reasons.

You may be wondering why we don't DryJect more often and stop pulling cores.  The answer is that DryJect is just another "tool" we use to help manage the organic matter (thatch) in the greens.  The process injects sand to dilute the thatch, but does not actually remove anything like traditional core aerification does.  We've found that DryJecting heals considerably faster compared to core aerification and is the best process for this time of year, while still accomplishing our goal of diluting the thatch.  Later this fall we plan to pull cores to physically remove the thatch and topdress to fill the holes.  The healing process in late fall is relatively slow, but open holes during the winter helps water drain from the putting surface, limiting the amount of ice buildup and potential for winter injury.

Click Here To Learn More About DryJect And How It Works

As mentioned above, core aerification of fairways was also scheduled this week, but was postponed due to a threat of thunderstorms for several days.  The process has been rescheduled for Monday, 8/12 thru Wednesday, 8/14, with 9 holes closed each day.

DryJecting the practice green.  The staff uses the yellow buckets to scoop dry sand from our large utility vehicles then dumps it into the hopper on the DryJect machine.  The machine connects to our irrigation system through a 1" diameter hose to receive 120 psi necessary for the injection process.

Here is the DryJect machine in action.  A little sand remains on the putting surface around each injection hole but 90% is in the rootzone where it is most beneficial.

We drag the greens once they dry out to work any remaining sand into the turf which further dilutes the thatch.  After dragging, the greens are rolled to smooth out any tire tracks which also helps firm up the putting surface.

This is Grove #8 green taken Saturday morning.   This green was DryJected Tuesday and has been rolled two days and mowed two days since completing the process.  Most of the holes will be fully healed in the next few days given our current weather.

This was taken while changing cups a day after DryJecting and illustrates the results of the process.  The light colored column of sand towards the top of the picture is a recent DryJect hole.  It penetrates through the dark colored organic matter and into the original greens mix approximately 4.5" deep.  During the injection process the high pressure water will penetrate down as well as sideways depending on the density of the of the rootzone.