Lake Valley Grounds

Shaped and Ready!

2012-01-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

Alex was able to get the bunker on the left of #10 green shaped today and ready for final excavation, sand, and sod. In the attached pictures you can see the painted yellow line which represents the size and shape of the finished bunker. The area inside the painted yellow line will be excavated and filled with sand, the area outside will receive zoysia sod.

We've been very fortunate this winter that the weather has cooperated and allowed us the opportunity to complete projects like this.

LEFT Front Bunker on #10

2012-01-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

Demo and reshaping began today on the left front bunker on #10. Similar to the right front bunker on 10 and the right front bunker on #1, this bunker will have the steeply flashed face removed and replaced with a grass face to prevent the erosion problems we've experienced in the past. With the nice weather forecast this week Alex expects to have this bunker completed in fairly short order. Most of the shaping is completed today (Monday) and barring weather issues he should do final shaping and excavate for the drain next.

#12 Cart Path

2012-01-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

Remember the area at the bottom of the first hill on #12 where the cart path has a drainage whistle under it and those nasty, dangerous metal grates? Shazzam! The grates are gone. The whistle is no more and the area on the fairway side has been filled in and sodded. We left the concrete spillway on the right side of the path for now as a deterrent to erosion, but the metal grate is gone, replaced by a layer of concrete. We think this will be a nice improvement to the area.

Another Bunker DONE!

2012-01-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

Alex and his crew have completed the renovation of the right-front bunker on #10 and I must say it looks GREAT!

Patrick is even giving it his approval

#10 Bunker Update 1/10/12

2012-01-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

Work continues on renovating the right front bunker on #10. Today, Alex continued the process of working the edges of the bunker to build the base contour that will be needed to lay sod and build the new faces of the bunker. This involves cutting every edge of the bunker to allow recontouring.

(Above) Alex uses the sand pro to work dirt up into the face of the old bunker. Most of the face will be sodded and the only sand will be at the bottom of the bunker.

Alex uses the mini excavator to dig out the existing bunker and repurpose the soil for the banks of the newly rebuilt bunker

Alex works on the lower edge of the bunker. Instead of being a steep drop off into the bunker, the new lower edge will be sloped gradually into the trap and will be surfaced with zoysia sod.

Jay hand digs the one "oops" that we've uncovered so far. This is a 4" water line that we didn't realize was buried just outside the existing bunker. The good news is that its location won't require us to move it in order to compete the renovation.

Reminder

2012-01-10T06:10:00.000-08:00

In case you need a reminder of why we're reconstructing this bunker, here's a shot from 2007. This is what you get when a bunker is built with a high flashing face but the green design allows water to run right over the top edge of the bunker instead of being diverted around it.

NEXT? Front Bunker on #10

2012-01-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

Today Alex started work on renovating the right front bunker on #10. This will be simlar to what was done to the bunker on #1; the steep face will be replaced with a sod face and a smaller, flatter bunker.

"BEFORE":

A little movie of Alex excavating

ALMOST DONE!

2011-12-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-12-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

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

2011-09-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

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......

2011-08-31T16:44:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-28T05:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-07-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-07-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-06-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-06-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

“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

2011-06-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

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?)

2011-04-15T04:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

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

Tree Safety

2011-04-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

There are those among us that don't think we should ever cut down a tree, but the pictures you're about to see should help explain one of the reasons why sometimes we have little choice.

This week we took down the large trunked oak tree that was just left of the forward tee on #4. This tree had been unhealthy for some time, regularly dropping limbs and displaying a number of dead limbs. We also knew that it was at least partly hollow. In the photo above this large section of trunk was hollow all the way to the top - at least 20'.

Because of the large size and for our crew's safety, we hired a tree service to drop the tree, and we're glad we did. Once down we discovered that the tree was mostly hollow. Any good wind might have been enough to bring the tree down. This tree was dangerous and a potential liability for the club.

Here you can see the remaining stump. You'll notice that on one side there are places with less than 2" of wood holding the tree together.

There are a number of reasons that we have trimmed and/or removed trees, and will continue to do so. Some are for agronomic reasons, to aide the health of the turf grass. Others, like this tree and the two that we removed on #2 this winter, are for safety reasons. If you have any questions please contact any of the green committee members and they will be happy to discuss with you.

Cart Rules - And why we have them

2011-03-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Our cart rules are in place for one primary reason – to help protect the condition and quality of the golf course so that golfers can experience the best possible playing conditions.

In-season we follow one of these sets of cart rules:

Cart Path Only – used only in the worst conditions, carts are relegated to staying on the path 100% of the time. Certainly not the preferable situation, but by limiting traffic to cart paths we are able to have the course open many times when conditions would otherwise have us completely closed.

Roughs Only – Carts are limited to traveling on cart paths or in the rough areas only. Carts are not to be in the fairway.
90-degrees – carts should travel on paths or in the roughs when possible, but may travel into the fairway at a 90° angle to your ball and then return to the rough or cart path. Carts should be kept out of the fairway whenever possible.

Cart rules change daily depending upon weather and course conditions. Signs are posted in the Pro Shop as well as near the tees on holes 1, 3, 8, 10, 14, and 16. Keep in mind that just because it is beautiful and sunny today, the course may still be wet from previous rains.

Return to Path signs: In the vicinity of most greens are narrow vertical signs with the wording “Return to Path” on them. Cart traffic should never be closer to the green than those signs, unless on a cart path. Under no circumstances, or in the absence of signs, should a cart be closer than 30’ of a green unless it is on a path.
Par 3’s: On selected par 3 holes (#2, #15) you may see signs that say something to the effect of “Carts on Path Only”. Because of the short length of those holes we expect carts to remain on the path only.
Orange Flags: I’ve got an orange flag, so I can go anywhere, right? Wrong, basically all that an orange flag does is afford you the option to adhere to the 90° rules when others are restricted to Roughs Only. But you should understand that on days when the course is Cart Path Only your orange flag doesn’t gain you any special status – you are also restricted to Cart Path Only. An orange flag doesn’t allow you to drive right up to the greens, or inside the Return to Path signs. Orange flags simply give you the option to drive 90° when others are restricted to Roughs Only.

One more thing about orange flags; if you’re fit enough to walk the front 9 holes you probably shouldn’t need a flag for the back nine.

It’s winter, but it’s bone dry. Why can’t everyone drive in the fairway? For years we suffered fairly regular instances of “winter kill” to our Bermuda grass fairways. Upon hiring the USGA turf experts to review our situation, we learned that there were three contributing factors to winter kill. Two of them were weather related and out of our control. The one and only factor that we had any control over was cart traffic. During the winter months our Bermuda grass is dormant and does not have a chance to grow or repair itself. Continuous or excessive cart traffic can beat it down even further to a point where it makes springtime recovery more difficult and slower. By limiting the amount of cart traffic each off-season we give the turf a fighting chance at making a full recovery each spring.

Banquet Room Updates

2011-03-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks there have been a number of updates to the banquet room, entry foyer, and back hallway. In the main banquet room the carpet has been removed and replaced with a hardwood laminate. The entry foyer has been updated with new tile, including the very neat inlay shown above.

We've also received new chairs for the banquet room, and new table tops are on their way! I know many of you have wished for new chairs for many years, and it's finally come true.

As soon as everything is in and finished I will be taking new photographs of the banquet room, bar, and member's area for updating our website.

Irrigation Valve Replacement

2011-03-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

If you've played or been around hole #3 in the past 2-3 weeks you've noticed a large hole dug near the cart path just after you cross the bridge. You've also noticed the mini-excavator stationed nearby. When we started the irrigation system up for the season we found that a valve on one of our main lines was leaking, and repair turned out to not be an option. A new valve would be required. The new valve finally arrived and Alex and his crew were busy installing it today. Changing an irrgation valve doesn't sound like much, but beings that this is on an 8" main line it is a LARGE valve, weighing in at about 200 lbs. The mini-excavator was used to lower it into the hole where the old valve had been removed and preparations made to install the new one.

It took quite a bit of manpower to finally get things lined up and the new valve installed, but it appears that the installation was a success. This valve is used to shut off about 1/2 of our golf course when the need arises.

Welcome Home Kaleb

2011-03-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome home Kaleb! We're happy to report that as of Friday night Kaleb is safely home at his parent's house outside Camdenton. Kaleb is the son of our Pro/GM Dan Robertson and his wife Diane, and has spent the last year with the 414th Military Police company deployed to the Bagram prison in Afghanistan. His unit arrived at their post in Joplin on Thursday morning, and after a day of unwinding in the area with his family they arrived home Friday night.

Greens Aerifying - Why do we do it?

2011-03-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

Spring is approaching and the golf course will soon begin to green up. We're starting to mow the greens again and they're looking good. Then, just as things are really looking great about the 3rd week of March we're going to core-aerify and top-dress the greens! Why do we always do this right when things are really looking good?

The March 4, 2011 issue of the USGA Green Section Record has an excellent article about greens aerifying and why it is necessary. Here is a link to the entire article, with a few excerpts posted below. (Credit to the USGA Green Section Record)

http://turf.lib.msu.edu/gsr/article/bevard-putting-3-4-11.pdf

"Maintaining or even improving the rate water moves into soils is an important part of aeration. The procedure creates channels in the upper portion of the soil profile that allow water to percolate or move into the soil profi le more rapidly. As the term aeration implies, the practice also increases the amount of space available for oxygen (air) to penetrate the soil, which is critical for root growth and, ultimately, plant growth. Improvement in oxygen levels and water infiltration are achieved through the removal of organic matter."

The bottom line is, aeration is performed for the health of the grass and, ultimately, the playability of the putting greens. Greens with less organic matter, properly managed through aeration and other techniques, will be better greens on a season-long basis. Try not to get caught up in the short-term disruption to playability, and focus on the long-term benefits that core aeration programs provide.

Removing the big stump

2011-01-27T07:27:00.000-08:00

You'll recall that for that past year + there has been a huge tree stump on #3 from the sentinal tree that we lost to storm damage in 2008. Over the past few weeks we have cut it down as close to the ground as we could, and this week have had a continuous burn going on top of it to try and burn down the remaining stump as low as we can.

We know that this is not going to completely remove the stump. Our plan is that once we have done what we can to remove as much as we can, the remaining area will be covered by soil and become a small (low) mound.

It is amazing how large this tree was. At the base it is over 6' across.

One nice benefit of attacking the stump this way is that we are somewhat "killing two birds with one stone." On one hand we are working to burn out the stump, but at the same time the material we are burning is the waste from other tree trimming projects we are performing around the golf course.

Let there be light

2011-01-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks we have taken out a handful of trees on the left side of #12 fairway. Specifically, trees in that area from the 150 marker to the bottom of the hill, and from there up to about the 100 yard marker. There was a multi-faceted reason for this. First and foremost, the trees on the downhill side from the 150 marker were removed to allow sunlight to the turf in an effort to establish some grass in the area. As you know, that is an area that has historically been eroded and void of grass. One of the principal requirements for growing grass is sunlight, and this area simple wasn't getting enough. Removing a few trees will improve the light penetration and should enable us to greatly improve the turf quality in that area.

(click pictures to enlarge)

In the above photo you can see the approximate location of trees that have been removed. If you will think back, in the past if you were standing in this position near the 150 marker your view to the green was largely blocked by the large trees that hung out from the left rough. Additionally, this area was normally a mess of brush and undergrowth. As part of the clean up we intend to establish cool season grass so that we will have rough on the left side, instead of just woods. In the picture above the red marks indicate the approximate location of trees that have been removed.

In the above picture you can see the view from just left of the 150 marker. This is standing near the top of the drainage ditch that cut through the wooded area. This ditch will now be the approximate edge of the rough.

A secondary benefit of this work is that a tee shot in the left edge or left rough will still have a chance to be in play. You may not have a clear shot to the green (notice that one tree has been left) but you will likely still be in play.

The view above is looking back toward the tee box. The red line represents the area of the drainage ditch that was cut through the woods.

Bunker on #2

2010-11-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

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

2010-07-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-19T05:23:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-07-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-15T05:58:00.001-07:00

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!

2010-06-14T10:48:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-03T09:00:00.001-07:00

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

2010-05-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-04T09:58:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-11T07:28:00.001-08:00

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.

The Big Tree on #3

2009-12-28T11:12:00.001-08:00

We took down what remained of the big tree near #3 green today. After lots of discussion and reviewing the possible options it was decided that the best thing to do was to take the remaining part of the tree down and get started with the recovery process. You may recall that this large tree was "topped" during the storm of June 19-20, 2009.

After finally getting the trunk to the ground, Alex took a couple minutes to do a quick ring count to get an age estimate. According to his count, the tree is (was) between 140 and 150 years old! If you use 150 as the age, that would mean the tree was a sapling around 1860 and a young tree during the Civil War! It's certainly a shame that such a tree was lost, but in the end Mother Nature pretty much too care of it for us during the June storm.

In a related note, in this picture you can see two young trees that have been planted along #3 to replace this lost giant. It will take many years before they mature enough to have much affect on the hole, but as they say, the trees planted by one generation provide shade to the next generation.

In the picture above, Alex is holding his saw to give a size comparison. The saw uses an 18" bar.

More Progress on Road Bank Clearing

2009-12-22T07:16:00.001-08:00

Tuesday 12/22/09 you can see how much the bank has been cleared of brush and undergrowth. There is still lots of work to be done, including using the bucket truck to trim the trees in the area immediately around the tee boxes.

For more pictures visit the Grounds section of our web site.

Progress on Road Bank Clean Up

2009-12-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Clean up on the Hwy 54 road bank along hole #14 has continued and is making a huge difference in the look of the hole, as well as increasing visibility of the golf course from the highway. The panorama picture above shows a large section of the bank has been mostly cleared. Only two or three more days of clean up and we should be open from the ladies tee all the way to the green.

Click here to see more pictures of the work.

Memorial Walk

2009-12-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

A volunteer crew of Dale and Sara McElwee, Dar Martin, and Harold Treese recently put the finishing touches on our Memorial Pavers Walk. The dirt is yet to be delivered to the flower beds, but the walls and walkway are completed. This should be an especially nice addition next spring when it is full of blooming flowers.

Memorial pavers can be purchased to honor your loved ones by contacting Dan or Priscilla in the office. A minimum donation of $100 is required.

For more pictures click here or select the Grounds link on the http://www.lakevalleygolf.com/ web site.

Highway Clearing

2009-12-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

As you drive past the golf course on Hwy 54 you may have noticed that you can see more of the course than you could in the past. That's partly because of the winter dropping of leaves from the trees, but also partly because we've been clearing trees from the road bank. As recent as 20 or so years ago the bank on the left side of #14 was mostly void of any trees. Wayward tee shots had a good chance of bouncing off the bank and back into play. Over the years the cedars and sycamores have sprung up on the hillside until you couldn't see the course from the road any more. In November we acquired a permit from MODOT to clean up the roadbank and make our course visible from the highway again.

In addition to making the course more visible (read: free advertising) it will also improve air circulation, especially as you get back to the tee areas. One unexpected plus is that it will also make it easier for our grounds crew to mow, as they will now be able to mow right up to the out of bounds stakes, whereas before they were so overgrown with trees that the edge of the fairway had to be "mowed" with weed eaters.