Another drainage issue

After another rainstorm this past week, a puddle formed and lingered at the drains on #16. We found another root ball, in the same pipe, about 15 feet away from the first one.

Two weeks ago we cleared a very large root ball  out of the drain pipe on #16. Water had been very slow to drain, and puddles had formed around the inlets. After some exploration and jetting with a hose, we determined something more solid was blocking the water. We found a very large mass of roots.

This is a phot of the root ball from late June

Last week there was standing water around the same inlets on #16. Again, we tried to jet the pipe with a hose, assuming the chances of another blockage that soon was unlikely. The hose was quickly blocked again though and we didn’t waste any time before starting to dig. And unbelievably, in the same pipe, within 15 feet of the first root ball, we found a second one that was just as big.

 

As similar as the photos appear, this is
a picture of the second root ball from early July

Somehow, clearing the first ball of roots cleared enough space in the pipe to give the appearance that everything was free flowing. As soon as the first one was removed, water raced down the drains. However, the next heavy rainstorm showed that to be short-lived and we were right back to square one.

Here is a picture showing the excavation 
of the second root ball. To the right, outlined in red, 
is the replaced sod from the first repair

We checked the location of the drains early in the morning after the rain and we were shocked to see how much water was still not draining. We were even more shocked to find a second root mass. Nevertheless, we think the drain is clear, for now, but who knows what will happen next!

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Fairway vertical mowing

Vertical mowing of playing surfaces is a very good way to ensure the best conditions possible. We verticut greens in the spring and fall and complete the process on the Bermuda grass in the summer. This week we are starting the fairways.

Last year was the first time in several years that we were able to complete a full fairway vertical mowing program. Weak turf, new turf, or both prevented us from aggressively thinning the Bermuda grass. But the turf was ready last year, and we are in an even better position this year.

Vertical mowing cuts down into the plant and soil as opposed to cutting across the surface. For grasses like Bermuda grass which have stolons and rhizomes- which are horizontal stems that grow on or just below the surface- cutting vertically can encourage new, fresh growth. Also, by cutting and removing some of the stem tissue, it opens the canopy and revitalizes the existing turf.

Verticutting the fairways is a time consuming and aggressive procedure. We have a large acreage of fairways, and the machine is only 5 feet wide, meaning lots of passes up and down to cover all that space. The process also produces lots of debris which must be cleaned off the fairways. After the vertical mowing we will drag the fairways to knock any good soil back down to the surface, and to help break apart the stems that have been cut. Then we will blow as much loose material off the as possible. Then we mow the fairways to cut all the stragglers that are tufted up. Lastly, we will blow again to clean off the clippings from the regular mowing.

Although it will take 7-10 days for the fairways to heal from the verticutting, taking one step back leads to two steps forward. The fairways will be in better condition and better health after this work than they are prior.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t stand in one place for an extended period to practice putting. Your footprints can be worn into the green.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Shockwave

Soil compaction and drainage are two of the most important factors for growing good, healthy turfgrass. Dating all the way back to construction, we have dealt with some severe compaction issues from the earth moving equipment that performed the renovations. Especially, in some approach areas, the compaction has led to struggling turf over several years. Last week, we tested a different type of aerator to help alleviate some of the tight soils.

The machine we tried is called a Shockwave and it is a linear aerator. Instead of poking holes down into the soil vertically like a traditional aerator, the Shockwave has 12” knives that slice down into the soil and then carve a channel linearly as the machine moves forward. Working depth can be set from 4-10”. The blades are offset on the shaft so that across the machine there are always blades in the ground, and multiple blades per position so that a blade is always down in each channel creating a continuous slice. The Shockwave is very good at breaking up hard soil, and it can also help with drainage because water will follow the new channels.

It is hard to see, but this is a photo of
the knives that slice down into the soil

Since we were only testing the machine, we prioritized our most troublesome areas to work through first. We made multiple passes across every approach, with some approaches getting more attention than others. We ran the machine in several different directions, trying to break up as much compaction as possible, and we also made some angled passes from higher points to lower points to help move water more efficiently. Although the machine must be operated slowly- the company recommends .5-1 mph- it was very easy to use and left a clean, playable surface behind.

After completing the approaches, our next priority was some drainage swales on #15 fairway, a large portion of #17 fairway, and a large portion of #18 fairway. These were all areas that were heavily excavated and compacted during construction also and that give us trouble throughout the year. Finally, we did a section from about 100 yards and in to the green on #1, two small sections on #4 fairway, all along the right side of #5 fairway, everything from 200 yards and in to the green on #7 fairway, and a few very small areas on #11, 12 and 13 fairways. We finished with the machine over on the soccer field, which interestingly enough, had a few areas of soil that even the Shockwave couldn’t penetrate!

All this work was done at a depth of about 4.5-5”. It will take some time to see the full benefits of the aeration, but we did break through some hard soil, which can only help the health of the turf. As the turf continues to grow through this season, it should be able to root better and slightly deeper because of the lines we cut. This better rooting will lead to a stronger plant now and for the winter, and the stronger the plant is for winter, the better it breaks dormancy in the spring. Moving forward, if we were to purchase one of these machines, we would work on cutting deeper in some of the trouble areas, as well as slicing more acreage in total.

In the short term, there are some stolons of Bermuda grass that were cut by the knives and wilted and died, though fewer than we expected. The healthy Bermuda grass will heal in over these lines in a short time and all the scarring will disappear. There should be some immediate impacts on water movement through the sliced areas as water will find these channels and flow easier.

Even though we were only testing the machine, we were able to work through all our top priorities before our time was up. This is not a cure for all that can hurt the Bermuda grass, but if we can slowly work on reducing the factors working against the turf, the turf health will continue to improve.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When you splash bunker sand onto the green after your shot, please brush away any large piles or clumps that may have ended up on the green.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Another drainage update

The weather dictates nearly every aspect of our operation: what we can and cannot accomplish, and what problems we must deal with. Due to the rain in the last couple of weeks, dealing with water issues has been our focus.

Work at #13 green

#13 green

Early on last week we dealt with two more drains that were not emptying in the best locations, just like we wrote about in the previous blog. This time, work was done at #2 green and #13 green. #2 green was very simple- the drain ended about 15 feet short of where we wanted it, so the trench was extended, and new pipe was added. #13 was slightly more complicated because the last junction box for the drain line had no exit. Water simply filled the box and overflowed out into the surrounding area. Sometimes this is ok- letting the water surface and run away is what we do when we terminate at cart path edges. However, in the case at #13 green, the overflowing water was not getting away fast enough and was turning the whole area into a wet, muddy mess. Again, we trenched in a new pipe, and this was connected into the box to provide an outlet for collecting water. #2 and #13 were relatively easy fixes and probably should have been done sooner than they were, but we finished them, nevertheless.

#13 green

Replacing the sod at #13 green

The backup of water to the left of #16 was a different story. In all the previous examples, the troublesome pipes were installed many years ago, and things changed over time, so adjustments needed to be made. The water near #16, however, was sitting over the top of drain inlets, that we helped install relatively recently, and are fully aware of where the pipes start and end. Seeing water sitting for so long directly over the top of drains was concerning. Unfortunately, with so much rain, it was difficult to decipher what was draining slowly because of sheer volume and what was moving slowly because of a problem.

The backed up water at #16

Another blocked drain at #16

Finally, once the rain stopped late last week, we were sure that some other problem existed besides too much water. Probing up into the pipe, we discovered a blockage about 25 feet up inside that was restricting flow. We excavated at that position and discovered an enormous root ball that had penetrated the pipe, exploded in size, and choked off nearly 95% of the flow through the 6” pipe. Once the root mass was removed, water rushed down the pipe, and the stagnant water above the drain inlets was gone in a matter of minutes.

The root mass that was inside a 6" pipe on #16
sitting next to a hat for size reference. 
We didn't weight it, but I would guess it weighed
at least 7 or 8 pounds!

We haven’t mowed much grass recently, which we will make up for this coming week, but we were not short of other issues to work on. We solved some issues that the excess water presented. No matter what the weather is doing, one way or another, it keeps us on our toes.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When you splash bunker sand onto the green after your shot, please brush away any large piles or clumps that may have ended up on the green.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Drain extensions

Sometimes a shift in the weather is all it takes to give a new perspective on the course. In this case, May was a very wet month, and the excessive water highlighted where two drains were not working as intended. This past week we made some changes to handle water in these places in the future.

One of the most important, but also the most difficult aspect of installing drainage is locating where to daylight the pipe. Extremely long runs of pipe, surface topography, or other factors can make locating an exit point hard. Getting this wrong can lead to correcting a wet spot in one place only for the water exiting your drain to cause a new wet spot because you didn’t get the exit point located correctly, which only leads to more work. This was the case with the two drains we worked on last week, one on #9 and the other on #12.

Both drains have been operating correctly- water has been removed from the surface and flowed in the pipe as intended. Unfortunately, the exit point has become a secondary wet spot and causes us some issues with mowing. In both cases, most of the time there are no issues with the location of the drains. The water weeps out at the end and soaks into the surrounding soil. However, when the surrounding soil is saturated from rain and the water keeps seeping out of the drain also, then the water can’t percolate down, and it becomes a sloppy mess. We can’t mow the section that is too wet, or if we accidentally do, or if a cart drives through, we get ruts and destroyed turf.

So, the best solution that we have in most cases is to extend the drainpipe to a better termination point. Sometimes that might be to another drain, maybe to a point much further away and less in play, or in some cases, right to the cart path where the water can wash onto the path. For the drain on #9, we chose this last option: extending right up to the cart path. The drain still bleeds out onto the surface, but now it is onto a hard surface that can be driven on by carts and machines.

 

It turns out we were so busy with many different tasks, 
that we did not take any pictures during the project! Here is
a quick shot of the completed work on #9.

The drain on #12 was slightly different. We didn’t have a cart path nearby enough to get to and there was no additional drain into which we could empty. Instead, we extended this drain far enough so that it no longer impacts our mowing pattern and should be far enough away that most if not all carts will no longer drive through the exit point.

This is not the first time we have extended drains in this fashion. Just last year we extended a drain near #5 green and in the past we moved a drain at #13 green. The process is relatively simple, and we can easily finish in a day. Most of these drains are not very deep, so once we determine a new ending point, we hand dig a new trench to there, expose the old pipe, connect the new pipe, and backfill. In most cases we aren’t moving the drain further than about 20 feet, sometimes much less, so progress is made quickly.

Controlling and removing water is one of the most important aspects of turf management. Wet ground is not good for playing golf or managing grass. Sometimes getting the water just a little bit farther away can make all the difference.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

When you splash bunker sand onto the green after your shot, please brush away any large piles or clumps that may have ended up on the green.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org