Course Update 12/20/19

Over the past two weeks the staff has been working on a mix of inside and outside tasks dictated by the weather.  Outside activities include leaf cleanup, topdressing, and irrigation repairs.  We also started refurbishing the rain shelters and course restrooms that were showing their age.  Inside work consists of preventative maintenance of our $1 million equipment fleet and refurbishing course amenities such as tee markers, divot boxes, and yardage markers.

Orchard restrooms have been updated with new toilets, sinks, and wall coverings.  Thanks to Doug Glenn, Facilities Manager, for his help with this project.  Grove and Lakes restrooms will receive the same updates this winter.

All the rain shelters on property date back to when the courses opened and needed some TLC.  We're removing the deteriorated benches and walls to create more space similar to the shelter on Grove #3.

Some of the original framing was left to temporarily support the shelter's roof, but will be replaced by a permanent 6"x6" post in the near future.  Additional repairs will also be made to the roof and trim boards.

Tommy and Joey are cleaning and sanding tee markers before they're freshly painted for next season.  We need 232 tee markers for one complete set on all three courses, but need an additional 60-70 markers to replace ones damaged or lost throughout the season.

Course Update 12/4/19

Please be aware that we had to close and winterize the restrooms on each nine to prevent the pipes from freezing.  The walls and ceilings are not insulated and the buildings were not designed to stay open all year.  The restrooms will re-open in the spring once the temperature warms up.

Course Update 11/29/19

It was a short week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but we took advantage of several days of nice weather at the beginning of the week to aerify Grove greens.  We utilized the same process from Lakes and Orchard; topdressing, coring, cleanup and brushing.  The greens are in excellent condition and health going into winter.  Snow mold fungicide applications are one of the final steps in preparing the putting surfaces for stressful winter conditions, and will be completed in the next few weeks.

In addition to aerifying Grove greens, the staff finished topdressing Orchard fairways and spent a considerable amount of time cleaning up leaves.  Fortunately, most of the leaves are down, but there are still certain areas of the property that will require several more days of cleanup.

Course Update 11/21/19

Orchard greens and both practice greens were topdressed and core aerified this week.  We experimented with topdressing first to help work the sand down into the turf canopy during the aerification process and the layer of sand also made cleanup easier allowing the plugs to slide across the putting surface with less friction.  Core aerification occurred later this year since the greens were DryJected in August.  This new schedule provided great playing conditions all fall, while still achieving our goals of removing/diluting organic matter and creating firmer putting surfaces.

Topdressing the greens first with kiln-dried sand.  The dry sand settles into the turf and leaves very little on the surface.

Core aerifying the greens using .25" diameter tines on a 1.5" x 2.0" spacing.  This setup creates 48 holes per square foot.

Here is the end result after the plugs are cleaned up and the putting surface is brushed once.  More topdressing sand will be applied after we spray the greens with a winter fungicide.

Course Update 11/14/19

Due to the cold and snowy weather this week we decided to winterize the irrigation systems.  Every fall all the water has to be removed from the irrigation systems to prevent ice from forming and damaging critical components.  As water freezes it expands and ice is much stronger than plastic pipe.  I've even seen ice cause steel pipe to split open.  The first step in the process is to shut down the three pump stations, open all the drain valves, and let gravity remove most of the water.  Once the water has drained out a large air compressor is connected to the irrigation systems and air is forced through the lines at a high volume, but low pressure.  Too much air pressure can damage pipe and irrigation heads the same way high water pressure does.  The staff will then split up into several teams and go to every satellite control box to systematically turn on approximately 1,300 irrigation heads to blow out any remaining water.  After all the heads are blown out we will go back to the areas that tend to hold water and run through those heads for a second time.  It usually takes 4 full days to winterize both irrigation systems.

In addition to the two irrigation systems on the golf courses, the maintenance staff is responsible for winterizing the restroom facility on each nine, along with miscellaneous landscape irrigation and a water line in the driving range building.

We rent a 900 cfm air compressor that connects to the irrigation systems through a 2" hose with special fittings.  We have to install a pressure regulator on the compressor's discharge line to lower the operating pressure from 150 psi down to 50 psi to prevent damaging the pvc pipe.

Water is pushed out of the irrigation lines by the compressed air and we run the irrigation heads until only mist is coming out.  The irrigation heads are manually turned on from the control satellites throughout each course.

Course Update 11/6/19

We recorded 6.94" of rain over 12 days in October, which is 4.27" above our average for the month.  Year to date we've received 47.24" of rain versus our average of 32.6", or 14.74" above normal.  Heavy rains this time of year have a greater effect on course conditions and areas tend to stay wet longer.  This happens because of shorter days and less sunlight that doesn't evaporate the excess moisture as quickly as it does during the summer.  There's also reduced turf growth that doesn't require as much water so the plants aren't using the soil moisture as quickly.  It's not uncommon to lose .20" or more of moisture during a hot, windy day in the summer to evaporation and plant uptake.

Lakes #4 Rough Project Update 10/17/19

The area to the right of the cart path on Lakes #4 was recently hydroseeded, along with a few other areas, also on the Lakes course.  The hydroseed consisted of Kentucky Bluegrass and Fine Fescue grass seeds, a starter fertilizer, and hydromulch.  The hydromulch makes up the largest portion of the spray mix and is mostly paper fibers.  The grass seed attaches to the mulch during the application process, and the mulch holds water that the seed needs to germinate faster.  If applied properly, the mulch will also stick to the ground and minimize washouts during rain events.  We've had a couple heavy rains and the areas have not washed out thanks to the proper application by the contractor.  The next few days are supposed to be sunny and a little warmer, so we should see new seedlings in that time.  We won't mow the new grass until it has mostly filled in and had time to mature.

Lakes #1 tee where the gazebo used to sit is prepped and ready for hydroseed.

Hydroseeding along the road at Lakes #4 tee where we stockpiled topsoil during the project.

The contractor started hydroseeding down near the rain shelter on Lakes #4 and worked his way back up towards the tees.

Right of the cart path on Lakes #4 after hydroseeding was completed.  The bluish material is the hydromulch and makes it easy for the contractor to determine if enough mixture has been applied.

Hydroseeding above Lakes #7 green where a large Oak tree was removed.

2019 Drainage Project Update 10/3/19

The contractor has been working on Grove #6 this week in the left rough before the pond.  There has been standing water in this area for the past several years even during times of drought, but there isn't any irrigation that far down in the rough.  Once the contractor dug several inspection holes we quickly realized that the cause of the problem was a clogged pipe.  Over the years gravel, dirt, and other debris found its way into the 6" pipe and eventually plugged it up.  Once we determined the problem our only option was to dig up the existing pipe and replace it with new pipe and fresh gravel from the edge of the fairway all the way to the pond.

The contractor first started digging in the wet spot on Grove #6 to locate any existing drain lines.  A six inch diameter drain line was found, but wasn't flowing water.

After removing a section of the 6" line we realized it was clogged with mud and debris.  Cleaning it out wasn't possible so our only option was to replace it.

Here's the trench that starts at the pond and extends up to the edge of the fairway.  The pieces of pipe you see laying next to the trench are the old 6" pipe that was clogged.

Near the edge of the fairway we discovered a 4" pipe laying on top of the 6" pipe.  The 4" pipe comes from further up the fairway and had a constant flow of water.

Once the trench was excavated and the old pipe was removed, the contractor installed new 6" drainage pipe and fresh gravel to keep the area dry.

Another pipe was found during excavation which connected to the original 6" pipe closer to the pond.  The contactor replaced the damaged section of pipe and connected it to the new 6" pipe.

A 12" diameter basin was installed near the edge of the fairway to connect the 4" and 6" pipes to.  The incoming water will then be carried away by the new 6" discharge pipe.  The basin also allows for visual inspection that the pipes are flowing water and has enough room for us to get a hose into should a pipe become clogged.

2019 Drainage Project Update 9/19/19

The drainage contractor resumed work on Orchard #1 this week, both near the green and at the beginning of the fairway.  Work near the green consisted of extending an existing 30" diameter pipe to better handle the amount of water that drains from the driving range and surrounding area.  It also allowed us to more securely connect the new 4" pipe that drains the areas surrounding the cart path that used to stay flooded.  Work adjacent to the beginning of the fairway will catch and slow down the excess water that runs down the hill from the driving range tee and onto the fairway.  The contractor anticipates completing these areas this week, then will start on Grove #6 in the left rough before the pond.

A gravel sump was installed on Orchard #1 near the beginning of the fairway along the right side of the cart path.  Its purpose is to collect water that runs down the hill from the driving range tees and prevent it from soaking the fairway.  New drainage pipe was also installed at the bottom of the sump.

The contractor extended an existing drain line on Orchard #1 to connect to the gravel sump.

This 30" drain line to the right of Orchard #1 green was missing a 20' section and had considerable erosion around the inlet of the discharge pipe.

Here the contractor is lining up the new section of 30" pipe.  Even though it's a type of plastic, pipe this big is very heavy and requires a machine to move it around.

Course Update 9/12/19

Strong storms rolled thru yesterday afternoon but only dropped .10" of rain.  That was only our second rain event this month, with the first one occurring on 9/1 resulting in 2.54".  Based on current weather patterns September looks to be warmer and drier than normal, which is a complete opposite of last year when we received over 11" of rain in September thanks to two hurricanes.  This past August was also surprisingly dry having only received 1.94" compared to the monthly average of 3.23".  However, year to date thru the end of August we've received 36.4" of rain compared to our average of 26.7" (+9.75") and 94 days out of 243 have seen measurable rain events.

This is the time of year when we start to see turf damage from skunks and raccoons foraging for white grubs.  We preventatively apply an insecticide every spring to keep the insects from maturing where they cause the most damage, but similar to last year we are seeing damage in the rough and on a couple tees.  The lack of control is most likely due to the wet spring and excessive rainfall that caused the product to move from the treatment area, limiting its effectiveness.  To prevent further damage to the turf we've sprayed an insecticide that will kill the white grubs upon contact in the soil.  For it to work properly the insecticide has to be watered in so it moves into the rootzone where the grubs are feeding, and yesterday's rain occurred at the perfect time to do just that.  It will take several days for the grubs to die and we will begin repairing the damaged turf with soil and seed, or sand and seed on the tees.

Damage on Grove #4 gold tee from skunks and raccoons foraging for white grubs.

Typical grub damage in the rough.

Turf damaged by white grubs easily pulls up revealing the insect.