Repairing the bunkers on 18

Even though the major storm that swept across the property was almost a month ago now, we are still repairing parts of the course. The two most damaged bunkers were both on #18- the right greenside bunker and the first fairway bunker. Last week, we finally were able to get those back into playing shape.

This is a picture of the fairway bunker
on 18 the morning after the storm. You can 
see the bunker sand has been washed
completely out of the bunker.

Storms are never easy to deal with, but a major storm right in the middle of the season is especially difficult. Regular maintenance can only be put on hold for so long, meaning at some point our staff will have to spend less time on cleanup and start regular mowing again. That is the reason that some of the repair work has taken so long, and why some of the cleanup around the perimeter will wait until winter.

An overlooked aspect of the storm was the heavy rain that occurred along with the wind. We received nearly 3” of rain in just under an hour. That much water sheets off the playing surfaces quickly- in fact we could have scattered carts the next day; but that rushing water must go somewhere. Unfortunately, bunkers are often a low feature of the property and can sometimes be in the line of water flow and can take the brunt of the water’s force.

 

This is a closer shot of the same bunker on 18. The water
washed all the way down to the soil base
of the bunker.

Because of the natural slope of the land on #18, the fairway bunker takes an incredible amount of water. We did install a large drain just above it on the uphill side back during construction to catch as much water as possible, but in a storm like that, the drainage can’t keep up. The excess water flows through the bunker and takes the sand with it. In the case of these two particular bunkers on 18, the water took the sand, the gravel surrounding the internal bunker drains, and some of the soil base.

When a bunker is washed out this badly, it takes more than just some shoveling of sand to get it back to normal. The gravel from the internal drainage and the soil contaminates the sand. There is no good way to clean the gravel and soil back out of the sand, so it all is trash and must be removed. In this case, it was several cart loads of sand per bunker that needed to be removed. Once the bunkers are completely cleaned out, we add in new sand. We try to match the amount of sand added to the amount of sand removed, so that the bunkers are consistent with the rest of the course. But for all intents and purposes, these bunkers are nearly brand new, so they will take time to match the others.

Our goal was always to get the course back open as quickly as possible. Leaving the two bunkers on #18 as Ground Under Repair longer than normal was part of the plan as everything else was tidied up. We reached the point where it was time to fix those bunkers, and they are now back open and ready for play.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious to not cut corners with your golf cart. The inside edges of turns are easily worn out after repeated traffic.

 

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 forward tee on #9

Two weeks ago, during our aeration closure , we also built a new forward tee on #9. It is now open and ready for play.

Although #9 is a beautiful golf hole, it can be difficult to carry the water, especially for higher handicappers or shorter hitters. There are very few landing areas other than the green at which to aim. After several discussions at Golf Committee meetings, and hearing feedback from golfers, a plan was set to build a new tee that would shorten #9 considerably.

The same company that does our fairway aeration was contracted to construct the new tee as well. We also timed the work for the same week as aeration. Being closed worked out perfectly, with no interruptions from golfers playing through. The crew was able to complete the entire project start to finish in one day.

Thinking back to Master Plan construction, late summer is an ideal time to sod Bermuda grass. Soil temperatures are high, air temperatures are high during the day and overnight, and there is usually ample moisture from thunderstorms. All of this combines to allow the new sod to knit down to the soil in 3-4 days and that was exactly the case on the new tee. Once the sod was stable, we applied some sand to the top of the tee and smoothed it around to help level any bumps from construction. Within another 5-7 days the tee is ready to open- we opened this new tee 10 days after it was built.

While it was a relatively small scope of work, the overall impact will be great. One of the nicer holes on our course will now also be more reachable for a greater percentage of our membership.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious to not cut corners with your golf cart. The inside edges of turns are easily worn out after repeated traffic.

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

Aeration recap

Our annual summer aeration took place last week. Aside from the many benefits of aeration in general, and some of the reasons that we perform our aeration  at this particular time, this year was the first time we were able to close the course entirely for the process. Thank you to the membership for allowing us this time to get our work done.

In conjunction with the Golf Committee, last August it was decided that we would plan a 4-day closure of the course for our summer aeration. This is the most extensive of our four main aeration programs for the year and in the past, we would have closed only half the course at a time. Having the full course closed allows for flexibility in what we accomplish each day. And all along, it was conveyed that if everything goes according to plan, we would finish our work in only 3 days and the course would be able to open back up for play by the 4^th day.

The request by the Grounds department to have the course closed was prompted by last year’s aeration being interrupted by rain. We finished our work normally and on schedule Monday, but Tuesday was a washout after a thunderstorm dropped almost 1.5” of rain. The course was too wet to aerate so we had to pause until Wednesday. Unfortunately, Wednesday already had tee times booked. So, we had to coordinate with the Proshop and shuffle tee times around, block off other spots, communicate to golfers what happened, and keep half of the course closed for our work. The next day we still had work to do and again we interrupted tee times and play. It worked out, but it was not ideal for us or the golfers.

Heading into this season’s summer aeration, the weather was a major factor again. Thunderstorms were again forecast, along with heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Debby. The initial forecast looked as though we might be ok Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday did not look great. Because we had the 4-day closure in our pocket this year, we were under less pressure to accomplish everything in 2 days. But by the same token, we were able to accomplish more on Monday than we normally would have, which meant that we finished all the greens and fairways on Tuesday easily. Tees were left for Wednesday, and had the weather been bad, we could have postponed them for a Monday of another week when we are closed until 11am. However, the rain held off until Wednesday night, so our work during the day on Wednesday went as planned. We finished everything we planned, in the 3 days that we thought it would take, and the course was reopened on Thursday.

Even though the rain ultimately held off until we finished, having the course to ourselves on Monday and Tuesday allowed us to get the highest priority turf aerated regardless of the weather. This would not have been possible without the full course closure. We appreciate that everyone loves to come out and golf as much as possible, but giving the Grounds department some time to work is better for everyone in the long run.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious to not cut corners with your golf cart. The inside edges of turns are easily worn out after repeated traffic.

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

Storm damage

A tremendous storm hit Bretton Woods on the evening of Monday 7/29. Torrential rain and high winds led to large scale damage across the property. It was a long week of cleanup, but everything is rounding back into shape.

Around 5pm that evening, a cell developed nearly exactly on top of our property. We received 2.81” of rain in under an hour. Strong, gusty winds ripped through everything. Power was knocked out, the transformers down at Grounds were blown and power lines dropped to the ground. The property closed soon after the storm, and the decision was made to close the next day at a minimum.

Looking out onto 18 fairway the morning
after the storm

The same view of 18 fairway after cleanup was complete

By now, most have seen the pictures. The Clubhouse and Proshop did an excellent job of communicating what occurred and the damage that was inflicted. Debris was scattered everywhere; bunkers were washed out and contaminated- some even washed down to the drains underneath; 25 trees were leveled along with numerous large branches and sticks.

The view towards 18 tee the morning
after the storm

The same view again towards 18 tee after cleanup

Cleanup began immediately. PEPCO was on site very early Tuesday morning to begin restoration of power at Grounds. Our tree contractor dropped previously scheduled work to be onsite. And the Grounds staff began the arduous task of picking up as many sticks as possible. We prioritized removal of trees that needed to be cleared to reopen. We also focused on the debris cleanup before the bunkers for the same reason: the bunkers can be treated as ground under repair and played around, but a course that is littered with debris is not playable. Everyone worked extra hours, and by the end of Tuesday, cleanup had progressed through #8. But it was clear that the course would be closed on Wednesday as well.

Following another long day of hand-picking sticks, the course opened Thursday. We spent the day repairing bunkers. When the rain comes that fast, the sand washes down towards the low point of the bunker. But silt and clay from the edge also washes down. The dirt must be cleaned  off the surface of the sand before the sand can be replaced and raked. We meticulously cleaned the bunkers and repositioned the sand.

After a thorough blowing of small debris and final touches, the course was nearly back to normal on Friday. We mowed many acres of grass that had not been cut all week and did a regular raking of bunkers.

The weather plays the most important role in determining the maintenance of the course. This storm put our normal routine on hold, but the team worked hard to get to this point. Although there is still significant cleanup to finish, the course is back in shape enough for golfers.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be conscious to not cut corners with your golf cart. The inside edges of turns are easily worn out after repeated traffic.

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