Project preview

The end of September marks a great time of year: the weather usually has turned cooler, the leaves start to get fall colors, and the course is in good shape. This time of year also marks the start of our project season. Bunker renovations, drain work, and anything else we can’t do during the summer, gets underway now.

If you have played golf recently, then you noticed we got a jump start on bunker work this year. We are scheduled to work on 13 green, thru 16 this year. After many years of the same procedure, the Grounds staff are pros at breaking down a bunker, removing the trash sod, and laying new grass. #13 greenside bunkers are relatively small, and don’t need a lot of grass, so we were able to squeeze them into this window between the Match Play Championship and Men’s Member Guest. We are just awaiting dry weather to lay the new sod.

You may also see some dashed lines painted in certain areas across the course. These are marking new drain lines that we will install through the winter. We have been too wet to do most things on the golf course lately, but one thing the rain was good for, was to help identify the exact track that water likes to take in these particular drainage areas. While the ground was saturated, and even with standing water on the surface in some instances, we went out and painted exactly where the new drain line should run to maximize the water we capture.

All this work will take place in and around the leaf cleanup that will be starting soon. We also have regular maintenance that still takes place throughout the fall. But the projects are a welcome change, both because it is a different type of work than the sometimes monotonous summer work, but also because we make the biggest strides in improvement doing these projects.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

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

Shop organization

September is probably our busiest month of the year for the golf course. The weather is nearly perfect, and the golf course is usually in peak form. Member play is at its maximum and our outing schedule is packed. Because of all of this, the Grounds department has several half days when it is counter productive to even be out on the course, so we tackle some other tasks on our list.

Since our property is so large, we usually have other work somewhere else on site that needs to be done once the golf course is prepped. Soccer, tennis, pool grounds, or just the acres green space, can use attention. When the golf course is too busy for us, these other areas can benefit. We have the opportunity to send several staff to work on projects we may have put off previously.

The stacks of pipe that we will
be sorting

Another area of focus during these busy times is at our shop. Cleaning and organizing inside and out of our maintenance building is important. Not only does it protect our equipment, but knowing where tools are when you need them is efficient. Also, maintaining a clean workspace shows that we value our job and projects a presentable facility to visitors.

One particular area at our shop that had been neglected was our irrigation and drainpipe storage. We keep several different sizes and lengths of irrigation pipe at our shop for when we need to make small repairs to our system. We only stock 20-30 of the most common sizes total, if we were doing a larger project we would make a separate order. But this allows us to make emergency repairs when something comes up and we can’t wait.

The same goes for our drainage pipe, although we keep less of this on hand because we don’t often have to make emergency drain repairs (although, 1 season was so wet, that we were adding drains left and right!). However, we do keep some on hand, mostly leftover pieces from past projects, as well as many different connection pieces.

All this pipe is stored around the back side of our shop, near the practice range. Part of the reason it gets neglected is due to our work on the rest of the property, but it also is not a place we need to get into all that often. It gets overgrown with weeds because there is not regular traffic, nor is it accessible for a mower. But starting last week, we mobilized nearly our entire staff to start organizing. Our first step was to simply move all the pipe out of the way, and thoroughly trim all the brush down, which we accomplished. We haven’t continued any further yet, but over the next few weeks our goals are: comb through all the pipe and make sure everything is usable, sorting as we go, and level the ground underneath so that we can set pallets down on which to stack the pipe.

This is the storage area for the pipe. It
has been partially cleaned out now.

Organizing the shop won’t affect anyone’s experience at Bretton Woods, but it is still an important aspect of our maintenance of the facility. Keeping our space and tools clean leads to taking better care of the course, which does directly impact every golfer.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

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

Newest tee markers

Many years ago, we had wooden tee markers that were nice, but plain. Next, we upgraded to metal markers that were cut in the shape of our tree logo. After years with the metal version, it was time for another upgrade.

Tee markers, like most accessories on the course, can be customized. Although some golfers may not even pay attention to the look of the tee markers, the markers are still important. Every player must play from those locations on every tee. Having unique markers allows courses to differentiate themselves and add some flair to the experience.

Items like tee markers also wear out over time.  The old wooden markers were especially prone to deterioration. Water and sun were tough on the wood, even with several coats of paint and sealing. The metal style that we had for the intermediate years were much sturdier and resistant to the elements. However, the paint on them would still be peeling by the end of the season and would require work each winter. But we are hoping this newest style will be longer lasting, both in terms of holding up to Mother Nature, as well as changing aesthetic tastes.

Our new markers are made from colored, recycled plastic to match our existing tee colors. Our logo is etched into one side of each marker. They are very solid and should be the most tolerant of the elements of any of our recent styles. Water should not be an issue at all, and the sun should not cause them to fade either.

When a tee marker design is nice or too plain, is the time they are noticed most. Our new design is not plain, so we hope everyone enjoys the change.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

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

Raising drain grates

It has been 10 years since the first round of Master Plan renovations started and one of the key elements of that work was drainage. But in the time since they were installed, some of the soil around the drains has settled and the drain grates themselves are too low in some instances. We have been slowly working to get those areas raised to a proper height to match the surrounding terrain.

This is an example of a drain that has not
been raised yet. Notice the big lip right at the drain grate
and how the ground dives down at the very edge of the drain

Removing excess water is a fundamental aspect of turf management and the added drains have worked well. Especially in the lower areas of the property, on holes 3, 14-17, new drains have been a lifesaver. Turf quality and playability have increased tremendously with the addition of the drains. But even drains need some maintenance, keeping them clean and clear being the biggest key, but setting them level is also an important step.

Another example of a drain that we still 
need to raise

A drain still in need of raising

It is nearly impossible to set the grade and compact soil perfectly after it has been disturbed like during the renovation. Someof the most extensive work was done on holes #3 and #15 and it is no surprise that those holes are where most of the recent leveling work has been taking place. We added about 10 drainage inlets on each hole, many of those in the fairways, and since the
n they have been problematic. Golf carts may not be affected quite as much by a low drain because golfers can easily drive around. However, our mowers, sprayers, and other maintenance equipment often have no choice but to go directly across these areas. Large dips, bumps and other unlevel spots are very rough on our cutting units and the suspensions of the machines.

A very recently raised drain.

The process is relatively simple: remove the grass around the drain, attach a coupler to the existing drain and a small piece of pipe to raise its level, add sand and replace the turf. However, taking our time and making sure we get the drain to exactly the level we want requires small adjustments, checking and rechecking. It would be far from ideal to have to come back again to change the level of the drain a second time once it has been completed.

A drain that we raised last year

Drains are a behind the scenes aspect of the golf course, but one of the most critical. We must keep them functioning well, but we also want them to look correct. Setting the proper level achieves good aesthetics but also not having a huge dip at every drain is much gentler on our machines.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

 

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

Bermuda grass on greens

We have nearly 45 acres of maintained Bermuda grass on the property. Every year it reaches new places as it grows through the summer. That is the case with the Bermuda grass on the edges of putting greens.

For many years we have had Bermuda grass growing in the edges around the putting greens. Here is a post from 2016 talking about this very issue. There is an ebb and flow to the growth of the Bermuda grass each year- it pushes in further during the warm months, and the cool season putting green turf pushes back during the cool months. Especially in a summer like this year, when the conditions for Bermuda grass growth are as good as possible, the Bermuda grass can reach even further than usual.

It has been several years since we have had to deal with significant Bermuda grass encroachment in the greens. The Bermuda grass is always there, and likely will always be there because of the difficulty in truly eradicating Bermuda grass. However, since the weather had been average at best for Bermuda grass over the last several years, the progress into the green was minimal and was erased each winter by the cold. But this year was ideal weather for the Bermuda grass, so it pushed in more than normal.

We will work this off season to cut the Bermuda grass back to the collar and remove as much plant material as possible. We can’t get all the Bermuda grass plant- in certain situations, some Bermuda grass roots have been found at depths of 2-3 feet! But we will cut out as much as we can, even digging down a few inches to remove stolons and rhizomes. We will repair the area where grass is removed and let the cool season turf fill in the void.

Unfortunately, with cultivated Bermuda grass on fairways and tees, along with common Bermuda grass across the property, keeping the Bermuda grass isolated to only the areas we want is next to impossible. Depending on the weather it will always move laterally into new locations. We will continue to monitor and work to fight back against the incursion as needed.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful not to damage the lip of the cup when retrieving your ball after putting out.

 

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