May 17th Renovation Update

Things are moving along very nicely with phase one of the renovation. All shaping and sodding on course was completed last week. Areas have been roped off and the crew has been diligently watering the sod to ensure it is rooting down and staying healthy.

New Greenside Bunkers

The sod in the new greenside bunkers on 1,2, and 4 have been rooting down for 2-3 weeks now and are looking good. We will give them another couple of weeks before we prepare the area for bunker sand installation. We will be installing drainage in these bunkers before the sand goes down. The last step of the process will be cutting a lip into the face of the trap to give it that finished look. We will wait some time as we want as much rooting of the sod to take place as possible as to avoid erosion and subsequent caving in of the sod on the bunker face. This portion of the work will have a similar timeline to what the bunkers on 5 and 10 had.

Removed bunkers on 7/8

These areas have been completed and the sod has rooted to the point of being able to remove the stakes and rope and allow for foot traffic and shots to be played. There are still some sod seams visible. They will shrink and eventually disappear as the sod matures

Hole 4

We are very happy with the progress of the largest change during this renovation. Around an acre of area has been stripped, reshaped, had a bunker removed, and a targeted tree removal process to give the area the look that we see now. The dormant sod that was installed a month ago has rooted well and new and healthy shoots are filling in quite quickly. The irrigation expansion work has made a big difference in keeping the sod hydrated and will pay dividends during hot and dry portions of the summer. We keep the area fenced off and out of play and patiently wait for the turf to fully root in and mature. We will begin mowing the area soon. As we slowly prepare for the fairway expansion and have the area maintained at a lower height of cut. We will be doing some overseeding, aerating, and topdressing, among other cultural practices that will be needed when bringing the height of cut below an inch.

Hole 12

The construction of the new fairway bunkers and the filling in of all the old bunkers has been completed and the sod is being watered regularly. The steepness of the sloping around the new bunker complex may keep the area roped off longer than some others, but will follow the same timeline in terms of when sand is able to be installed, therefore completing the project fully. With 12 being sodded at the beginning of May, we would expect the area to be roped off for at least another week and start looking at putting sand down in early June. As is always the case, weather will play a role in how quickly the job gets done.

Hole 18

The last portion of phase one (on course) that was shaped and sodded. All four bunkers were removed and the area was re-shaped with a single fairway bunker bordering the fairway. Similar to 4, an expansion to the irrigation system

Driving Range

After completing 18, Turf Masters turned their attention back to where they started, the Driving Range. The stock piles of top soil and rootzone mix were distributed. A new irrigation setup was installed and then the crew began laying down the sod. 

 

The new artificial mats arrived this week and our crew installed them on Tuesday. Still a little finish work around the pavers and where the pavers meet the turf between the new tee being built but we are looking forward to having a premium product to be used for practice and warming up. With the time it takes for the sod to knit in and be ready for the beating that a natural grass practice tee takes this new mat system will be the sole surface played from for the time being.

We are extremely happy with the progress that has been made. With all the work that was done to have only the 18^th hole turned into a par 3 for less than a week is a testament to the good fortune the weather gave with dry conditions that provided minimal delays. The work that the contractor has done has been very good and the extra work put in by the maintenance staff has allowed for the inevitable logistical hurdles that come with this type of work to be relatively minimal and painless.

Conditions have been exceptionally dry for this time of year. We have had to put out more water this May than I can remember in my time in the business. Temperatures have not been too high so have been able to push things a bit and provide firm and fast conditions without too much (though there is always some!) concern about turf decline. We will be commencing with our fertility programs in the tees, fairways, and rough in the next couple of weeks. My next post will focus on how we are preparing the golf course for the summer.