Tee Squaring/Fescue: North and West

TEES: Brian Huntley, our Golf Course Architect, was recently on property and he worked on marking out where the North and West tees will be squared off.  Red lines have been marked on tee surfaces indicating the "new" square tee top. 4 West and 4 North have not been marked at this time as Brian is still deciding how the tees will be set up for these holes.

This week our staff will begin removing some of the old surrounding areas around the square tee tops that have been marked and we will begin the topsoil and seed process again as we did on the South.  Check back often for updates on the progress of our project.

FESCUE: Members and guests will notice red and white lines in the rough with an occasional irrigation flag on the North and West courses and may wonder why they're there.  These areas are future fescue areas that will be seeded this fall to tie into the same look that will be on the South course.

1 NORTH MEN'S TEE: PVC pipe outlines are used to get a good look before the square tee plan is finalized

3 WEST MEN'S TEE BEING MEASURED FOR ACCURACY

Recent Irrigation Repairs

Deciding the best plan for fixing the broken tee

Last week we were plagued with two irrigation repairs that took a fair amount of time and money to fix. Having irrigation repairs to do is very common during the summer months when irrigation is being used frequently, but these two repairs were uncommon.

The first repair came from an 8" main line tee that had a hole wear into it over time and began to leak.  This happened due to how old the system is and the pipes that are getting worn out.  After four days of work and disruption and over $400 in parts, the repair was complete. Normal problems with pipes are generally with smaller piping that is closer to the surface and can get freeze thaw damage with shifting soils. These smaller fixes are much easier to repair in the heat of summer and cause much less disruption to golfers.

The second repair we did this week was due to Mother Nature.  Last Friday night we had storms that produced a fair amount of lightning that came through and we we're not missed. Lightning struck a tree left of #2 fairway on the North course and traveled through a nearby irrigation pipe.  The lightning exited the pipe and shattered it in half.  Water poured out of the pipe all night and flooded #8 North and the surrounding areas.  This fix was much easier to handle since it was smaller pipe, but none the less a lot of work and disruption to play.  Both irrigation repairs are complete and the system is once again in working order.

New tee installed. Ready for the new 2" valve installation

2.5" irrigation pipe broken from lightning strike

Irrigation pipe shattered from the lightning strike

Fescue Update

By now members are beginning to see the previously marked fescue areas on the south course turning a little brown while other parts are still green.  Since we applied a selective herbicide a few weeks ago to kill the grasses we don't want in these areas, only the fine leaf fescues remain which are the green patches you currently see.

So what about the brown dead areas? All of the fescue areas were seeded with Marco Polo and Ecostar fescues and have germinated nicely.  With the recent cool/wet weather, the fescue areas have started to establish well.  In a few years, these areas will look beautiful!

Drainage installation and New Cart Path on 8 South

Drainage installation to the left of 8 South men's tee before new cart path is installed 

Removal of the old cart path leading away from the gold tee on 8 South.