Drain repair #14 approach

For the last few weeks there has been a wet area in #14 approach. Though this area has been wet before, nothing has persisted the way it did this spring. After staying wet through a relatively dry stretch of weather, it was time to dig it up and see what we could find.

Here is the end of the old drain pipe with the crushed
piece already removed.

Here is an old photo from construction.
In the background you can see the bulldozer and
large pile of dirt. That is the dirt that was excavated from 
the front of approach. This is likely when the pipe was 
damaged.

At first, we suspected it could be related to the irrigation system. Though it was not exactly where the pipe should be, we know from experience two things can happen: first, the pipe isn’t always where our as-built maps indicate; second, water will find the easiest way out, even if it is in an odd direction from the pipe. However, after valving the irrigation off in this location, the wet area remained.

After eliminating the irrigation system, digging an exploratory hole was the next step. Not very deep down, we found an old drainpipe, likely an original from the green. As we chased the water downhill, we quickly found that the pipe was crushed right where the wet spot started. The water was travelling down the pipe, reaching the dam, and coming to the surface. This by itself was not all that confusing or unique- old pipes were rarely marked and even if they were, it is unlikely anyone still remembers.

Prepped and ready for the new trench

What was strange was that this pipe had to have been crushed during Master Plan construction- in 2014! If you picture the front of #14 green as it turns into the approach- there is a quick drop off, going down several feet before the approach levels off. Right where that slope is located is where the old drainpipe was crushed. That slope was created during construction. So, the pipe had to have been smashed at that point, without ever being noticed. How or why it took 8 years for a truly unmanageable wet spot to develop is unknown.

Regardless, the repair was straight forward. We were lucky enough to be only about 30 feet from the bunker drain line, so we trenched right to that pipe. We cut a clean edge on the old pipe, attached a new, and ran it to the bunker drain and attached it there also. Now, the water that comes out of the old drainpipe will be captured and fed down to the bunker drain that is tied into the main drainage. Once we discovered the issue, we were able to develop the repair and complete it in one day.

Repaired and sod replaced

We never know what might be causing a particular underground issue on the course until we dig it up. This time, we were surprised by what we found.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not hit into the Grounds department staff, because it is dangerous. Please be sure that we see you before hitting your shot.

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

More Bermuda grass work

We continue to push the Bermuda grass to fully heal from winter damage. This week we continued our healing program by targeting a few certain holes and certain small spots for improvement.

We sliced for a second time a few of the worst damaged fairways: 5, 7, 8, 11, and 16 were all completed. Winter and early spring shade played a role in the damage to several of these holes and we will continue to address that issue. As we have discussed previously, this winter we also suffered above normal Spring Dead Spot (SDS) damage, which also affected these same holes more so than others. Slicing helps to cut into healthy tissue and invigorate new growth, which will lead to the bares spots filling in with healthy tissue. It is not an easy process, and the slicing actually sets the healthy tissue back for a time, but it rebounds quickly with renewed vigor.

On some other holes, we also started plugging out SDS spots that are struggling to heal. We have done this in the past, which is detailed here and here. Our goal is not to fill in every single blemish, but instead to fill some that are not showing the progress of others. By taking out the worst areas and helping the other areas recover, the overall improvement of a particular fairway will be faster.

Lastly, we have been and will continue to feed and water the Bermuda grass. Weekly fertilizer applications are ongoing and will remain part of the program until no longer necessary. We are also making sure the Bermuda grass has adequate moisture. Luckily, Mother Nature has been doing a solid job thus far, but we want to make sure that grass that is trying to recover and grow is not short any essential needs.

Our work on the Bermuda grass is on-going. We are making daily and weekly adjustments and will continue to do so through the season.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not hit into the Grounds department staff, because it is dangerous. Please be sure that we see you before hitting your shot.

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

New native areas

In consultation with the Golf Committee, we have decided to increase the area of “no mow” or native space around the course. With fuel and labor costs being as high as they are, reducing the acreage that we mow regularly is great.

We have worked hard to make sure that the native areas are attractive. Left alone, who knows what all plants would take over. So, they are not truly no-mow areas, but instead very infrequently mowed. We mow the native areas three times per year to keep the weeds down, compared to the two times per week that we mow the regular rough. And we don’t truly let them go completely native, weeds and all. We make one herbicide application per season for further control of the weeds. So, these areas are actually low maintenance versus no maintenance, but still far less inputs than the regular rough.

Flags representing a new native
area between 15 green and 16 tee

This topic came up at a recent Golf Committee meeting to evaluate if there were more areas that could become native areas. The Grounds department had previously explored new areas to incorporate into the native area management program instead of regular rough, so we were ready with specific sections to assess. The new rules involving penalty areas that were instituted in 2019 made some areas more viable as locations for native areas than they had been in the past. So, recently Jason, Chris and I rode around the course to look at the proposed locations. From the Golf Pro perspective, all the areas were deemed satisfactory to transition to native areas with no undue penalty on golfers.

So, we placed flags around the perimeter of these new areas to delineate new mowing lines for the Grounds staff. You will see them as you are out playing and can watch as the grass is left to continue growing tall. However, over the course of the season, if we decide that a new area is not a good fit or causes some unforeseen difficulty for golfers or pace of play, we can still adjust the size or remove it completely.

More flags for the same area at 15/16 
marked over towards the trees

Reducing the areas that we regularly mow is a savings of fuel, labor, and even wear and tear on our machines. However, if we didn’t tend to the native areas some, the would be unruly and unattractive. Striking the balance between no maintenance and low maintenance is key.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not hit into the Grounds department staff, because it is dangerous. Please be sure that we see you before hitting your shot.

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

Needle tine program

Air is as important as water for the turfgrass plant. Opening the surface of the soil is a great way to allow more oxygen into the ground for the plant to use. Especially on greens, the surface can become very compacted from foot and maintenance traffic. We try to open channels for air at least once per month during the growing season. This week we start our needle tine aeration program once again.

The list of ways that we disturb the surface of the greens includes: regular hollow tine aeration (February or March), verticutting (throughout March, April, and early May), needle tine aeration (June and July), a second hollow tine aeration (early August), verticutting again (September and October), and deep tine aeration (November). Each of these events touches different levels of the soil profile and each provides some unique benefits.

Needle tines are so named because of how skinny they are. Less than a quarter of an inch in diameter, six inches long when brand new, and solid, they are perfect for poking down into the soil with very little disruption. There is no mess to clean up and after being run over once with a roller the holes virtually disappear.

However, the key is that even once the hole is no longer visible on the surface, the fracture in the soil is still available for the plant. Oxygen can fill the opening, water can more easily flow through, and the roots can follow. All of this continues to take place unnoticed at the surface.

Putting greens are meant to be as smooth as possible. Impacting the surface as frequently as we do would seem to contradict the idea of smoothness. But for the grass to be healthy and the putting green to perform its best, we must continue to provide the plant with what it needs. Needle tine aeration is the next step in that process.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please do not hit into the Grounds department staff, because it is dangerous. Please be sure that we see you before hitting your shot.

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