Trap Renovations and Blue Flags

Welcome back!
The spring is shaping up and we're beginning to see the irreversible signs that the golf course is out of dormancy.  So far the entire golf course has been cut at least once and the greens three times.  As of the opening day all of the sundry equipment is out on the course and we are working to complete the course set up by May the first (our official opening day).  When you get your first game in this year, you might notice some changes for the 2012 season.  Here's what we've been working on.
As mentioned in earlier posts the bunkers took a brutal beating over the winter and required extensive repair to be returned to shape. Many of the traps were so badly damaged that the bottom liners had to be replaced completely. We also took the opportunity to try and return the some of the edges (sizes) of the traps to their original shapes. The following pictures are the steps undertaken to repair 15 green side bunkers.  

The trap on the front right hand side of 15 green.  This is how the winter left the trap.

 

We began by digging back to the into the sod to find the edge of the original trap.  Although the traps are edged each year the turf invades the bunker and grows over the sand, particularly on the low sides of the traps where the rain washes the sand down. The white line is the original shape of the trap.

A close up of the profile.  Note the hard soil bottom of the original trap and the sand on the sides.

We removed all the sod and dug out out the contaminated sand.  Because this trap washes out on a fairly regular basis we decided to cover the steep face with a liner.  All of the sand is scraped down and removed.

The liner is cut to shape and stapled in place. Here are Kyle and Tony working on the liner. The liner is a coarse weaved material that is similar to a scrubber you might use on your dishes at home. The porous material fills with sand which helps to hold it in place.

Sand is added to the trap.  The sand at this point is quite "fluffy" and will eventually settle to harder surface.

15 green was the last of the green side traps to be finished.  In total their were 8 green side traps that required the liner installation process. The rest of the green side traps required sand additions and wash out repairs.  The operation is tedious as most of the work has to be accomplished by hand and we appreciate the efforts that the staff put forward to complete it in such a timely manner.  During the next week we will turn our attention to the fairway traps, hoping to have all of the bunkers completed for the first of May.

Another thing you might note on the golf course are little blue flags in the rough.  The flags denote some areas where we would like to return the turf to a natural state. The blue flags represent the perimeter of the areas.  While we will continue to spray the for weeds in these areas, they will not be mowed, fertilized or watered.  We are considering this for a few reasons. In keeping with the "green" mentality in the golf course industry we are attempting to reduce our footprint on the environment by limiting the maintenance of unnecessary areas.  None of the areas we are considering are directly in play and are mostly represented by the sides of tees and wide rough areas.

Some of the areas are also designated for safety reasons, as the long grass areas are between tees and fairways where they will slow a low errant shot.  By reducing the amount of rough we will be able to recover from storm days where we're unable to mow. Less grass to cut, the more quickly we can cut it.  From an aesthetic stand point the lengthy grass will also help with hole definition and provide a visual contrast against the close mowed turf.  The location and shapes of these areas are not set in stone, if you have any suggestions or comment feel free to contact Hugh or myself with your thoughts. 

See you on the course!