Recovery Update

Putting Green 4/13/14

Over the last week we've observed a significant amount of recovery on many of the damaged greens. Some are still further behind than the putting green in these photos, but recovery is going well.  Although the putting green is looking much healthier, we still have a few weeks of recovery on this green before it can withstand traffic from golfers.  Greens will remain covered for the next few weeks to continue to aid in the recovery process. 

Putting Green 4/21/14

Range Tee Hitting Mats

We officially broke the record for the snowiest winter ever in SE Michigan today with the 3.1" of snow we received overnight.  The new snow hasn't slowed us down though, and today we began excavating the area where we will be installing new TurfHound range mats.  These mats will be used in times of bad weather or outings when the real turf can't, or shouldn't be used to preserve the real turf for member enjoyment. Snow was cleared from the range tee surface today and the staff is currently sod cutting the existing turf off the tee to prepare for soil removal.  Once the soil is removed, a base of stone is laid and graded so a concrete pad can be poured. After the concrete has cured, the mats will be installed. The mat installation is currently scheduled during the middle of May.

To get more information about TurfHound range mats and to see a list of the many great clubs that have them, please visit http://www.turfhound.com/

Staff sod cutting turf in the future TurfHound mat location after removing the snow.

Excavating 10" of soil. 6" base of 21AA crushed stone will be installed followed by 4" of mesh reinforced concrete. This provides the solid base for the new TurfHound hitting mats

Winter Damage and Recovery

As everyone now knows, golf courses took a very hard hit from winter this year and there was widespread turf loss to greens, tees, and fairways.  Many clubs in our area are currently manicuring

2 South on 4/2/14 being topdressed
after already being prepped and seeded.
Permeable cover went on immediately
following this sand application.

temporary greens while the primary greens heal.  I'm happy to report that our greens are currently recovering well and it's due to the hard work of our staff and proper advanced planning.  All of our greens that got hurt from winter damage were prepped, verticut, aerified, seeded, topdressed, rolled, fertilized, watered, and last but not least covered over a week ago.  Today we observed that three of the first greens that were seeded have newly germinated bentgrass growing.

2 South on 4/13/14.
Recovering well!

Covering our greens with permeable tarps help to heat the soil layer beneath to the required temperature to germinate bentgrass, which would otherwise not be possible right now.  As the new grass germinates and starts to grow, the tarps will help keep the soil moist and the plant healthy.  The greens tarps will be removed every day to allow staff to mow the green and occasionally apply fertilizer for growth. The greens will then be re-covered every afternoon to continue to hold in heat and moisture until they are 100% healed.  It is a very labor

Putting Green 4/1/14

intensive process but allows greens to heal much quicker and gets them back in play, healthily, much faster.  Greens that are covered while healing could become playable up to 4 weeks faster than those that are not covered.  Most importantly, while greens have been recently seeded and are healing, keeping traffic off them is a must for quick recovery.

On behalf of the grounds staff, we would like to thank the

Putting Green 4/13/14. Bentgrass
germinated today on the damaged area
that can still be seen and will recover
nicely in the next few weeks.

membership for their patients and understanding while we get the course back in shape after such a hard winter.  The recovery process is going well and we will continue to update members as the weeks progress.

Front Entrance Makeover

Recently we began working on the front entrance as the Board of Directors passed a new plan designed by our Landscape Architect, Dana Mulder.  The plan involves removing the old Austrian Pines and Arborvitae on both side of the entrance and replacing them with new 'Black Hills' Spruce and White Pine.  Accompanying these beautiful trees will be a Lake Superior ledgerock wall 18" high on both sides, matching what was used behind the clubhouse last year, as well as a variety of nice perennial shrubs.  The center island will now be home to Double Knockout' Roses, Blue Ageratum, and a small strip of turfgrass. The back portion of the center island hosts 'Green Gem' Boxwood and 'Blue Mist' Spirea. The work to complete this project will take between 4 and 5 weeks.  We hope you enjoy the new entrance!

New Front Entrance Design

Club entrance prior to removal of Austrian Pines and Arborvitae

 

Removal of Arborvitae

Early Landscape Bed Maintenance

Despite the persistent cold weather, some perennial materials are starting to pop up.  Getting mulch down now is much easier than after plant material has fully emerged. 

Snow and Ice Removal

How's the golf course?

Recently there has been a lot of talk around the subject of how golf courses in our area are handling this extremely hard winter.  The answer is that nobody knows yet for sure.  For the past three days our staff at Walnut Creek has been working extremely hard at removing snow and ice from the greens.  The hard questions that Superintendents face in the winter are "should we remove snow and ice"...and if that answer is yes, then "when?".  Some may ask, "why wouldn't you remove snow and ice all year long?" The answer is that the possibility of mechanical damage from snow/ice removal poses a risk that is sometimes greater than just leaving it alone.  Most winters have freeze and thaw cycles which will remove the snow and ice but this winter has not been that way.  The decision to finally remove the snow/ice from our greens came from the extended forecast showing a warming trend in daytime highs coupled with below freezing temps at night. With the projected forecast, and with as many days as the greens have been under ice cover, snow and ice are now being removed.

Spreading black sand to soak up heat and cut channels through the ice.  Plants will suffocate under extended ice cover.

The goal for removing the heavy snow is to decrease ice cover that lies beneath.  Annual bluegrass, our predominant turf surface, is believed to be able to survive under solid ice for around 45 to 90 days. Southeast Detroit is now hovering around 70 days with this type of ice cover. With the warm daytime highs coming this week and below freezing nights, removing the snow will give the greens a time to melt any ice that was formed on the surface and move off the green while not allowing new ice to accumulate.  This will give the greens a chance to breath which in turn will increase the probability of turf survival.

Snow/ice melting away on 2 North green.

Michigan State University professors recently posted a letter which also describes the current conditions in Southeast Detroit and expectations for spring. Please feel free to read it at the following link: http://www.migcsa.org/uploads/Winterkill-Letter-2014.pdf

Sea Wall Update

The Redi-Rock sea wall is now complete!  Construction of the wall was delayed many times because of weather this winter but we were able to take advantage of a few good days and wrap it all up. When the ground thaws we will finish the details and cleanup that we're unable to tackle now.  Below are photos of the project from start to finish.  When the cleanup and sodding is done this spring we will post a few more pictures.  

Step 1: 12 inches of ice was broken up to be able to reach the pond edge!

Step 2: Line approximately 4 feet of the pond bottom and all of the pond edge with geotextile fabric.  This stabilizes the pond edge from erosion and also prepares it for the crushed stone base.  Metal stakes hold the fabric in place while the crushed stone is added.

Step 3: Adding the crushed stone base.  A laser transit was used to ensure the proper depth of crushed stone was added for a base as it was under water and not visible.

Step 4: Begin setting base blocks

Blocks are chained and lowered into place with an excavator while another crew member makes sure it's perfectly leveled before the next block goes in.

Doing the project in the winter was very important because the ground was frozen and the use of heavy equipment didn't cause any damage. In this photo, the excavator is sitting on the front of 4 North green above 12 inches of packed snow! 

Step 5: Once the blocks are in place, crushed stone is added behind the blocks and compacted for drainage and stability.

Construction of the wall is complete. Detail work (Step 6) remains to be done in the spring with the ground thaws. 

Turning Old Into New!

Granite is a very porous material and stains easily.  Over time, our tee markers have aged and become stained on every side that wasn't seal coated originally.We attempted to clean the granite with many different

Yellowed granite is easily cleaned using a sand blaster

chemical products but nothing worked.  The solution came from sand blasting using a very fine grit sand. Each tee markers can be sand blasted to look like new in under 3 minutes!  After sand blasting, the granite surface is sealed to better withstand weather, use, and natural aging.  For the relatively small investment of $200 to purchase a sand blasting cabinet, all of the tee markers will look brand at the start of the season in 2014 and match beautifully with the new hole markers!

2014 Preparations

It’s no secret to anyone living in Michigan that this winter has been incredibly snowy and cold.  According to USA Today, Detroit has received 48.6 inches of snow to date this year when the normal average for an entire winter here is 42.7 inches.  Hopefully everyone has a great snow blower because we still have two more months of winter left!  I think I can comfortably say that everyone’s ready for some sunshine, warm weather, and golf!

All of our staff remains busy even beyond snow clearing by continuing to trim low hanging tree branches across the property.  The North course is complete and we’re now busy tackling the West course.

BEFORE

AFTER

In the shop, Hector has been very busy servicing all our equipment and preparing for the 2014 season.  Part of preparing for this coming season was eliminating inefficiencies from 2013, by building custom trailers for hauling push mowers, weed whips, and backpack blowers.  The need for this trailer was due to the difficulty of loading and hauling these tools in the bed of our John Deere Gators as well as safety for employees.  Last summer we noticed that a lot of time was lost by loading and unloading these tools from the bed of a cart because they didn’t fit well and the mowers were awkward and heavy to lift.  Hector built the first of two custom trailers last week and it turned out great.  The small equipment can now be safely loaded, unloaded, and hauled across the property.

Winter Weather Delays

The Redi-Rock wall continues to be delayed due to mother nature.  The highs this week are in single digits with wind chills below zero.  Materials and equipment are on site now and the project is ready to begin.  When the weather cooperates, the project is slated to on take 4 to 5 days to complete.  Stay tuned for updates, and stay warm!