Solar bathroom project update

A few weeks ago we discussed the solar addition to the bathroom on near #13 green and what we needed to accomplish to get the power aspect up and running. You can read more about that here. Since then we have added plants to soften the landscape around the ground mounted solar panels.

Choosing plants for a project like this has two main requirements: 1. Low maintenance and 2. Deer resistant. First, we need plants that are low maintenance because we don’t have the time or labor to spend trimming, extra watering (after establishment), and dead heading spent blooms, etc. So we look for plants that are not fussy and can take care of themselves once we get them in the ground. Secondly, any plant on the property needs to be deer resistant. We have a good sized population of deer that frequent our grounds and will eat anything they find appetizing. Our goal is to make sure that anything we add is not appetizing to them or at least less appetizing then something else. The deer will eat the best combination of enticing and easy/safe that they can find. If we make our plants less edible or less accessible we are usually in the clear.

For the front/low side of the solar panel array we chose dwarf crepe myrtles. These are true dwarfs and will only grow 3-4 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. This was ideal for the front side of the array because we cannot block sunlight from reaching the panels. These crepe myrtles will provide nice blooms through the summer. For the two sides and the back we chose Orange Rocket barberries. Over time these will grow into a nice mass grouping that provides good screening for the solar panels.

Take a look at the new plants next time you are on the course. Hopefully they will distract you from the solar panels behind them!

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t take any type of full swing on a putting green. Damage from spikes or divots may occur.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Bermuda grass slicing

We are still battling the Mid-Atlantic weather swings. Two weeks ago, we had frost, and three days ago it was in the mid-90’s, and now it is somewhere in between. This can present challenges in trying to time and execute different aspects of our agronomic programs on the golf course. One such practice that we first tried back in 2015 and have now made a regular occurrence is slicing the Bermuda grass.

We originally sliced the Bermuda grass back in 2015 to help the sod following construction on holes 3, 15, 16, and 17. We saw positive results and you can read more about our initial attempt and theory here. Last year, building off the results of 2015, we expanded our slicing to include all of the fairways. Now, in 2017, we increased our efforts again. This year, we not only sliced all of the fairways, but also all of the Bermuda grass tees and the Bermuda grass soccer field. We were able to accomplish this over a day and a half of steady slicing that started on May 15^th.

The slice lines are visible

As the previous blog post from 2015 states, the slicing is a way for us to cut the Bermuda grass and increase its density and lateral growth. This is VERY similar to verticutting, which we do later in the summer. The key difference is that verticutting removes large amounts of material and slicing does not remove any material. This is the reason we begin the year with slicing versus verticutting. As the Bermuda grass breaks dormancy and begins to grow, the tissue is young and fragile. Also, the fairways are just beginning to fill in. This would not be an ideal time to remove material from the fairways. Instead, we slice, creating new growth points at each cut, and disturb as little existing tissue as possible.

Initially, after slicing, the Bermuda grass can look worse for up to a week. However, based on our experience from year’s prior, we know that the turf will rebound and be better than it was prior to slicing. As mentioned, we knew there was a stretch of very warm weather approaching the week of the 15^th, so our timing was deliberate. Now, a week later, the Bermuda grass has turned the corner and begun to fill in and hide the slice lines. Although the weather has cooled off, the soil temperatures are warm enough now to sustain the healing of the Bermuda grass and continue to aid in creating density.

Being too aggressive too early with the Bermuda grass can backfire, causing a regression early in the season right as we want the fairways to flourish. However, by slicing, we find a middle ground that is just aggressive enough, but not detrimental to the young Bermuda grass.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t take any type of full swing on a putting green. Damage from spikes or divots may occur.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Master Plan construction preview

As another summer approaches, so does another round of golf course Master Plan construction. This year’s work will consist of holes 11, 12, and 13 in their entirety as well as the tee complex for #2. We also have to construct 2 bioswales similar to the one last year between 16 and 18 tees. While the scope of work, timing, and other things will be very similar to year’s past, the big difference this year is that this is the last phase of work. Following this summer, all 18 holes and a practice bunker will have been renovated.

Work will begin in late June near #2 tee constructing a bioswale. All play is expected to shift to the over the water tee solely. More intensive work will begin after the 4^th of July just like in other years. Once the early work on #2 tee is complete, focus will shift to 11, 12, and 13.

For holes 11, 12, and 13 we will be reconstructing the tee complexes as well as the fairway and greens bunkers. Each tee will be redone in the rectangular style similar to other holes and sodded to Bermuda grass. Bunkers will be completely renovated with new, working drainage, new slopes, and a style consistent with other bunkers on the course. Some angles, bunker placements, and tee placements will shift but there will be no major alterations to how each hole plays.

After the work is complete on 11, 12, and 13, we will move back to #2 and renovate the over the water tee. By this time, the original tee that we started work on early, will be ready to handle play. This will allow one or the other tee on #2 to be in place during all of the construction.

Below are computer renderings of the work to be done this year. There may be slight adjustments to the final results once we are in the field, but work will follow closely to these pictures. The drawings will also be posted in the clubhouse as well as on the course near the tees of each hole under construction.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t take any type of full swing on a putting green. Damage from spikes or divots may occur.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Lantanas

Last week we put in our annual flowers around much of the clubhouse and entrance. We used the same plants, lantanas, which we have used in the past. We have had great success with these flowers for their low maintenance and deer resistance. In this case, we decided “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The lantanas have performed very well for us for the past three seasons. You can read more about some of our thoughts regarding the flowers from last year here. They continue to prove to be easy to manage and the deer have thus far stayed away.

Despite using the same species this year, we went about it in a completely different way. Instead of having a landscape company or other third party obtain the flowers from a nursery and then deliver them to us, we ordered our flowers online. This was a completely new strategy for us. We had some difficulty fitting in to our previous suppliers’ schedule. We were concerned that it may approach time to plant and not have a supply of flowers or any back up plan. Through a little research, we found many options for purchasing many types of plants online. We found the lantanas we needed in stock, a good selection of varieties, and a confirmed ship date two weeks in advance.

The flowers were shipped by UPS from Virginia, so they were only an overnight shipment. We received an email notification of shipment and a tracking number to monitor. The flowers arrived on time and well protected. Each plant was wrapped and protected in plant material specific boxes. We planted all of the new flowers within the next two days.

We will have to wait and see how this new experiment works, but so far the flowers seem to be doing well. This could possibly turn in to a yearly practice.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t take any type of full swing on a putting green. Damage from spikes or divots may occur.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Solar bathroom

The bathroom behind #13 green was designed as solar powered facility. The solar panels provided power for the needs of the bathroom as well as storing any excess power in batteries on site. However, the process never ran smoothly and could not be counted on to produce enough power or to store enough in the batteries when needed. So this spring we upgraded the system, installed additional panels, and made sure the entire system was up to date.

In years past the only solar panels were on the roof of the building. Those panels worked correctly but did not always adequately supply power for the needs of the bathroom. The draw of power was more than the existing panels could cover most of the time, and was never enough for the uses inside the building and to charge the batteries. This left nothing working properly or for any consistent amount of time. We had an assessment of the system and discovered we were only making half of the necessary power for the load inside and battery charging.

We added more panels on a ground mount outside the building to add the additional power. Now the system operates at full capacity and provides excess power to charge the batteries. We are also able to monitor the electrical status of the facility online now, which is a major upgrade from before. Lastly, we will be adding a backup generator for the extreme situations in the winter when we have extended cloud cover and several day stretch of temperatures well below freezing.

Also, although the new ground mount is necessary, it is not the most attractive structure. While we can’t hide it completely because sunlight must reach it, we are going to border it with some shrubs in the coming weeks. This will at least soften the appearance and make it blend in better.

With a fully functioning power system, the bathroom will now live up to its full potential as a stand-alone facility.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don’t take any type of full swing on a putting green. Damage from spikes or divots may occur.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org