Phase 4, Week 3 Renovation Report Update

Work continues on #9 pond and the ensuing wall that we have to build. The portion of the lake that is getting filled in is almost completed. With a good day today (Saturday) the team of workers from LUI should be close to finishing the clay fill portion. Where we have to build a new wall for the 9th hole has to be compacted with a sheep’s foot roller. A foot of clay is added to the area, then the roller compacts the soil. It is a very long and tedious process. I am thankful that we have had dry weather to do this work. Our plans are to start the wall construction next week. It is going to be a very difficult process to do because we also have to do golf course aerification while we are trying to build this wall. The wall has to be built at very specific elevation. We know what elevation the water level will be when completed and for everything to work and drain correctly the wall cannot be too high or too low. Here is a copy of the wall detail. This is what we will be building. It will match the wall on #12 North.

Future Wall

Sheep's Foot in action

If you have played the open side of the south golf course then I am sure you have seen the construction of the new 8th hole. This will be a 223 yard uphill par3 hole from the black tees. The green cavity is now completed and approved by Tim Liddy. LUI will start installing the drainage in the green and the mix will be going in next week. On Tuesday Erik Christensen from EC Design will be here to layout the irrigation for this hole. Victor and his irrigation team will then start installing the new irrigation lines and sprinkler heads.

We prepare the green cavity to the plan provided us by the architect. The cavity bottom will match the top grade of the green. Once the bottom has been graded and compacted then we take all of the elevation readings every 10’ in all directions. A map is made and sent to the architect for final approval. This is a very important part because if changes need to be made to a putting green it is in this step that it must happen. Here is the green grid for those of you who want to see what we are doing. The grid sample that I am showing you is the one that has been approved by the architect. The outside area of the green really defines how sexy the green will look when it is finished.

Here is what that grid sample looks like on the ground. Very easy to take a hump and lower it or raise a low area if the architect so desires it. As a golf course superintendent I am able to give a lot of input right here because if the cupping areas are too small for us to use, then it is imperative that the architect knows this and helps us with it. Architect Liddy has been great to work with in this area because he understands our side of the business.

This hole has been very difficult to do because of all the infrastructure items that are in the area. All of the communication wires that control 3,600 sprinkler heads go through this area. We also have power wires to satellite controllers, domestic water lines, weather station control wires, septic system for the maintenance shop and another septic field for the house. It is has been a little taxing trying to find it all but we are doing well with it and we are almost done with the major dirt moving in the area.

We planned to have the green seeded by the end of next week and then the team will move to the Par 3 15th hole to demo the hole and start building a new green, fairway and tee complexes. Architect Liddy will be here on Wednesday to talk about the 15th and also help with building of the green side bunkers on the 8th hole.

The new bunkers are being cut in now.

If you see me laying out white towels in a future bunker I have not lost my marbles. A good friend of mine named Kevin Ross, Country Club of the Rockies shared this trick with us. You lay out the white towel to represent the new sand line. It makes it very easy to see the white towel on the soil. We used to use white paint, which doesn't always work too well on dry soil.

I am thankful for a dry week and while it has been some very long dry days it is rewarding to see the progress being made and I for one am thankful that we are on our last year.