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

Tree Safety

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

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

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

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

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.