Trench lines before they were filled and compacted
Tamping and filling of trench lines
The completed product as final clean-up was taking place.
The completed product on 1 green following .66" of rain in less than an hour.
The front right of 17 green following the same rain event. It's quite obvious this green will be a good candidate for the XGD internal drainage.
Nick Folk has been extremely busy the past two weeks repairing and sodding a few of our weaker bunker faces. The photo above shows the repair of the left greenside bunker on #10. The edge had deteriorated to the point where it needed repair. At some point the entire face may need to be rebuilt as you can see the 8-10" of sand that has built up over the past 10 years. Thankfully the quality of the turf on the face is in extremely good condition and is really not an issue to be concerned about at this time. Greenside bunkers on 5 and 7 were also repaired.
The approach bunker on the left side of 7 was re-sodded and we were also able to do a little reshaping of one of the back slopes which now allows the player a little more room to swing their club if their ball is in the right corner.
The new bunker on the inside of the dogleg on 7 was a concern for the members that they could not see any sand from the tee. On the recommendation from our Architect Ron Prichard, Nick raised the face of the bunker so more of a flash of sand will be visible from the tee. This "little" project took over a day to complete as it was a real fineness job to make sure the sod matched the existing bunker and to make sure it looks as if it was part of the original construction. Nick did a great job making sure it all turned out right.
Perennial gardens have been planted at the new tennis facility as well as at the driving range and 10th tee house. Horticulturalist, Ryan Hogan, along with some of our seasonal staff did a great job with the installation. I'm sure everyone will enjoy the new looks these gardens will provide.
Its been 10 years since the restoration and during this time some of the tee surfaces have sloughed off leaving us with an uneven teeing surface. We continually look for these areas. Rick Krause has leveled many over the years as the soil settles. This year is no different. These two photos are of the back of the white/blue tee on 5.
The red/green tee has also sloughed off on the east side. This is the second time re-leveling of this tee has been performed.
Following a recommendation from the Grounds Committee to expand the size of the Ball Drop at #6 we have since tripled the overall size of the area to aid with improving the overall condition. We will be using tee markers to dictate the area of the Ball Drop that will be used that day. Thanks to my former Assistant and current Superintendent at Olympic Hills CC, Jake Schmitz, for providing us with the sod for 5 tee and the Ball Drop here on 6. He has plans to renovate his nursery and was giving the sod away.
The front right of 17 green has healed very nicely. We still have the height of cut a little bit higher in this area and will slowly begin to lower it over the next few weeks. Hopefully by some time next week we will remove the ropes and open this area for play. Thank you to the membership for showing extreme patience as we bring the condition of this area of the green back to proper health and condition.
17 following the removal of covers in March. You've come a long way Baby!
