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.