Golf Course Opening 2023

 I would like to welcome everyone back to Oakfield for another season. We are very excited for what is in store this year. Previous blog posts have discussed some of the work that has been done on the course, as well as the way the turf overwintered. After the driest spring I can ever remember, we have started May with cooler, wetter conditions. With that said, we may be in a familiar spring situation where cart traffic may have restrictions. Furthermore, with the amount of sod that has been laid on the course it will be of the upmost importance to be mindful where carts are travelling to avoid unnecessary damage.

A summary of the work that has been done this offseason and how it will affect daily play for the opening of the golf course:

Hole 1: The greenside bunker has been rebuilt. The sod was installed the last week of April and will knit in over the next couple of weeks. Once it has done so we will take the next steps toward filling the base with bunker sand and completing the work. The area will be marked 'Ground Under Repair' and roped off. Please remove any balls in the area and take a drop outside the ropes.

Hole 1

Hole 2:  Identical to hole one in terms of scope and progress. The greenside bunkers have been turned into one new bunker. Same timeline and local rule in place. Please do not hit shots in the sodded area

Hole 2

Hole 4: A lot of work has been done here! Left of the fairway has been fenced off and will be out of play. Please retrieve your ball and take a drop outside of the work area. A new greenside bunker has been constructed on the right side. Same rules apply as 1 and 2 and is on the same timeline in terms of waiting for the sod to root in and then getting sand into the bunker. The hole is going to play as cart path only for a period of time

Hole 4

Greenside bunker on 4

Holes 7 and 8: All fairway bunkers have been filled in and sodded. The areas will be roped off and out of play for a couple weeks. Please retrieve any balls in the area and take a drop outside of the ropes

Hole 8

Hole 7

                                                 

Hole 12: The greenside bunker has been removed and sodded last week. The area will be roped off while it roots in. Please collect your ball and take a drop outside of the roped off area. The fairway bunkers on the right side have been filled in and a new set of bunkers have been constructed on the left side. These areas will be roped off and out of play. The right side was mostly sodded the last week of April. The new bunkers have yet to be sodded as of Tuesday. If the sodding has not been completed by opening, we will look to move the tees up ahead of the construction site and the hole will play as a par 3 until the contractor has completed their work.

12 Greenside

View from the location of the old fairway markers

View of the new bunker site on 12 fairway

                   

12 Fairway just after the crew finished laying sod

Hole 18: The set of fairway bunkers have been removed and a single new fairway bunker is being constructed. There is still shaping, drainage installation, irrigation installation, and sodding to take place. The likelihood is that we will open playing the hole as a par 3 and will remain as such until, like 12, the contractor has finished their work. Weather conditions will play a role in how fast the work is done as the rain earlier this week slowed progress somewhat. We will provide frequent updates as progress is made. We hope to have the golf course playing as a par 72 as quick as possible.

 

Driving Range: The range work will continue following the completion of 18. The rootzone material needs to be spread out and graded, new irrigation has to be installed, the surrounding area of the tee needs to be shaped and graded, and then sod needs to be installed. We anticipate that this will take a couple of weeks to occur. A large amount of topsoil for this project was sourced from the right side of the range. This disturbed area will be cleaned up and eventually seeded and hydro-mulched. Once the tee is sodded, we will be patient in nurturing the turf as it establishes before opening it for play. We will also have new artificial mats installed to improve the practice

We thank you for your patience and are excited for the changes to your course. As always, please rake your bunkers, fix your ballmarks, and fill your divots!