This year the renovation will be in 2 different steps. Step 1 is a new green and partial fairway on #2, also we will be adding new tees on #3. One of those tees will be built in 1st step of Phase 3. On August 17th we will be closing down 1-7, 17, 18 on the South for the start of the 2nd step.
The new green on #2 is our main focus. It is being built where the old tree nursery is at. We removed 45 trees in the area this week. We then sprayed Roundup on the turf to kill the vegetation. You can see in this photo where we have killed the turf and painted all of the stumps white so the back hoe operator could see them for removal.
After stumps are removed. the area is roto-tilled to incorporate the dead vegetation into the topsoil. The new green was staked out for golf course architect Tim Liddy to see. Tim arrived on site on Wednesday afternoon. We made several trips from the tee to the landing area to the green site and back again to look at the hole and discuss how he would like it to be laid out. It was then decided to shift the new green slightly south. By doing this we would not be removing some of the trees that were previously marked for removal along the right side of the fairway.
The next step is to lay out the new green with grade stakes. We are doing this today. Mr. Liddy will revisit the site next week to give his final approval of the new green grades. Here is his sketch for the new green site. It looks to be a very interesting putting surface.
Here we are laying out the green grades.
Work is also progressing on the pond that is adjacent to the old green. This pond has to have all of the muck removed, then filled with good soil because the new fairway will play right through this area.
The old pond has over 5 feet of silt that has come into it for the past 50 years. All of this muck is being loaded on to small trucks and hauled to pits south of 3 tee. Once it placed in the pits we will push good soil over the top of them and in time it will force the water out of the area and then it will be graded smooth and seeded.
The little Wacker Nueson trucks that LUI is using, are very amazing vehicles. They are fast, stable and maneuverable. They are able to move about a 100 cubic yards of material an hour. That is very fast on a golf course construction project.
As the silt is removed soil is placed back in its place and eventually by the middle of next week we should have a pond all filled in.
There is also the matter of water still flowing downstream while this work is being done. Right now a diversion ditch was dug. Eventually there will be a new 36” tile line installed to carry all of the water through the new fairway to the big pond on #2.
