Miniature golf upgrades

Our miniature golf course is somewhat of a hidden piece of the property. Although it is located adjacent to the clubhouse parking lot, not many people wander up there. Nevertheless, it was due for an update.

The pond before work started. Holding some water
but not enough to run the waterfall.

We had previously done some work at the mini golf complex several years ago, creating a recirculating waterfall with a pond. The problem was retaining water in the pond. When the waterfall was recirculating, we would constantly run out of water, sometimes after only two or three days. No leaks could be found. Our best guess as to what was causing the loss of water was evaporation: the water running in the full sun, over warm rocks, would evaporate very quickly. Regardless, the result was either a completely dry water feature, or one that had just enough water in it to make the pond unsightly, but not enough to run the waterfall. This year, we decided to remove the pond and waterfall so that we didn’t have to constantly monitor the water levels. We filled the pond in, graded, and landscaped the entire section.

Renovation work starting on the pond. Removing the liner
and unusable soil.

Taking advantage of working at miniature golf, we also decided to reattach the bricks that line each hole. In the past, the bricks had been attached with adhesive. This did not work well enough to withstand all the abuse the bricks can take: people walking on them, testing their strength by hitting them with clubs, or simply trying to peel them up. Many times, bricks ended up in the poorly functioning pond. So, to correct this issue, we set every brick in concrete this spring. Now, each brick is where it is supposed to be and will stay there for a long time.

Setting the bricks in concrete.

New hole number signs and posts were our next upgrade. We put new posts in place and stained them for protection. The previous hole numbers were routed into the side of the posts and painted. The numbers needed to be painted at least twice a year and we struggled to do it that often. The result was numbers that were very difficult to read. This year we had new plastic hole number signs made that were a great improvement.

Up close shot of the new signs

New post and sign

Lastly, we will be recarpeting each hole. However, it has still been too cold for the carpet adhesive to be effective, so we are still waiting. We will post another update when this stage is complete and the whole project can be wrapped up.

Final product

Even if miniature golf is one of our least frequented features, keeping it as nice as possible is still on our 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

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org