ALMOST DONE!

Sodding is almost done and now you can see what the new bunker on #1 will look like.  No more steep faced, washed out, always a mess bunker!

Bunker on #1 - Progress!

Work continues toward completion of the right front bunker on hole #1. The drain is in, covered by pea gravel, and today we filled the bunker with new sand and began the sodding process.

More sand has been added.   You can also see the layers of sod that are being laid around the edge.



Another view of the bunker, now full of sand, and the sod work that is going on around it.

Because we are using sod that has been harvested from other places on the course, and we are running out of good places to do that, we are only going to sod the inner and outer edges of the turf area for right now.  The area between will be seeded this afternoon and covered with a protective cover like has been used on the practice green. 

Bunker work continues

Work continues on the right front bunker on hole #1.  The major shaping is completed and in the first three pictures below the white outer line indicates the approximate shape that will eventually be the sand portion of the bunker.  Everything outside that line will be sodded with grass.  The white line you see through the center of the oval is where the drain will be installed.

Looking over the bunker to the green, everything inside the white line will be sand.  Outside the white line will be grass.  The white line through the center indicates the drain location.

Another view of the reshaped bunker.  Notice that we've also added a small berm to the upper side of the shape to aid in diverting water away from the bunker.

And another view, looking back toward the fairway.  The berm is also evident in this photo.

The excavator is used to dig out a pocket for the area that will be the sand portion of the bunker.





Another view of the excavated area with the drain ready to install

Bunker on #1

Today Alex and his crew began the reconstruction of the right front bunker on hole #1.  Who among you hasn't wanted to do this at some time?

The design of this bunker with the steeply flashed faces caused on-going maintenance issues for us.  Every time we had a hard rain water would run off the green and down the face of the bunker, washing the sound out and exposing the soil below it.  In time the soil mixed with the sand, contaminating it so that it would not drain and become more "dirt" than "sand".   Our modification is going to involve sloping the bunker sides more, and covering them with sod (grass) rather than attempting to keep sand flashed up on them.  The result will be a bunker that isn't subject to the wash-out problems that it has been up to this point.

Visit YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifXv6SpCL1I&feature=youtube_gdata for a short video of the excavation.

In the picture above you can see that the drain is nearly three feet below the surface.  It should be only a few inches under the sand.  Repeated wash outs actually resulted in restructuring of the bunker.

 

In the above photo you can see the new shape is beginning to take form.  The load of dirt you see being dumped, along with several more loads, will be used to create a slight berm around the upper lip of the bunker.  This will also help divert water from running into the bunker.

The red outline drawn on the picture is the approximate size and location of the sand portion of the bunker.  The areas outside the red line will be sodded with zoysia.

A slightly different view of the mostly finished bunker.  The black pipe you see is the drain tile.  Once final shaping is completed new drains will be excavated in the bottom of the bunker and attached to this drain pipe.

green repairs

Everyone knows that the extended heat this summer was hard on golf greens throughout the midwest.  Despite our best efforts, Lake Valley did not escape untouched either.  Today, Alex and his crew were busy stealing sod from the lower level of the practice green to replace the worst spots on about three of our greens.  They started today by patching in sod into the worst spots on #14 green, and will continue the process next week on greens #9 and #15.

Why don't they seed it, you ask?  Actually, we did.  Twice.  Unfortunately, each time the seed germinated and just began to grow we were hit with another series of 100-degree weather and the new plants simply weren't strong enough to survive.  To counter that, Alex decided to go with "instant gratification" by laying in sod on the worst spots.  Another problem with growing from seed is that you almost need to close the green to allow the new grass to properly mature, an option that really isn't available to us.

I'm posting a few pictures from Friday afternoon to give you an idea of what is happening:

click picture for larger image

In the above picture you can see some of the sod that has been stripped in, as well as some plugs that were taken from the outer perimeter of the green.

(Above) Alex is spreading a light coat of sand on the seams and lower areas of the patched green.  These will be broomed in similar to a very light top dressing.

Above you see Kevin and Kelly taking plugs from the back outer edge of the green and replacing small areas, while Alex is spreading a light sand dressing and Jay uses a soft bristle broom to sweep the sand in.  After his process was finished they ran the vibratory rollers over the green to smooth everything as much as possible.  On Monday the entire green will receive a full top dressing.

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And then it was gone......

Wednesday afternoon, August 31, 2011.  The bunker behind #10 green is no more.  Final grading and cleanup was done this morning, followed by the laying of sod. 

Here Lashley, Jay, and Alex work on the final clean up and preparations prior to laying the new sod.  You can also see the pattern that has been mown into the surrounding area.





From the side you can see the newly sodded area as well are the surrounding area which will all be mown at the same height as the collars.



Looking from the front of the green you can again see the newly sodded area and the outline of the area which will all be mown at collar height.

Rear Bunker on #10

From behind #10 gren you can see the fill material beginning to replace the bunker.   (Click images for larger version)

You've heard us promise..... today, we started filling in the bunker behind #10 green.  It is currently being filled with the material that was stockpiled when Jay built the new beds by #12 tee.  This material is good for fill, but not satisfactory for surface.  To that end Alex has another stockpile of sandy/loamy material that will be used for the top ~4".  We will then stod the surface and once it is established we will begin the process of training the grass to be mown at the same height as the green collar.

In the above image the red line defines approximately the area that will be mown at the same height as the green collar.  This will give a ball that is over the green a chance to be putted or chipped with a reasonable chance of keeping it on the green.  I'll also point out that the bunker will be completely filled in - it will NOT be a grass bunker, but instead will be just a smooth area on the mounds.

It will take some time for the sod to establish and for the mowing to "train" the grass to be cut so tightly, but by next season we should have a very nice area behind 10 green.

Good news and...bad news/good news



This tree on the right side of #4 was severely damaged by winds about 5:30am on August 4th, 2011 (Click picture to see full size)

 We've got good news....this morning for the first time in a long time we received measurable precipitation, about 3" in fact, as a front passed through and the temperatures dropped from the triple digits they've been for the past several days.

The bad news, or maybe more good news, depending on how you feel about it, is that the high winds that accompanied the front blew out about half of this tree that stands at the right side of the fairway on #4 just as it crosses the creek.  If you enlarge the picture (click on it) you'll notice that the portion of the tree that is remaining upright is split in half.  Initial assessment tells us that the tree will have to be removed completely.

Beautiful morning

It's another beautiful morning at Lake Valley.  06:43 and the practice green is getting a little water as the sun tops the horizon and shows through the trees.

Patience Please!

Currently its 102 here...107 heat index.....My bentgrass greens cut at .125 inches are holding up fairly well...gotta LOVE summertime...

The message above was posted on a social media site by our Superintendent.  There are a few things to point out about this simple message.  First, in case you didn't notice, it's HOT!  With low overnight temps only dropping to about 80, the course really hasn't been getting much of a chance to recover before it heads back into another scorching day.  Continuous high temperatures are very stressful on turf, especially bentgrass greens that are mowed to very low heights.  We play a huge balancing game to try and keep the course conditioned the way golfers like it and still maintain the health of the turf. 

Because of the extreme heat, it is very likely that you will see greens being watered to cool them down, especially during afternoon heat.  If you are playing and see a member of the grounds crew hand watering your green, or if the irrigation is on, please be patient.  Don't hit into them unless they wave you on and are watching.  It will only take them a few minutes to syringe the green and they'll be gone and out of your way.  It certainly isn't worth the risk of seriously injuring someone who is only trying to maintain the golf course for your benefit. 

Rear Bunker on #10

For years it's been a headache to play out of, a headache for our grounds crew to maintain, and generally just not a popular bunker with anyone.  We're happy to announce that sometime in the next couple of weeks, depending on sod availability and other interruptions, the rear bunker on #10 will become a thing of the past.  This is a project that we had planned to complete this past winter but just were not able to accomplish.

Below are a couple of Photoshopped "before" and "after" looks at what you might expect.

This view from about 200 yards shows the area that will be zoysia and will be mown at the same height as the green collar.

The area of the bunker will be filled and contoured to match the existing mounds prior to receiving zoysia sod.  It will be mown at the same height as the collar, which should open the options to putt or chip a ball that lands there.  This course change is part of our Long Range Plan 

Finally, some rain!

After several days of 90+ degree temperatures and only 1" of rain since early June, we finally got a nice shower last night.  In spite of applying about 500,000 gallons of water to the course nightly, the continuous heat and lack of rain had begun to take it's toll on the course.  Alex reports that  about 1.25" of rain was recorded at the maintenance building gauge, while my gauge on the opposite side of the course near 12 fairway reached 2.25".   To show just how dry the course was....even after that rain Alex reports that cart traffic today will be at 90 degrees.

Stump Grinding

With tree removal comes the inevitable problem of stump removal.  Over the years we have accumulated quite a few tree stumps from trees that were either taken out during storms or removed for agronomy reasons.  Over the past couple of days we've been fortunate enough to try out a small(ish) stump grinder, and have removed over 15 stumps in various places around the golf course.

click pictures for original size

The picture above shows one of the bradford pear stumps that was on #6, right-rear of the green just as Alex begins the grinding process.

Just a fraction over 10 minutes later you can see the resulting hole where the stump has been ground all the way below surface level.



 The picture below shows the aftermath of the large honey locust stump on #6.  A little clean up and some topsoil and you'll never know there was a tree there.

4th of July Fireworks

Did you miss the 4th of July fireworks show Monday night at Lake Valley?  Or, were you there but enjoyed it so much and wish you could see it again?   Well, we don't have the entire show, but maybe the 2nd half of it available for you to view.

There are two clips here.  The first one is about 6:21 long and picks up in the middle of the show.   The 2nd clip is the last 4 minutes or so, including the finale'.   Both of these were shot in 720p HD, so if you will go Full Size you can view them in HD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Myqed8wOt8

and the final 4:00 or so, including finale'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qaPRvVTFuk

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Grounds Crew

You see them on the course when you play.  Here are the guys who keep Lake Valley in the wonderful condition it is in. (click pictures for larger version)



2011 Grounds Crew - Lake Valley Golf & Country Club
Front row, l-r;  Jeff "Bo" Smith;  Lashley McDaniel; Kelly Crowell; Alex Hultz - Superintendent; Patrick - mascot, companion, and chaser of squirrels; Jay Ballard; Kevin Crowell - Assistant Superintendent; Scott Crowell - mechanic; Charlie Parker;  back row, l-r; Duane Maggard; B.J. Wall; Harold Stephens; Leonard Land.



This is how you more often see the guys - hats on!



Front row, l-r:  Leonard Land, Jay Ballard, Patrick, Kevin Crowell, Harold Stephens, Lashley McDaniel, Scott Crowell.  Back row, l-r:  Jeff "Bo" Smith, Charlie Parker, Duane Maggard, Alex Hultz, Kelly Crowell, B.J. Wall.



Check out this Fact Sheet from the USGA about what it takes to set up Congressional Country Club for this week's U.S. Open.   http://turf.lib.msu.edu/gsr/article/anon-open-6-10-11.pdf    Here's a few highlights:

# of Members of the Grounds Crew:
Congressional  =  55 + 120 volunteers this week (mostly superintendents)
Lake Valley = 10

Greens Mowing Height:
Congressional =  .100"
Lake Valley = .130"

Target Stimpmeter:
Congressional = 14 - 14.5 feet
Lake Valley = 9 - 9.5 feet

Typical Mowing Schedule:
Congressional:  All areas daily; Greens, tees, and fairways twice daily
Lake Valley:   Greens daily;  roughs, tees and fairways 2-3 times per week

They are able to accomplish this by having a huge crew of qualified available help, with their own 55 staff members plus 120 volunteers, and an unbelievable assortment of equipment (19 fairway mowers?!?!?!)  One of the most telling statements though is this quote:  "..these conditions are just temporary.  This level of conditioning cannot be sustained week-in and week-out without such tremendous support."

Why Are They Cutting Trees?

“Why are we cutting so many trees?” There have been a few members ask that question recently. The answer is that every tree that has been cut down has been taken out for a specific reason. No trees are removed without committee discussion and agreement. Here is a list of trees that have been removed in the past year or so, and why they were removed.

Hole #2 – two trees on right side near cart path were removed for safety reasons. High winds in 2008 had caused them to separate at their base and they were leaning to a degree where there were concerns about them falling.

Hole #3 – large tree in front of green. This one was severely damaged by the 2008 winds to a point where there was nothing left but the trunk.  New pin oaks have been planted nearby.

Hole #4 – large tree near gold tees was removed because it was extremely hollow and a danger for collapse. We didn’t realize just how hollow and dangerous it was until it was cut down.  Check out this blog entry:  http://lakevalleygolf.blogspot.com/2011/04/tree-safety.html

Hole #4 – large tree left rear of green was removed for turf benefits. The canopy of this tree shaded the area between the cart path and the green, and it’s root system competed vigorously for water and nutrients. This combination of competition for food and water, plus a lack of sunlight made it difficult to grow turf in this area.

Hole #12 – about 6 trees were removed from the left side of the fairway, primarily to allow sunlight to reach the turf. Because of the heavy tree canopy, the turf in that area was only receiving a few (maybe 3) hours of direct sunlight per day, which is not enough for healthy turf to grow. As a result, rain runoff washed out the area, making a bad situation worse. By reducing the canopy we are providing more sunlight to the area which should promote turf growth. Opening the area also greatly improves playablility of the hole.

Hole #14 – midsized tree in right rough was removed. It was dead.

Hole #18 – midsized pine tree ~100 yards from green was removed. It was dead.

The August 2004 newsletter reported that about 198 new trees had been planted on the course since 1980. We have planted several more trees since 2004. The bottom line is that yes, trees have been removed and more will be removed, but not without appropriate discussion and consideration before a decision is reached. We are also constantly reevaluating areas that would benefit from the addition of trees and usually plant several trees per year.

 In case you haven't noticed it yet, there is a newly dead tree on #1 where the cart path runs through the first cluster of trees.  It is an elm and appears to have been taken by Dutch Elm disease and will eventually be removed.   There is also a large elm by the tee on #4 that is still green, but is showing effects of Dutch Elm and may have to be taken eventually.

This elm on #1 has succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease and will have to be removed.

12 Tee Landscaping





Jay poses with the new landscaping by #12 tee. (click for larger photo)

  

Take a look at the new landscaping at the wall along #12 tee!   Jay has done an excellent job of building the stacked block walls, and Charlie has helped with the landscaping to make this a much more attractive area.  He's got a bit more to do toward the front of the wall, but it's all coming together nicely.   This project has been completed using block that we already had and was either in storage at the maintenance building, or has been repurposed from elsewhere on the course.   If you see Jay or Charlie (or Alex) let them know what you think of this project.

Sod on 12

As you know, we have been on a project this winter to reduce some of the tree canopy left of #12 fairway and make that area more playable.  Another step is being taken today with the shaping of the base and laying of sod.

Sod will be laid from their starting point all the way up the bank

Sod is being harvested from the area right of #17 fairway, an area which is seldom in play and not largely noticeable from other areas.  It will be seeded next week and should grow back nicely.   The view below is looking toward #12 green from near the 150 yard marker.



This view is from roughly where the 150 yard marker stands



DIVOT REPAIR ETIQUETTE - ARE YOU DOING IT RIGHT? (OR AT ALL?)

THIS BLOG ENTRY IS FROM THE USGA GREEN SECTION RECORD, April 15, 2011

Repairing Divots - Are You Doing It The Right Way?


by the Green Section Staff


Overfilling does more harm than good.

Q: There seems to be confusion among the membership about how much divot mix should be used to fill fairway divots. Is there a proper amount? (Missouri)



A: The proper amount of divot mix (usually sand or a mixture comprised primarily of sand) is surprisingly small because it should be only the amount needed to replace the soil that was removed. Filling divot level higher than the existing playing surface, i.e. turfgrass canopy, is overfilling. Not only is this a waste of divot mix, but the extra sand will slow turfgrass recovery because seedlings and/or lateral regenerative growth of surrounding vegetation will be scalped by mowers. This leads to the second problem when divots are overfilled because sand particles dull and damage mower blades.



Link to USGA animation on divot etiquette

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No More Stump on #3

On the overnight of June 19/20, 2009 Lake Valley was hit by high winds that uprooted and/or damaged numerous trees, including the very large tree that guarded to opening to #3 green.  This is what we saw in the early morning of June 20th.

Click on pictures for larger version

 In late December of 2009 the remaining trunk was taken down, leaving a very large stump.  The stump was simply so large that it was difficult to determine how to eliminate it.  Having it ground out would be costly as it would require a larger than standard size stump grinder.

Beginning in early winter 2010/2011 the stump was cut down as low as possible.  This was a laborous process as the only way to cut it was by making vertical cuts and then horizontal cuts and taking it out in chunks.  It was almost like dicing a potato, only much bigger.  This was a slow process as well because that section of the tree is murder on saw chains, so there were frequent disruptions while new chains were installed and old chains were sent for resharpening.

Once the stump was cut down as low as possible, the next step was to burn it out.  Using wood that remained from various clean up projects around the course, a fire was started on top of the stump and fed continuously for several days.  The resulting bed of coals burned the stump until only a few root stubs were left above grade.

 On Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Alex put the final touches on this lengthy project when he covered the resulting area with topsoil, creating a small mound to cover any remaining tree remnants.  The area was then sodded with some cool-season grass that was harvested from another area of the golf course.  Here are the results:

click on pictures for larger version

click on picture for larger version

click on picture for larger version