New benches

As we prepare for another golf season, one of the changes this year is our new benches. These new benches are a major upgrade over the old ones and more sustainable too.

Our old benches were made from two concrete formed legs with wooden slats. They were extremely cumbersome and heavy, making them difficult to move for any reason. The previous benches were also old and in need of repair and, in some cases, replacement.

We also lacked consistency across the course. While most of our benches were the brown wood and concrete type, we also had two other styles on the course. In certain locations, there were plastic benches as well as teak. While the teak will stay because they are either mostly around the clubhouse where they fit in more, or they are memorial benches and have some added significance, the plastic benches were removed. We are replacing these benches with a uniform style to match across the property.

To save money and make an economically sound decision, we decided to build the new benches in house. Purchasing the materials and using our own labor saved us hundreds of dollars per bench. We were also able to control the design and keep the style very simple and easily reproducible.

The benches are also sustainable. The seat and sides are made of Trex composite material, which is recycled plastic. The frame and legs are made from pressure treated 4x4 posts. Neither the Trex, nor the posts will need to be stained or painted. They won’t fade or weather. Our maintenance on them should be reduced to occasional cleaning or small detail work.

We hope you enjoy the new benches when you are on the course this season.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please keep carts on cart paths for the entirety of par 3 holes.

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

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

2nd #9 pond update

We are pleased to have another update regarding #9 pond. Although we never had an official timetable, the repair work will begin this week, which is much earlier than anticipated.

Starting this week, the contractor crew will begin digging the trench for the new pipe. They will work from the outlet, back towards the pond, installing the pipe as they proceed. Soil will be back-filled, and sod laid in progression with the installation, keeping exposed areas to a minimum.

The difficult portion of the work will revolve around repairing the sinkholes in the approach and plugging the old pipe. The workers will need to excavate at the point of failure along the bank of the pond. We need to expose the pipe and determine, as much as possible, what happened and how to block the pipe to prevent any future drainage. To block the pipe, we will pump concrete into the cavity and force the concrete outwards until it connects to undisturbed soil. The concrete will fill any voids and, once hardened, will support the soil above. Finally, the sinkholes will be repaired; the sod will be removed, soil added and compacted.

Digging the new trench will be minimally disruptive. Unfortunately, due to the location of the work in the approach, the repair work there will be disruptive, so the entire hole will be closed for a few days. This will allow the work to be done without interruption of golfers. Although it is inconvenient, closing the hole should reduce considerably the amount of time the work takes. The Golf Staff will be informed of the timing for the closure and signs will be posted. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

We hope that the work is finished within a couple of weeks and the pond is back to its normal depth.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please keep carts on cart paths for the entirety of par 3 holes.

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

Bunker etiquette

  

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Spring tasks

Spring is just around the corner. It’s time to break out of winter and wake the course back up. Over the next few weeks we will be working on getting accessories back out, charging the irrigation, and preparing the bunkers for the season.

During the winter we bring in many of the course accessories: tee markers, ball washers, bunker rakes, etc. We refurbish these items and prepare them for another season. Now it is time to put them back out. In the next week we will replace the wooden tee markers with our logo markers. All the ball washers will be reinstalled with fresh water and new towels. We will also be placing the bunker rakes back into bunkers for regular use. This season we also built new benches to replace the old concrete ones and they will be set out also. All these accessories will give the course its rightful feel for the season.

Soon, we will also be recharging the irrigation system. We gradually reopen the valve from our pond on #17 and pump the water back into all our pipes to the sprinklers. We test the system to make sure it is operating correctly and monitor for any leaks. It is important for us to have access to our irrigation as we progress into spring in order to water in certain chemical applications.

We also slowly work through cleaning all the flower and shrub beds on the course. We clean out any leaves, sticks, and debris that has accumulated through the winter. We add mulch anywhere necessary and trim back any overgrown plants. Weeds will also be sprayed. This process gives the course a fresh start for the year.

Probably the most important task of the next few weeks is the bunker work. While we have shoveled, raked, and generally maintained the bunkers all winter, it is time to readjust the sand depth. Several factors cause the sand to shift within the bunkers. It can move from wind or water. It can also move just from being raked. So, 2-3 times per season we must hit the reset button. We probe the depth of sand across the entire bunker and move sand from where there is too much to where there is too little, establishing 6” of sand throughout. Maintaining adequate sand depth is crucial to the playability of the bunkers.

While most of these tasks do not impact playing the course, they nevertheless add to the experience. Having freshly painted tee markers and ball washers back out lets everyone know the golf season is coming soon.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please keep carts on cart paths for the entirety of par 3 holes.

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

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Aeration and pond update

The weather has been up and down for a while now. Mild days, cold days, wet days and dry days. With all the fluctuation, we took advantage of a couple of dry and mild days to aerate the greens last week. We worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We still have the practice greens to do, which we hope to finish next week.

We often are asked why we aerate so early, especially compared to other courses around the area. There are a couple of reasons that it works for us. First, our greens are comprised of almost entirely Poa annua instead of bent grass. Poa annua is the grass that is discussed for being bumpy, producing seed heads, and generally not as desirable as bent grass, but can provide nice putting surfaces under proper management. One of the issues with Poa is its seed head production, which usually starts by the middle  of March, and has been discussed before. These seed heads can be reintroduced back into the green and create new Poa plants. If a course desires bent grass, the seed heads are very difficult to manage. Opening aeration holes in the green just ahead of this seed head production is very inviting to the tiny seeds, so most courses try to wait until after the first flush of seeds before they create holes. We don’t have to wait because we are not concerned with the seeds germinating in our greens.

Another reason we try and aerate early is due to the methods we use for preventing the seed heads. Plant Growth Regulators (PGR’s) are chemicals that inhibit the growth of plants, in our case, grass. One such PGR that we use is extremely effective at preventing seed heads by being extremely effective at stunting growth, which is further discussed here. We typically begin applying this chemical by the middle to end of March. If we can separate our aeration from this application, it is more time for the greens to heal. If aeration and the PGR are too close to one another, the PGR will keep the greens from healing.

Excavation of mud from erosion

Our actual scheduled aeration isn’t until the 3^rd week of March. We put this on the calendar in order to hold a place to complete the task if we haven’t finished prior. But there is no counting on the weather just because we put something on the calendar. We may have great weather for a few days before our scheduled time and terrible weather during, which then just pushes everything further into the season. However, by going early, at the first stretch of nice days, we don’t let the weather interfere. Also, this allows the first truly nice days of Spring to be uninterrupted by our maintenance practices.

Filter cloth over concrete rubble

Straw mat over new soil

On another note, we have done some basic stabilization of the outfall of #9 pond drain. The hillside along the cart path eroded each time the pond drained. It also eroded from the rain we have sustained early this year. In order to prevent more loss, possibly even of the cart path, we had a contractor back fill the bank. First, concrete rubble was dumped in the bottom of the pit through which the water could flow. Then a filter cloth was laid over the rubble to prevent soil contamination. New soil was then added to fill the trench all the way back near its original grade. And finally, we put seed and a straw mat down to stabilize the new soil. This is temporary, but necessary, to ensure that the current status doesn’t change prior to the new pipe installation.

Looking forward to seeing everyone out as spring approaches.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please keep carts on cart paths for the entirety of par 3 holes.

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

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org