Bunker repair

Although our last major rainstorm was 2 weeks ago, we are just getting the pictures out showing exactly what the bunkers look like following the rain. It takes a team effort to get them back into playing shape.

The brown silt on the surface must be
removed. Sand movement from
the edges can also be seen.

Initially as the rain falls, the bunkers can handle a great deal of water. However, as large storms dump more and more, eventually there is so much water coming down the bunker faces, flowing in from other areas, or puddling in the bottom, that the sand starts to shift. First, it sloughs off the edges but stays relatively close to its origin. But with additional water, the sand starts to shift and collect near the center (or lowest point) of the bunker.

As the sand recedes from the edges, bare soil is exposed. As rushing water and falling rain interact with the soil, it begins to erode. Being finer than the sand, and thus, lighter, it settles on top.

Once the rain stops and the puddles drain, a disheveled bunker is what is left. Soil has contaminated the sand and the sand is not where it is supposed to be. Shifted sand from rain is one of the leading causes of improper sand depths in bunkers and is why we must constantly check and move sand around.

Our cleanup process starts by blowing out any debris that has also collected in the bunker. Heavy rains often come with wind; falling leaves and branches may land in the bunker or be carried there by flowing water. We do not want to bury any of this organic material in the sand, so it is cleared away first.

Next, we must remove the silt that was deposited on top of the sand. As bunkers age, they drain slower. Contaminated sand is the reason for this decline. The finer particles of silt and soil intermix with the larger sand particles, locking tight, and preventing water infiltration and percolation. We carefully scrape just the top layer of sand/silt mix away leaving only clean sand. The layer we remove is hauled away and used as scrap dirt.

The sand near the front of this bunker moved
several feet into the center. It must be pushed
back to the edge.

Once the sand is clean, we start to move it back from where it came. Using shovels, our bunker machine with a small blade attachment, and rakes, we get the sand back up on the edges and spread around evenly.

It's easy to explain, but this process is very labor intensive and difficult. Some bunkers handle storms better than others. Factors such as age, location, and surrounding topography all play a role. Repair work can take 10-20 minutes per bunker. We have 71 bunkers, so this is a major undertaking involving the entire staff each time it rains heavily.

Although a hazard, bunkers take up a large portion of labor. When Mother Nature intervenes, they can become even more difficult to maintain.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes inside the bunker once you are finished.

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

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Another Bermuda grass update

It is about time we deliver another update on the Bermuda grass. Lots of work and even more help from Mother Nature has the Bermuda grass performing at its best. We are not quite where we want to be, but the turf is trending in the right direction.

We have completed two seeding cycles thus far and will start our third this week. You can read about the process here. Each time, we added a bit more seed, sand and compost to the areas to promote more healing. The seeding has worked. We have seen several areas with new Bermuda grass growing in them. This third time around the course will most likely be our last as we will need to shift into Bermuda grass dormancy (!!) preparation.

Small Bermuda grass seedlings. 

While we have been pleased with the seeding efforts and results, nothing compares to the growth capabilities of healthy Bermuda grass and some warm weather. July was the hottest month on record, ever, and our region was no exception. While some of our turf can’t stand that kind of heat, the Bermuda grass thrives on it. Throw in some timely rain/irrigation and it’s off to the races in terms of growth. Many of the damaged areas have seen their healing aided from this growth. The surrounding Bermuda grass encroaches on these weak areas and fills them in on its own, with no help from the seed. We continue to fertilize the weak areas, and this too helps the Bermuda grass fill in.

Bermuda grass moving in from the outside. The
thick stalks that are pointing in towards
the sand are runners from surrounding turf.

We are slowly removing the small green and white stakes that denote the trouble spots. We are mowing more and more healthy fairway turf. With a warm August and possibly into Fall, we should near 100% healthy turf. We will continue to work hard on our end to get where we need to be.

Thank you for your patience.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes inside the bunker once you are finished.

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

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

#16 green damage

Sometimes despite our best intentions and our best efforts, we still fall short of our expectations. This past week we aerated greens and the process went quite smoothly. However, the weather was too good: it was hotter than we would have liked. We did not manage the heat as well as we needed to and a section of #16 green suffered.

Unfortunately, the aeration process is labor intensive, slow (unless you have an army of staff and equipment), and tasks must be completed in a certain order. The problem for #16 green was that it sat exposed for a long time while each step of the process was completed on other holes. We reached #16 as quickly as we could have considering, but with the heat already taking its toll, by the time we were ready to apply water, some of the turf had already been severely stressed. The result is some loss of grass, some heavily injured grass that will slowly recover, and some grass that only slightly wilted and has started to recover.

We have already taken steps to regain control of the situation. First, aeration itself, while partly to blame, will also aid in some recovery, relieving some stress on the surrounding turf. Also, we will be even more closely monitoring the moisture of this particular area to make sure no further drought conditions occur. A fertilizer application has already been made, with others to follow. We will seed bent grass into the damaged areas to re-establish grass. We will closely manage the equipment traffic, keeping all unnecessary machines off the damaged turf.

Lastly, one saving grace is the specific location of the damage. The very back of #16 green is one of the least utilized areas of the green, partly because of the mound in the back right. This is not a place that we can put a pin because of the slopes. The back left is usable, but we can keep yellow flags off this area or reduce the frequency with which they occur. It is also not a high traffic area, i.e., no one walks to the next hole across this spot, so golfer traffic should be minimal.

The loss of grass is below our expectations as well as yours. Rest assured, we will do everything possible to recover as quickly as possible.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please leave bunker rakes inside the bunker once you are finished

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

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Aeration notice

It is aeration time again. No person particularly likes this time of season, but it is essential for the continued health of the turfgrass.

This week, the front 9 and putting green will be closed on Monday, with play available on the back 9. Then, Tuesday, the back 9 and chipping green are closed, and play is available on the front 9.

It is not uncommon to hear of courses skipping aeration, or “my home course only aerates one time per year, in the off-season and it doesn’t bother anyone.” While these may be true stories, there is no sustainability to either program. Eventually the down sides of skipping or under-performing aeration will catch up and the turfgrass will suffer. Once that time arrives, catch up is very difficult to nearly impossible without major renovations.

We continue to adjust our aeration program to get the most out of each aspect. We will again be aerating the greens with a combination of solid and hollow tines, which we have done for several years. The roots of the putting greens are at there shortest of the year. Using a full set of hollow tines would cause more upheaval and damage than anything. However, continuing to remove thatch is still a need; therefore, we find a balance by alternating tine styles.

The Bermuda grass also is aerated at this time of year. The Bermuda grass is growing as aggressively as it will all season. Giving it some much need oxygen will increase its growth and should help us heal the last few remaining damaged areas. We will be using solid tines, like last year, in order to minimize injury to new sod and seeded areas.

We also apply our compost during aeration, which is another aspect of our aeration program that we have been performing for several years. While we have had Bermuda grass death the last couple of years, the problem has been less and less related to Spring dead spot. We believe this is in part due to the continued applications of compost. It gives the soil a needed organic component and a long-term food source for microbes.

Thank you for your patience during this time. Disruption now leads to better quality playing surfaces, not only for the remainder of this year, but for years to come.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to keep your cart on the cart path when we are “Cart Path Only.”

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

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Big Cup Sunday

Yesterday was Big Cup Sunday. The course featured 8” cups on all greens. It was an initiative to get new golfers, families, and other people out on the course to have some fun.

We don’t know yet what the response will be to the big cups, especially since it was forecast to be the hottest day of the year, but the work behind the scenes was interesting, nonetheless. It took 2 Grounds staff members, working in tandem, roughly 12-15 minutes per hole to cut the large cups. That contrasts with 7-9 minutes per cup for a traditional hole, for a single person.

Grounds staff installing the big cup with
the specialized cup cutter.

Golf course supply companies manufacture am 8” cup cutter. This larger tool actually works very similar to the regular cup cutters but takes much more effort to get into the green. Much more care must be taken with the plug as well.

Since these big cups were just introduced to the greens, there was no “previous hole” in which to put the plug. Therefore, we had to transport all the plugs back to the maintenance facility and store them for the day. We will be placing them back into the greens tomorrow. They were watered upon removal from the green and will most likely be watered again this afternoon, like the greens themselves.

The plugs taken out of the greens.

The regulation cup with the cover in place.

The regulation hole that is currently in each green was covered with a green cap. These are actually manufactured for this purpose, for any reason a facility may have to cover their cups. This allows the big cup to be the sole cup on the green as well as the traditional cup to remain in play without interrupting anyone.

We hope everyone who came out enjoyed the fun day. There is no date yet for another big cup day, but if there is a desire to do it again, the Grounds staff will be ready.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please remember to keep your cart on the cart path when we are “Cart Path Only.”

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

Bunker etiquette

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org