Bunker on #2

On Wednesday November 17, 2010 we removed the bunker that was positioned just off the right front corner of #2 green.  The removal of this bunker is called for in our Long Range Plan, and was a project that we could undertake without a large capital expenditure.  It basically cost us just the manpower to do it.

As you know, this bunker is one of a few on the course that were repeatedly made unplayable by any heavy rainfall.   While it is not as big a problem as say the right bunker on #1, or the bunkers in front of #3 or #10, it was a situation that we could remedy quickly and without a large expenditure, so we were able to do it at this time.  We are hoping to do something similar to the back bunker on #10, and eventually the back bunker on #1.  All three of these are targeted for removal by our Long Range Plan.  (click pictures to see full size)

Above is a picture taken the day before demo / reconstruction began.

The picture above shows the same basic area after it has been filled and reshaped.  It has not yet been seeded or sodded, but will be very shortly.

Here is another view of the area, showing that the entire area was resculpted so that it won't just look like we filled in a bunker.  The mounding around the bunker was smoothed to blend with the existing terrain.

And finally, this view looking back toward #2 tee demonstrates that the revised area is not just going to be a grass bunker, but was reshaped to blend with the existing terrain.  You can also see a bit in this picture that the mounding on the left (as you view this image) is angled so that a ball hit that far right will have a chance to kick either straight forward, or maybe even back toward the green a bit.

CICADA KILLERS

It's that time of year again. The Cicada Killer wasps are back. Here's a little info about these guys (and gals) and what they are all about.

You've probably seen these buzzing around before, especially around sand traps and putting greens.  They are Eastern Cicada Killer wasps, and as their name implies, they kill cicadas.

Here's a website with more information: LINK

From the website above:

The female cicada killer on the right is carrying a paralyzed annual cicada (Tibicen linnei) back to her burrow, where she will put it in a nest cell, lay an egg on it and seal the cell. A grub will hatch from the egg in a few days, eat the cicada and overwinter underground in a hard cocoon which it weaves. It will pupate in the spring, hatch in July or August, dig its way to the surface and live above ground for 2-6 weeks; all adults die annually. The cicada killer has adapted its life cycle to be in synchrony with that of its hosts: Like the several species of “annual” cicadas with which it feeds its young, a cicada killer spends over 90% of its life underground as a larva. Like most hunting and parasitic wasps, the cicada killer is a beneficial insect; it exerts a measure of biological control on cicadas, some species of which damage deciduous trees by laying eggs under the soft bark of the new growth on the trees’ terminal branches. Because they emerge each year in mid-July, cicada killers are not significant predators of periodical (13- and 17-year) cicadas, which emerge in May and June and die off by mid-July.

Males aggressively defend their perching areas on nesting sites against rival males but they have no sting. Although they appear to attack anything which moves near their territories, male cicada killers are actually investigating anything which might be a female cicada killer ready to mate.   (sound familiar?)  Such close inspection appears to many people to be an attack, but male and female cicada killers don't land on people and attempt to sting. If handled roughly females will sting, and males will jab with a sharp spine on the tip of their abdomen.

For us, the only real problem they cause is the burrowing in our greens and sand bunkers.  They apparently provide a benefit by keeping the cicada population in check, and they don't typically sting humans.  And now you know more about cicada killer wasps than you ever thought you would.  :)

HOT DAYS!

Do you remember in last month's newsletter the comment that Alex made about being more concerned with keeping the greens alive than he is with keeping a certain speed to them? Well, this is the time when that statement really rings true. We've had temperatures in the 90's for about 2 weeks now, and the forecast for this week is pretty much mid-90's all week. This is when the maintenance practices that have been applied to the course really pay dividends.

On these very hot, sunny days, you may notice areas on some of the greens begin to take on a purplish tint. That is a sign of distress. Keep in mind that you are dealing with grass plants that are mowed to .130" each day, so there's not a lot of plant there to hold water and withstand these harsh conditions. But, the healthier we can make that plant, the better suited it is to take the punishment. By growing the greens a little taller this year (.130" instead of .125") we are also giving them more root zone, which typically means a healthier plant, which in turn means it can be more tolerant of the heat. Perhaps they've been a bit slower than in the past, but take a look your next time out at how healthy they are now.

DID YOU KNOW that on these days of extreme heat there is someone assigned each day to monitor the conditions of the greens, even on weekends? Between about noon and 3:00pm are the times that symptoms of distress are most likely to appear. Those will be the times that you will see one of our crew running around the course like a mad man, hooking up a hose and either misting or hosing down individual greens. This isn't done to provide water to the greens, but rather to simply cool them down. Kind of like wiping a cool washcloth across the back of your neck and face. It doesn't provide you with any liquid nourishment, but it sure makes you feel better! If conditions are really extreme, you may see them turn on the irrigation for a couple minutes.

Higher green speeds are partly obtained by shorter mowing heights and reduced moisture content. The faster the greens are, the more stressed they are and the closer they are to being dead. We work hard to achieve a balance between green speed and healthy greens, so that we can provide a quality playing surface without having it in a stressful condition all of the time.

For questions about this or any other course topic, contact Alex, Dennis, or any of your greens committee members.

HAWKS?

Any birders out there? A pair of these guys have been spending a lot of time this year in the wooded area left of 12 fairway. Their calls sound very similar to samples I've found on-line of red-tailed hawks, but I don't know if others sound similar. This one I'd guess is 12"-15" tall, not counting tail. The next time you play #12 keep your ears sharp for the shrill call. The last time I played one was circling overhead.

I'd love to hear from you if you can positively ID the bird(s). Send me an email dennis@djonesassoc.com.

Storms AGAIN!

It seems like I've posted a lot of stuff about storm damage the past couple years. Sunday afternoon we had a pretty good storm blow through. The good news is that other than our tents we didn't sustain too much damage. All of the tree trimming and thinning that we've done in the past year appears to have helped, as the main thing we saw were lots of leaves and smaller limbs blown about, but no trees down or large limbs. There was one large section of a tree behind #4 tee that fell and blocked the entrance road for a while, but it was quickly moved out of the way.

(thanks to Phil Morgan for this picture)

Our major loss was our two tents. The yellow tent that is normally in the parking lot and used as a concession tent during tournaments was blown down close to #9 green. The red/white tent that is kept on the patio above #18 green was blown up and over the roof of the clubhouse, ending up on the roof above the entrance door to the banquet room. (see the crappy cell phone picture) Those 5-gallon buckets that are used to hold the tent down? They were still attached when it landed on the roof.

All of this happened during the final round of the Ladies Scramble Tournament. We eneded up with at least two weather delays, but the tournament was finally completed late Sunday night. See the Tournaments page for results.

July 4th Fireworks

We had a nice turnout and nice fireworks display on Sunday night. The panoramic picture above shows just part of the crowd that was around the clubhouse and first tee area. There were people watching from around the practice green, near 3 green, and all up and down the entrance road. I also understand that the shoulder of Hwy 54 was packed, as well as a large contingent of boats anchored in the main channel. (The picture above was a 9-second exposure. It was really much darker than this when the picture was taken.)

Here are a few samples from Sunday night. (Click any of the pictures for a larger version)

It was a beautiful night to watch the fireworks.

16 Fairway Drainage

So, what's going on that 16 fairway has been so wet this year, you ask? Well, part of the problem is that we have had back-to-back years of 60" rain fall, when about 40" is our normal annual average. Our water table is very saturated and there's just not a lot of places for any rainfall to drain off to. But, that isn't really what our main problem has been.

We suspected and have confirmed that water is leaking under the dam of the pond on #14 and making its way to 16 fairway. There is (was!) a spot in 16 fairway where we could actually see water percolating up to the surface. That spot was about three and a half FEET lower than the surface of the pond on 14. Two weeks ago we put blue dye into the pond on 14. Within minutes the water that was surfacing in 16 fairway was blue. Our suspicions were confirmed that the water was leaving the lake UNDER the dam and flooding the fairway.

The only real "right" fix for this is to fix the dam. Our Long Range Plan calls for rebuilding the pond on 14, resizing it to include the drainage that crosses 14 rough to the bridge on 16, and in the process lowers the pond by two feet. That is an expensive fix, and not one that we really want to undertake in the middle of our prime golf season.

As a temporary fix we are taking three actions:
1: Drainage will be installed between the cart path and the pond on #16 to intercept the leakage before it reaches 16 fairway.
2: We have packed mud and muck into the spot on the dam we believed was the source of the leak. This has already shown great results.
3: We will add drainage across 16 fairway to replace existing drainage that is apparently no longer working. This way, if water continues to leak and gets past our new drains it should still be taken off by the new fairway drains.

This is at best a temporary solution. "Temporary" might be 5 or 10 years, or it might all come apart next year - it all depends on how well our patches to the dam hold. But, for now, this should allow us to get 16 fairway dried up, and we think based on the things we saw today that it will dry up rather quickly. This video shows how much water was running in the drainage ditch that we excavated between the cart path and the pond. All of this water was previously making its way to 16 fairway.

I'm not saying this fairway was wet, but this guy showed up after we got the leak stopped.

NATIVE AREAS

Just a reminder that the native areas on the course are now marked as LATERAL HAZARDS. This means that if you hit into one your options are different than before.

For example, in the past, if you were playing #6 and hit into this native area between 6/7/8 your most likely option was that it was a lost ball and you had to return to the spot you hit from and hit again. Now, since it is a lateral hazard, you can drop within 2 clublengths of where the ball entered the hazard and add a single penalty stroke.



Man, that grass is tall!

M R Ducks!

UPDATE 6/15/10: Prior to Men's League on Monday night I was able to count 6 duckling heads. There may be more (we think there were 7 eggs) but the chicks were very quick to duck (no pun intended) under mom whenever someone approached.



Nothing terribly "grounds" worthy here, but just to post that the newest LVCC family began arriving today. Just a couple hours before this picture this guy was still inside an egg. At last count we had at least 3 ducklings, but mom was still sequestered on the nest and not giving any ground. There were 7 eggs (we think).

Without giving the exact location, we'll just say the nest is in a very actively traveled area and is NOT on any of the course holes.

Native Areas are now Lateral Hazards

In an effort to improve pace of play and simplify rulings we have recently begun marking the "native" areas on the course with red lines as Lateral Hazards. This includes the large triangular area between 6-7-8 and some other smaller native areas around the course.

So how do we play this? Like any lateral hazard (red lines/stakes) the key element is where did the ball last cross the margin on the hazard? Determine as closely as you can where the ball last crossed the hazard and your drop area is within 2 club lengths of that spot, but no closer to the hole. In the picture above, which shows a slicing tee shot on hole #8, the ball crossed the hazard about when the "X" is. The fact that it traveled another 50 yards and was found at "B" doesn't matter. WHERE DID THE BALL LAST CROSS THE MARGIN OF THE HAZARD?

If you have questions about how these new areas play, ask Dan or Andi for help.

New Fountain

The new fountain in the lake behind #17 green was installed today. Our last fountain, such as it was, bit the dust last year during an electrical storm. This new fountain shoots a series of sprays about 25' into the air and should last for many years. The Men's Golf Association made a significant contribution to the purchase of this new fountain.

Playing Through Workers

Q: What is the proper etiquette for playing through or around maintenance employees?
(New Jersey)
A: Maintenance workers should be treated just as you would a group of golfers in front of you. When playing through, be absolutely sure they are adequately out of the intended line of play and are watching before you hit. If workers do not move out of the way, be patient. In all likelihood, they are finishing up their task and will be out of the way shortly. Ultimately, put yourself in their shoes. Being courteous and waiting five or so extra minutes is well worth it to avoid the danger of hitting someone with a golf ball.

(Q&A taken from the USGA Greens Record www.usga.org)

Our grounds crew works very hard to provide a quality golf course for you to enjoy playing. Please provide them the courtesy of not hitting into them.

Spring Flowers!

Saturday morning started out around 45 degrees, but that didn't dampen the spirit of the Lake Valley members who volunteered to help Alex plant our spring annuals. Special thanks to Gerry & Marilyn Daniels (15 tee and 17 tee); Carol Sowers (17 tee); Terry & Carol Welch (17 tee); Deanna Starnes and Michele Waite (left of 6 green); and Ken Olive (hostas by 6 green / 7 tee).

Irrigation Factoid

If you've spent much time on a golf course, at one time or another you've encountered a wet area on the course that was obviously the culprit of a leak in the irrigation system. (or, as Alex likes to say the "irritation" system). Here's a little something to ponder on when your mind has nothing else to do. The plumbing that leads to each irrigation head on our golf course comprises about 10 different joints, "T"s, and fittings. As you know if you've ever done any plumbing, each of those is a prime candidate for a leak. Now, multiply that by over 700 heads on our course and you quickly see that we have over 7,000 potential leaks in our irrigation system. Add to that the fact that most of our system was installed in 1988, making it over 20 years old and you can see how an occasional leak will appear.

Mowing

Have you ever really stopped to think about the mowing process at Lake Valley? You know, at home you mow your lawn maybe once a week, twice in the early spring growing season. At LVCC (and any golf course) mowing is constant. Weather permitting, something is mowed every day. Here's a breakdown of our typical in-season mowing procedures:

GREENS: Mowed DAILY at a height of .125". It takes two men using two mowers about 1.5 to 2.5 hours to mow all 19 greens. The mow direction is changed daily (front-to-back, side-to-side, 45-degree, etc).

FAIRWAYS: Mowed 2 to 3 times per week at .75" (3/4") height. We mow approximately 30 acres of fairway. It takes 8-12 hours to mow, depending on the striping pattern used and the amount of interruptions (play).

TEES, COLLARS, and APPROACHES: Tee boxes, collars and approaches are cut 2 to 3 times per week at a height of .650". It takes 1 mower around 4 hours with an additional worker helping with pulling and resetting the tee blocks.

GREEN SURROUNDS / TEE STRIPES: The greens surrounds are cut 3 times per week at a height of 2.25". It takes 2 mowers about 5 hours to cut approximately 15 acres of turf. Areas from tee to fairway at least 2 times per week. These areas take 2 mowers around 12 hours to mow approximately 20 acres of turf.

ROUGH: The rough is mowed is cut 2 times per week at 2.5" and it takes one man around 20 hours to mow the 50 acres of turf.

As you can see, mowing on a golf course is kind of like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. By the time you finish one round its time to go back and start again.

SPRING IS HERE!

Spring has finally arrived at Lake Valley. This picture from Saturday morning 4/10/10 shows that the pear trees have just about bloomed out, but the redbuds and other "red" flowering trees are still quite expressive. Dogwoods have started blooming as well, but with the temperatures expected in the upper 70's and 80's next week, they may not last long.

The bermuda fairways have started greening very well, and the few days of high temps next week should bring them in very nicely. All in all, the course is in great shape and starting to really wake up!

New Groove Regulations

As you may or may not know, 2010 brings in new regulations on the size and shape of the grooves on your golf clubs. Actually, most of the 2010 rules changes apply only to PGA Tour players, but changes are also on the horizon for amateurs in the next few years as well. Of course, if you only play with your group of four on Tuesdays this may not affect you at all, but if you play any events that are played under USGA rules you should be aware of the pending changes.

It's a bit of an infomercial, but Cleveland Golf has put together a web site with information about the changes and what they mean. The site address is www.yearofthewedge.com. I encourage you to take a few minutes and browse around their site. There's lots of interesting information there.

Core Aerifying Greens

Today Alex and his crew are in the process of core-aerifying and top-dressing our greens. We have done a deep-tine aerification each year, but it has been a few years since we did a core aerification. What's the difference, you ask? Deep tine aerification involves driving knife-like tines into the green, kind of like punching it with a series of screwdriver blades. Core aerification uses tines that are hollow tubes and pull small cores from the green and drop them on the surface, where they are removed. In both processes the resulting opening is then top-dressed with sand.

After the green has been cored, crew members are using blowers to blow the cores off the surface and get it ready for top dressing. They will then use our normal topdressing procedures. Here's a link to our topdressing page:

Why do we core aerify? Core aerifying opens up the green to allow air to the root system. It also assists in reducing soil compaction, which also helps the root system by allowing an easier path for moisture,air, and nutrients to reach the roots. The picture below shows the depth of the cores that we are pulling today, about 3" to 4".

Why We Play The Game

This was sent to me as an email recently, and I thought it was so good I wanted to share it. Hope everyone enjoys:

Why play the game of golf?

It's the way the first tee feels, alive with possibility.

It's that feeling, out of nowhere, that comes as you're lining up a putt, letting you know that all you have to do is get the ball rolling and the hole will get in the way.

It's the thump of a well-played bunker shot.

It's nine holes late in the day, when the sun is sinking and the shadows are stretching, showing every bump and roll in a golden light that makes you stop and look around.

It's calling your shot and pulling it off.

It's your Saturday morning game, with a little money on the line and no haggling about the teams.

It's the guys who look like they can't play a lick then spend their days around par,
not needing swing coaches, just having a knack for getting the ball in the hole.

It's calling your own penalties.

It's a kid with his bag slung over his shoulder, cap pulled down low, hoofing it down a fairway.

It's nipping a wedge just right, having it bounce once and cozy up to the hole.

It's a bowl of peanuts and a cold beer at the end of the day, when stories can be embellished, if only a little.

It's the warm feel of a turtleneck in December, the first greening of the grass in March, the thrill of hitting it a club longer in July and greens as fast as the itchen floor in October.

It's the suntan marks left by your golf socks and shoes.

It's having the sun behind you and catching a tee shot square, having a moment to admire it as it's framed against the sky.

It's the small but sudden thrill of finding a new Titleist, even if you already have a bagful.

It's the clutch in your throat the first time you see Pebble Beach in person and the never-ending thrill playing it.

It's the belief that the magic you've found in a new driver will last forever.

It's the scent of salt air, the faint taste of pine pollen on your lips and the glimpse of a gator in a low country lagoon.

It's standing over a 5-footer that doesn't matter to anyone but you and being thankful for the feeling.

It's Mickelson with a wedge in his hand, and Nicklaus on the property.

It's the little places with pickups in the parking lot, ragged grass, bumpy greens, worn-out golf carts, yellow range balls, and a spirit all its own.

It's the way you practice your swing in the elevator riding down, the way you put an overlapping grip on the rake, and the way you see golf holes where others just see fields along the highway.

It's the way tournament golf feels, even if it's just a little club event.

It's the feel of new grips and the shine of new irons.

It's playing with your father, your brother, your son.

It's listening to David Feherty, Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo explain the game as only they can.

It's the gentle creak of aging muscles in the evening, a good tired.

It's winning the press at the 18th.

It's going for a par-5 in two, trying to cut a corner, and that instant when you wonder if the shot is as good as it looks.

It's golf. And it's why we play the game.

Moles and other varmits

This will be redundant for those who read our most recent member newsletter, but this is so cool I just had to tell everyone about it. At one time or another you've all seen mole damage, either at Lake Valley, another golf course, or even your own yard. Unless your name is Alex, and you can catch them barehanded, you know that getting rid of moles is a difficult and daunting task. Generally speaking, the best way to get rid of moles is to get rid of their food source, which is usually larvae.

BUT....now comes on the scene a new product, at least, new to me. When you have a minute check out www.rodenator.com, or go to YouTube and search for "rodenator". The videos will blow you away! :)

Tree Trimming

Tree trimming continues today as part of our winter course maintenance. Today Alex, Bo, Kevin, and Kelly are using the bucket truck to trim limbs on #12 that overhang the fairway. Limbs are being trimmed back so that they don't hang out into the fairway, which will hopefully provide a more "fair" opportunity on your #12 tee shot. Unfortunately, the bucket truck only lets Alex reach so high, so some of the upper limbs may still overhang a bit, but this should be a nice improvement in the playability of this hole.

Projects of this nature are continuing around the course as weather conditions allow. Cold temperatures and frozen ground allow us to move equipment onto the course without damaging the turf.

SNOW & COLD

Wow - it's been brutally cold and snowy here for the past several days. Daytime highs have been in single-digits or low teens, and overnight lows have gone well into minus figures. Add about 5" of snow on top of that and there hasn't been much work done outside lately. The ponds are frozen solid, too, as you can see in the picture above. That's #17 green with part of the frozen pond in front of it and the clubhouse in the distance. Click the picture to see a larger version.

Even though nothing has happened outdoors in the past week or so, the guys have been busy painting all of the tee markers (minimum 18 holes x 4 sets x 2 each = 144 tee markers), broken tee cups, and trash containers. Gene has all of the mowers sharpened, serviced, cleaned and ready for another season.