Drinking water line repair

You may recall a couple of weeks ago, the bathrooms near 13 green were out of order. The issue actually had to do with the drinking water line near the Grounds department maintenance facility.

The drinking water for the property comes from 3 onsite wells. It is pumped to the small building across the cart path from the chipping green, and then distributed around the property from there. After coming down the hill, one section of pipe splits off and comes towards the maintenance facility, and then from the maintenance facility it heads out to the bathrooms on 13. Recently we had 2 separate breaks in this section of pipe located under the parking lot of the maintenance facility and had to turn the water off twice to make the repairs.

Excavation work beginning

We noticed a wet area in our parking lot several weeks ago. We were able to determine it was the drinking water line leaking by isolating a specific section of the pipe and turning the water off. It took some time to get the repair company out to do the work, so we left the water on during that time. But, in that lull between finding the original leak and our contractors arriving, another leak developed.

It took quite some time to find the pipe

Once the digging started, we turned the water off to locate the pipe. Now with two leaks to repair, we had two large holes to dig on opposite ends of our parking lot. The contractor kept excavating more and more but couldn’t locate the pipe. Incredibly, the pipe that was put in (likely when the building was built 50 years ago) was set nearly 10 feet deep. The pipe was finally found, repaired, and water was turned back on. The holes were filled in with gravel and plans were made to repave.

However, overnight, a third leak developed! Luckily(?), this leak was in one of the other holes, so only the gravel needed to be cleared back out, we did not have to make another hole. This third leak was very near one of the original repairs and was likely partly caused by disturbing the soil. The pipe wasn’t directly damaged from the work, but the soil or pipe could have shifted, or vibrations from the equipment could have caused a weak area to break. This third leak caused a second major stoppage of water in the bathrooms and a second closure in a week.

Water can be seen in the gravel. This is from
the third leak that developed after the initial repairs.

Final gravel installation

We were lucky to get the repair work done quickly and not have the bathrooms closed for a longer period of time.

 

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

Golf Cart tips

 

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Bunker rake stickers

There are certain challenges in golf course maintenance that are near universal: ball mark repair, bunker raking, cart etiquette, etc. Bretton Woods is not immune to these issues either. Our latest step towards improving the work around the bunkers is with stickers on the bunker rake handles.

The biggest challenge for bunker maintenance from a golfer’s perspective is getting fellow players to rake the bunker, either partially or completely. Consistent raking from the membership is an on-going area for improvement and the Golf Committee, in conjunction with the Golf staff and Grounds department, is working to address this issue.

From the standpoint of the Grounds Department, once the players (hopefully) use the rake, our desire is for them to place the rake back into the bunker. There is no rule as to where the rake should be placed. The USGA gives a recommendation for it to be out of the bunker, but still hedges by stating that whatever works for each course is the best solution.

 

We want the rake back in the bunker as a time-saving effort for our staff in a couple of ways. We have 69 bunkers on the course, and it takes about three and a half hours to rake all of them with our machine. At each bunker, our staff rakes the edge of the bunker, places the rake along the edge, and then rakes the center. Finding and placing the rakes along the edge is much more efficient if the employee does not need to search for the rakes tossed wherever they may be. Especially as we get into the growing season and the bunker faces start to grow vigorously, the rakes can be hard to find. Even several seconds per bunker spent searching for rakes adds up to several minutes over the entire course. Though this may not seem important, when our goal is to be completed ahead of play, those minutes can be crucial. Particularly, when you factor in early play off the back 9 on weekends, having those few minutes can be the difference between finishing or not. If we lose that time, and are caught by golfers, the job becomes nearly impossible, because once we are caught by one group, we are caught by every group thereafter until there is a sizable gap in play.

The second instance of time saving occurs when mowing around the bunkers. When rakes are left outside the bunker, the staff member on the mower must get off and move the rake out of the way so as not to hit it with the blades. Again, losing several seconds per bunker can equate to several minutes overall.

To better communicate where we would like the bunker rakes, this week we placed stickers on every rake handle on the course: “Leave rakes in bunkers.” We expect this very direct, and hard to miss, reminder will encourage everyone to put the rake back into the bunker.

 

We may never attain 100% rake usage, but reminding those people who do rake, what to do with the rake when they finish is still helpful. The new stickers should help convey the policy much easier.

 

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

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Latest on the Bermuda grass

The Bermuda grass is off to an average start. While it was a mild winter by our standards, anything much less than tropical is still cold to the Bermuda grass.

This past winter was very interesting. We set significant records for winter golf played- the temperatures were very conducive to being out. It was “relatively” warm, and often dry. One of the online tools we use to monitor growing degree days also does a breakdown comparison year to year of temperatures, starting after the end of March. It provided a unique, but informative view of this year so far:

-          As of March 31^st, when using 32 degrees as the base (meaning counting any average temps over 32 as a growing degree), 2023 was 15 days ahead of 2022

-          However, using 50 degrees as the base, 2023 was 5 days behind 2022

This explains the heavy amount of early season golf. We had an above normal number of days that were between 32- and 50-degree averages, but not many above 50 or many below 32. This is a nice setup for winter golf. But not beneficial to most grass growth, and especially unhelpful to Bermuda grass.

Bermuda grass is a warm-season grass. Without getting too technical, this basically means that it prefers warm, humid temperatures. Many years of breeding and developing new cultivars has greatly increased the cold tolerance of the newest varieties. However, winter injury and death during the cold times of the year are always possible.

The winter did not have much long, cold stretches or snow. However, we still had a couple weeks of very cold temperatures. We also had zero snow cover at any point to use as protection against the coldest days. With that being said, the Bermuda grass looks to be healthy across most of the course. Cooler, shady areas are always slower to green up than open, sunny areas, so some variation in appearance is common. Tees are also slower to grow green tissue compared to the fairways due to the difference in soil and the soil’s temperature and moisture holding capabilities.

We plan on having to do work to some areas of Bermuda grass every year- it is expected when growing Bermuda grass in this region. Right now, we are optimistic that the amount of work we must do will be in-line with typical seasons and will not prove to be widespread, extended poor conditions. Extra fertilizer, mowing adjustments, cultural practices, and sod when necessary are all tools that we are ready to deploy.

 

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

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

New driving range tee mat

In the past few years more people are playing golf. Whether it is people new to the game or long-time players just playing more often, the increase has been noticeable. One area that has experienced a dramatic increase in use is the driving range. The old artificial hitting surface had a finite life span regardless, but the last few years accelerated its ageing, and it was due to be replaced.

Cutting and picking up the old mat- in the dark!

The first step in the process was removal of the old mat. The old mat was very similar to a very thick carpet and split into two large pieces that covered the entire span of the practice tee. In order to move it easily, we first needed to cut into smaller pieces. Luckily the backing cut easily with a utility knife like a standard carpet. Because it was thick and dense, we cut it into small pieces so it was light enough to pick up and haul away.

The clean concrete base, ready for the new hitting surface

                                                        

Next, we cleaned the concrete base that was under the old mat and would also be the base for the new mat. We edged the grass back that had encroached on the surface and blew any debris that had collected underneath the old mat.

The new mat surface is made up of many pieces that fit together like a puzzle, rather than a long carpet style mat. There is a rubber mat base layer and then the actual artificial turf hitting portions are laid onto the rubber. Following the instructions and diagrams, we laid each piece out, connected them properly, and slowly worked our way across the tee. With good weather, and enough staff, we were able to complete the switch to the new hitting surface in one day.

Starting to lay out the new rubber base

The new mat parts ready to be installed

Continuing to install the new pieces

Finishing up the installation of the actual hitting surface

Installation complete

No artificial tee surface will last forever, especially with increased use. It was time for us to make a change and the new mats will be a great improvement.

 

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

Golf Cart tips

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org