First True Test of our new Bunkers

As you are aware yesterday I posted on the progress of the bunker renovation. Yesterday we started to receive some accumulation of rain with the bulk of it coming last night, about 2.25 inches that we have totaled so far. And here is why we are doing this project.

Front Bunker on #12, note the high sand line that stayed
in place after 2.25 inches of rain.

#12 back bunker, same fate with just a few animal prints.

Bunker Sand Installation

On Monday a separate crew was called in to install the bunker sand to the bunkers that have been sprayed with the polymer liner. It was quite cold yesterday so we had them start near a bunker that was near the path. If all goes well we should have all of #12 completed today.

#13 right side bunker

#13 different view

#12 front bunker before

#12 front bunker after

#12 bunker behind the green

November 22 Update

With the completion of the shaping and gravel install on #14, the pace will start to pick up. Hole 16 is almost complete and they have started to core out the bunkers on #17.  A notable event happened today, the spraying of our first bunkers with the Better Billy Bunker polymer. We were only able to spray two of them today because of the early showers and the sun not making it out today. What is very interesting is how the gravel conditions should be before you can apply the polymer. The gravel must be completely dry for the polymer to bind to the rock. Once this has happened the polymer actually cures faster when it absorbs moisture either from the air or if it were to rain. The main thing is to start out dry for proper adhesion. We will continue tomorrow and into Sunday if necessary. Our sand has arrived and awaiting for the installation on Monday starting on hole #12. The tree screening process on #5 has also taken place. We have two planted and there will be a total of six when we are finished.  

Polymer being applied

16 green side 

16 green side

#16 Left approach bunker coming to life

The home on #5 we are about to screen

1 of 6 trees

Our bunker sand arriving

November 19th Course Update

By know you may have started to taker notice on how some of the bunkers are going to look. We are hitting our stride and have everything dialed in. With just a few new knobs and reclaiming bunker lines the most notable is just taking the sand lines higher. There are a couple of reasons for this, the first is the aesthetic value. By having high lines you will be able to see the bunkers from a distance and they will be visually appealing. The second which is my favorite, and this may sound back words but its true! By having the sand higher on the faces and using the Better Billy Bunker materials and methods we are actually reducing the chances for the sand to wash out. If you can picture a grass ramp that we used to have you can see how much water can accumulate on the hill and roll into the bunker with great force taking the sand with it. Even though we have added more sand we have actually added more drainage and have decreased the "grass ramp".   Sounds weird but is very true. When we reduce the run off we effectively reduce the wash outs, hence the high sand lines.

Other notable projects that is taking place and moving nicely is our what ever is in the ground period leveling project. This ranges from heads, quick couplers for hand watering, valve boxes for irrigation valves, drain basins, sunken irrigation lines etc. We started on #10 and we are currently on #12, because the back nine is closed this is a perfect opportunity to get some important work done with out having to worry about players coming through. You also may have noticed the tree planting that is taking place in the parking lot. We have a company that is installing 8 inch caliper trees with a 100 inch tree spade. As you drive in please take notice!

14  last fairway bunker coming together.

14 green side bunker

#12 fairway, raising sunken line.

Parking lot tree plantings, 4th going in down the way and
7 more to go.

Course Update

We have had an exceptional week with the weather, though it has been in the high 20's the past couple of nights this has not slowed down the bunker project. The construction crew is very diligent in finding things to do when there is frost on the ground. With #14 fairway bunkers half way complete before we know it we will be on to #16. The bunkers on 14 are about 13,000 ft2 and this equates to about 1/10 of the total bunker square footage, so this hole can take a little longer.  

Our tree company has finished the screening on #4 green fence line, they have also completed the front entrance native area. There are still two more areas to complete, the screening on #5 left of the approach and the parking lot trees. Its been very exciting week and we thank you for your patience as we continue to improve the golf course.

13 Tee expansion Ready for Sod

Left Bunker knob #13

#13 behind green bail out

#14 Fairway Bunkers

#14 Fairway Bunker getting a nose job

The spade that will be used for the parking lot trees.

Course Update

Yesterday was a very busy day for all of us on the greens staff.  We had a great meeting with the Steve from Rees Jones on the progress of the bunkers as well as our next move going forward. The new bail out behind #13 has been approved and we will be laying sod this Friday if the weather cooperates. The area on #13 Tee that we were stock piling first is being turned into a Tee expansion. Two reasons for this, the first is this Tee is to small to handle the rounds that we do and second this was a great place for the soil to go. The soil is coming out of the bottom of the bunkers to make way for the Better Billy Bunker drainage system.  We will do a few more additions through out the golf course. 

The tree spade is almost half way complete in the front entrance native area and our landscape company has already started to plant the screening material to the left of #4 green. 

Left #4 Prep

The polymer for the bunkers also arrived.

Bunker Renovation Update

The construction crew has been at a steady pace and we are already on #14 fairway removing the sand. What we have been doing is taking that sand and top dressing our fairways, we typically top dress the fairways in the winter so this is no different. The great thing about it is its right there on the hole and our travel time is nothing compared to bringing the sand out from the shop. Because we have a lot of material to use we are going extremely heavy on the fairways, the grass is going to love it for next year!

Another project that has started is our first phase of tree plantings. In the parking lot and on holes #4 and #5. The parking lot area is receiving 20 trees, there will be various species in the native area to fill in gaps, 11 Zelkovas are being planted in the swell across from the existing Zelkovas on the drive way. The ideas behind this area is to screen the parking lot as you drive in and to improve the swells look. The other tree will be planted near the walk way at the intersection, this tree is special because it is our logo tree and it will be positioned for every one to take notice. As far as the course, the rest of the trees will go to the left of #4 green to screen out the homes and to the left of #5 also screening the homes. 

#12 back left bunker, 

#14 first fairway bunker getting cored out.

#14 Second Fairway Bunker scraping out the sand

Loading the sand into the top dresser for the fairways

Top dressed fairway, nice and heavy.

Aerifying the fairways to incorporate the sand more
efficiently.

First area to be planted for new trees, 8 total.

The greens staff is removing the existing heads in the
swell, we do not use these heads and when the trees get larger
irrigating would not be needed. So in between each tree on the
left will go a new Zelkova on the opposite side(right). This will
be a very nice addition to this area. 

Course Update

We have been making great progress on the bunkers and possibly in a week we will have the gravel sprayed and ready for sand soon after that, weather dependent. The 13th right side bunker has gravel and they are finishing the final prep on the left side bunker. They then are relocating to #12 green complex where the excavating of the sand is taking place. Once 12 and 13 are completed we will be moving to #14 fairway bunkers. These bunkers we anticipate to go very smoothly with minimal shaping that needs to be done.  

13 right side bunker

13 left side bunker, new nose addition

Same bunker that has been moved closer to the green.

#12 front bunker, sand removal.

#12 front bunker getting close to final prep.

This area we are stock piling our soil.

The next long term winter project has started on #10 fairway. We are raising and leving heads that have become low because of the fairway top dressing program that we have implemented.

Safety net so my staff can keep working uninterrupted by
play, this is a long process and every minute we
have is valuable.

This head has been raised and ready for sod.

This is precisely the look we want.