August Director of Golf Course Maintenance Report

Gary Wilson, Director of Golf Course Maintenance

 

Core aerifications

The last of the core aerifications have been completed and we will be healed up, smooth and rolling well for the upcoming Member-Member and Club Championship Events.

All three courses were deep tine aerified with a 5/8” solid tine at a depth of 7” and then core aerified with a 5/8” tine at a depth of 4”. Once the aerification was complete we used a 1 ½ ton roller to smooth the greens back out. Once aerification and rolling was complete we verti-cut and top-dressed the greens. During this process we also aerified the collars and flushed the greens using gypsum to flush the salts through the green profile.

We have all three courses using liquid fertigation for the fairways, roughs and tees at this time, this allows us to fertilize as we irrigate the golf courses. The current product that we are using is a slow release nitrogen source that also contains an acid product which helps us fight the salt levels in our water and soils.

We continue to fertilize greens at all three courses with liquid fertilizers weekly and a granular slow release on a monthly basis.

We are looking forward to great course conditions and hosting all of the upcoming events.

 

Playability Sub-Committee

All three courses have been reviewed by myself, the sub-committee, the head golf professional and the course Superintendent. We have been through the reports and approved the proposed maintenance items to be added to our projects list. (See Reports below)

 

Collar Aerification for “Sand Dams” 

This month we were able to aerify and roll out the collars twice at each course. It is very apparent that the collars are starting to match up more evenly and we will be making this a regular part of maintenance practices moving forward. Our goal will be a minimum of six times per growing season with additional collar aerification as the physical characteristics of the collars dictate.

 

Audubon Certification

Currently working with Golf Maps Irrigation Design Company on our site maps for the courses.

 

GCSAA Certification

I am still working on case studies, these studies include work place scenarios and require us to draw up Action Plans and Justifications for each. This month I completed two webinars for Continuing Education Units, “My Best Features are Bunkers” and “My Best Features are Fairways”. I will be taking six to nine more webinars a month through February of 2015 in hopes to expedite the Certification process. 

 

Playability Reports

 

WHITE WING

 

• GENERAL PLAYABILITY/SAFETY SUGGESTIONS 

• Monitor and control the depth of sand in all bunkers. 
• Crape Myrtles: many appear to be in very poor condition; recommend topping in the fall/winter to determine how many recover as healthy trees.  The poor specimens should be removed. 
• Safety issue:  To improve curb safety, recommend the use of river rock rather than DG. 

• Tree trimming:  The entire course should have a major tree trimming by a qualified tree trimming company.  Many trees need to be trimmed, laced, and have the canopy raised.  Recommend we find a way to put this project into the 2015 operating budget. 

•  SPECIFIC PLAYABILITY/SAFETY ISSUES FOR EACH HOLE: 

• HOLE #2

• Remove and replace DG at the blue tee area.
• Trim bushes on the left side of the cart path near tee areas.
• Place river rocks at the curb between the blue and green tee. 

• HOLE #3

• Expand green tee box and move to the left about 10-12 feet.
• Install more sod between first fairway bunker and cart path. 

• HOLE #5

• GREEN TEE:  Remove and replace the damaged steps; rework entire tee box and re sod with Zoysia turf. 

• HOLE #6

• Replace damaged tee monument.
• Remove dead tree and remove willows on the right side of the cart path.
• Remove rock walkway and replace with mulch with a rock border. 

• HOLE #7

• Place river rocks along the cart path between #7 green and #8 tee box. 

• HOLE #8

• Major tree trimming needed from the tee area to the green. 

• HOLE #9

• Remove dead tree on the right side of the fairway.
• Trim willows along the left ditch.
• Pull the shrubs out on the left side. 

• HOLE #11

• Remove the Vitex tree at the turnaround.
• Rope off the entire turnaround to protect the fairway.
• Trim the low branches near the right fairway bunkers. 

• HOLE #13

• Seed areas under the trees on the left side with Fescue. 

• HOLE #14

• Major tree trimming on the right side from tee to green. 

• HOLE #15

• Rope left fairway bunker off, on both ends, to prevent cart traffic.
• Shave berm down on the cart path as it crosses the fairway and re-sod. 

• HOLE #17

• Flower bed left of green and behind the sales center, must be reworked. 

• HOLE #18

• Clear all trees and brush in Berry Creek for left fairway crossing; height of trees and brush is an issue. 

• HOLES #1, #4, #10, #12 & #16

• No specific issues.
   
  COWAN CREEK
   

• GENERAL PLAYABILITY/SAFETY SUGGESTIONS: 

• Mow/clear the wild growth in front of tees # 1, 3, 6, 12 & 17 monthly. 
• Purchase and place 3 new large sand boxes on holes # 8, 13 & 17.  
• Monitor and control the depth of sand in all bunkers. 

• SPECIFIC PLAYABILITY/SAFETY ISSUES FOR EACH HOLE: 

• HOLE #1

• Remove dead tree adjacent to black tee box.
• After level 3 mowing, adopt-a-hole group will clean and remove numerous rocks from right side of cart path.
• Suggest possible DG area under the group of trees on the right side of the fairway. 

• HOLE #2

• Repair broken drain pipe on the left side of green near the pond. 

• HOLE #3

• Address overused areas on the blue tee box.
• Recommend installing more French drains on the left side of the fairway. 

• HOLE #4

• Recommend a “no medical flag” designation like #8 at WW.
• Adopt-a-hole to remove numerous rocks on right side of cart path.  

• HOLE #5

• Continue to improve the drainage issue near blue tee area to prevent DG from washing away with each rain. 

• HOLE #6

• Trim the trees on the right side of fairway to raise the canopy.
• Improve the drainage on the left side of the fairway. 

• HOLE #7

• After level 3 mowing, remove rocks on the right side of the fairway.
• Create a buffer zone of grass around the bunker.
• Re sod the bare area in front of the bunker.

• HOLE #8

• Trim all trees on the left side of the fairway in order to raise the canopy.

• HOLE #9

• Rope off the entire half of the fairway up to the 200 yard marker until the fairway has healed. 

• HOLE #10

• Remove 2 dead trees on the left side of the cart path. 

• HOLE #15

• Trim the tree on the right side of the fairway to raise the canopy.

• HOLE #16

• Expand the DG area at the blue tee box. 

• HOLE #18

• (Safety issue) Place more large rocks adjacent to the cart path in the creek area to minimize the severe drop off. 

• HOLE #11, 12, 13, 14 & 17

• No specific issues 
  LEGACY HILLS
    

• GENERAL PLAYABILITY/SAFETY SUGGESTIONS 

• Tree trimming: The entire course should have a major tree trimming by a qualified tree trimming company.  Many trees need to be trimmed, laced, and have the canopy raised.  Recommend we find a way to put this project into the 2015 operating budget. 
• Bunkers:  In 2013, the Golf Committee and staff agreed to change the sand in the bunkers at WW.  That same sand is in the bunkers at Legacy Hills.  This committee feels the current sand at LH needs to be removed and replaced with sand that is similar to the kind used at WW. 
• Safety issue:  To improve curb safety, we recommend the use of river rock rather than DG at drop-off areas around cart path. 
• Recommend level 3 mowing adjacent to the golf course receive a priority status in the future mowing schedules to improve pace of play. 

• SPECIFIC PLAYABILITY/SAFETY ISSUES FOR EACH HOLE 

• HOLE #1

• Recommend this hole become a "cart path only" hole full-time.
• Place river rocks along cart path near green area. 

• HOLE #2

• Green tee:  repair the approach to the tee area and trim all the overhanging tree limbs so that the sun can filter through to the grass.
• Trim the long grass under the trees between the two fairways.
• Repair the sprinkler leak left of the fairway bunker. 

• HOLE #3

• Create a DG area under the trees on the right side of the fairway, between the bunkers and the cart path.
• Create a DG area under the trees at the right front of the green. 

• HOLE #5

• Seed with Fescue and cover with soil, under the trees at cart path curve.
• In 2012, the five fairway bunkers were reworked and black liners were installed that have failed completely. These ripped and degraded liners must be removed as soon as possible. This is both a playability and serious safety issue.
• Repair the drain pipe issue along the cart path. 

• HOLE #6

• Mow grass under large tree on the left side of the fairway. 

• HOLE #8

• Large tree on the left side needs trimmed to remove fairway overhang. 

• HOLE #9

• Trim bushes at tee box approach and after leaving the green area where shrubs overhang cart path.
• Eliminate two of the 4 exits and repair the remaining 2; make hole "cart path only" until the repair is healed. 

• HOLE #12

• Trim the trees on the right side of the left blue tee box.
• Install a DG approach to the green tee box. 

• HOLE #14

• Trim the trees on the left side of all tee boxes in Berry Creek. 

• HOLES 4, 7,10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18

• No specific issues.