Three new drains

Happy Memorial Day. It has been dry the last 10 days or so and we have taken advantage by preparing for the next rainstorm! We added 3 small drains- 2 on #18 fairway and 1 in #3 approach- to combat some small, but troublesome, poorly draining areas.

We can add water to most places at almost any time we need to. But taking water away is a much more difficult, or impossible, task. Without proper drainage, either through pipe or surface flow, the water is left to infiltrate and percolate through the soil on its own. Sometimes, for various reasons, this can take a very long time. Poor soil and a flat surface grade are the two most common culprits. This was the case in each of the areas that we added new drains in the last week.

During the Master Plan renovation, many new drain lines were added, and a lot of soil was disturbed and redistributed. Not every single pocket or low spot could be accounted for, without regrading the entire property. In the years since the project finished, we have slowly identified several key areas that water tends to sit for long periods and hinders the growth of the Bermuda grass.

We continued that process by improving a few more spots. First, 2 locations in #18 fairway were improved. Luckily, each was very near an existing drain inlet, so we only needed to add new pipe and tap into the existing drain. These two spots had the unfortunate combination of being little bowls that the water could not flow out of as well as very poor soil that the water could not move through. Both areas should show immediate improvement.

The last area we did was also another addition. In this case, it was adding to a drain we put in two years ago in #3 approach, following the renovation, where we identified a poorly performing area. Since the first drain was put in, we have seen a steady improvement. However, we were not quite capturing all the water that we needed to. So, we connected to the existing drain line and extended to where the water sits.

Even though the total length of all the new drains is under 100 feet, the impact will be significant. Helping water move off the surface is one of the best ways to improve conditions and we crossed 3 more locations off the “poorly-draining” list.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

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

Golfers helping in bunkers

While this has been a very difficult time in many regards, one of the changes in golf maintenance that could possibly be positive down the road, is the shift to once again viewing bunkers as hazards. With rakes currently removed from the course, the bunkers will be less than perfectly smooth.

Bunkers are hazards. They are to be avoided. Of course, golfers will find themselves in a bunker at some point, regardless of skill level, but it is not the intended line of play. Over the course of many years, bunker maintenance has increased steadily, to the point where the labor input far outpaces the idea of a hazard. To the point where professional golfers sometimes aim for a bunker when advisable, viewing it as the least bad option, knowing that the bunker will offer a very manageable situation from which to play the next shot. While many of our golfers most likely do not aim for bunkers, the trickle-down effect is nevertheless apparent.

You can see where the golfer dug their
stance into the sand.

Here is the after shot of footprints that
have been leveled out.

However, now that bunker rakes have been removed from most courses, including Bretton Woods, many more golfers, once in a bunker, will likely find it disheveled. Again, this is how a hazard should be. We will continue to mechanically rake the bunkers, trim the edges, and generally maintain them. However, golfers no longer have the rakes to tidy up their disturbance, so learning to play from bunkers as true hazards will become more pertinent.

There is one way that each golfer can leave the bunker less disrupted for the next group though. Following your shot from the bunker, gently smoothing out the area from where you hit can help a lot. Often, when playing from a bunker, a golfer twists their feet into the sand slightly to get a good stance. Then, for their shot, they make a small hole in the sand to blast their ball out. The next step is the key: using your foot, gently leveling the indentations from your stance as well as the hole from the shot can greatly improve the condition for the next golfer. While there will still be footprints in the bunker, the next ball in will not have holes from feet or a blast into which it can settle.

As this practice becomes more common, golfers may slowly start to accept bunkers as routinely being messy. At that point, the hazard can garner slightly less of our attention and labor, leading to other tasks being accomplished.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

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

New #2 alternate tee sign

Golf has been reopened and it is nice to see people out enjoying the course. One new feature that you will notice is the sign indicating which tee box for hole #2 is in use on any particular day.

#2 has two sets of tee boxes, one that plays straight down the approach and another that plays over the pond. We used to have two wooden signs that were manually placed out when the alternate tee on #2 was in use. Though they served their purpose, they were not very attractive, cumbersome, and often in the way of our maintenance. This year we have upgraded to the same sign style as our tee signs.

We originally planned on putting the new sign out in early spring. Then the pandemic hit, and certain things got delayed. In this case, the sign was not at the top of our list and so it sat in the shop. However, now that golfers are out again, we took the opportunity to put the new sign out. The sign is simple: a small Bretton Woods logo, a label- “#2 Today’s tee”, and a reversible arrow that stays on the sign all the time. We simply turn the arrow to point at whichever tee we want for each particular day.

We set the new sign down near the cart path as you approach #1 green. It is placed at an angle so that walkers can see it from greenside and cart riders can see it at the cart path. We wanted to be sure that the sign was not turned in a way that forced either walkers or riders to accidentally pass the sign before realizing which direction it was pointed. If you are walking and make it nearly all the way to the wrong tee, you could lose one or two minutes and be out of position in regard to pace of play. Similarly, if cart riders go too far, they would be forced to make turns in the grass causing unnecessary wear on the turf and possibly damage in wet conditions.

Sometimes a very small, simple addition can make a big difference. The new sign is much more attractive and will be much easier for the Grounds department to manage.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

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

When golf reopens

As we prepare for an eventual return to golf, there will be some changes that we will all have to get used to. The Grounds staff has been preparing by removing regular items from the golf course.

When you return you will notice many changes: staying further apart from one another, lots of single cart riders, etc. But there will also be several accessories missing from the course. Anything that is a high-use, high-touch surface has been taken back to our shop. This was the best strategy to reduce possible transmission of the virus.

Bunker rakes, ball washers, water coolers, divot bottles and boxes have all been removed from the course and will be kept away for the immediate future. Golfers will also be reminded multiple times to leave the flagstick in the cup on every green. Until we know more, having one or more person from every group handle the flagstick or any of these other surfaces will not be safe. We do not know what the new normal will be or what guidelines we will eventually follow for golf specific items. So, for now, eliminating the opportunity for multiple people to handle the same items is the easiest protection.

In order to eliminate the handling of the flagstick, the cups will also be altered. In coordination with the Golf Committee we will decide on the best practice for retrieving the golf ball from the hole. There are several options, many of which have been featured in articles over the last couple of weeks. The options range from completely new devices that attach to the flagstick to raising the cup slightly up out of the green. We will aim to keep things as simple as possible while still achieving the safety needed. However, please do expect a change when golf reopens.

Many things will be different in the near and long-term, including on the golf course. The Grounds department is working to make these adjustments as best as possible.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to remove any bunker sand that may be stuck to your spikes before walking on the greens.

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