The 2nd tee proved an interesting and challenging project. Take a small defined space, add improved cart paths, adequate tee space for a par 3, room for drainage and irrigation, then provide easy access to the 1st green all without walls to prop up the space. We think we have accomplished all the goals while increasing teeing area and did not alter the layout of the hole. We hope you like the look, everything in this small area is a trade off and we think we got the balance right.
While working the area we ran into some items that might have caused some of our prior issues. In the back tee area a stump the size of a small truck was buried 6" under the surface, while on the front tee a boulder larger than any of our equipment was located barely under the teeing surface of the forward tee. We had to create large burial holes because both items were too large to remove. We literally had to roll them into holes.
In addition we added a new path inside the pine tree area to the right of the hole that will remove the player from the oncoming tee shot on 18. This path is a new material, flex pave, that softens the impact of golf ball, and allows water and air to move through so not to damage tree roots. This area will be playable by opening day.
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| Large bolder found under white tee |
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| Stump buried under blue tee |
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| Drain lines installed under surface |
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| View from back of 2nd tee |
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| New Flex Pave path to the right of the 2nd hole |
After the 2nd tee we started the process of adding drainage to some our most troublesome areas. The primary effort was focused on the 4th hole. This hole suffers from a lot of shade, large amounts of off site water intrusion from the neighborhood and poor air circulation. This combined with a very limited hitting area makes this challenge under the best of circumstances.
We cannot hope to solve all these issues at once, but we felt the ability to reduce the wet areas in the landing zones would be a good first step. We began by capturing the majority of the water entering the course from the homes and piping it to the storm drains at the start of the fairway. In addition we added several smaller catch basins and french drains in the main landing area of the tee shot.
After the crest of the fairway we constructed a series of basins and drains to remove the water from the long narrow section leading towards the green. To remedy the cross bunker from washing out from off site runoff we reshaped the area to direct this flow to the new drains.
We also trimmed some trees along the hole to improve airflow and sunlight. This process will be ongoing to improve conditions for turfgrass, as time has caused the canopy to become a hinderence to providing better conditions.
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| Added drainage to collect this off site water |
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| Added drainage to capture this water |
We began drainage work at the start of 12 fairway, and continue in the 15th fairway, and the bottom of 8 fairway and rough. Much of this work is on hold due to weather and will be picked back up in the spring. These works are an effort to improve infrastructure that will always be of benefit no matter the direction the course takes. Most superintendents when asked what 3 things could be done to improve their course, respond with drainage, drainage and more drainage.
One project that has been on our minds for years was the replacement of the wall alongside the cart path from the 3rd green to the 4th tee. The old wall was constructed from the remnants of one of the old pools. A haphazard collection of broken concrete that was not representative of our continuing infrastructure improvements. In addition to the wall, we will be replacing the old wooden stairs to the tee at 4, and the wooden steps leading from the range parking lot to the cart path at 4. We hope this make a better presentation, a safer transition and one that is consistent with other past improvements.
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| New stone wall from 3 green to 4 tee area |
We have taken the 15th fairway out of play for the winter while we performed several upgrades. First we stripped the end of the fairway and replaced the sod as well as smoothed the surface. This area is very similar to par 3 tees. A lot of play from a limited hitting area, which becomes uneven after all the divot sand is applied. Similar to the fourth fairway, this fairway is challenged by limited sun, air movement, poor drainage and limited hitting area.
When installing new turf we widened the hitting area closer to the creek, and smoothed out the fairway lines to reduce damage from fairways mowers. This year we will be implementing maintenance practices more in line with a par 3 tees, with topdressing and fertilization practices modified for these areas. Several trees have been limbed up for improved sightlines.
Just before winter set in we addressed an area of cart path that was some of the worst on the course. The traverse from the 9th tee to green was a combination low area, drainage hole, red stone and wood timbers with poor asphalt. We removed the old path, installed some drainage and removed the timbers while expanding the path.
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| Old path, a mix of surfaces and drainage issues |
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| New path with better functionality |
There has been normal tree maintenance around the course over the winter. We selectively prune, and remove trees that we have observed over the past few growing seasons. Some trees require us to take action due to safety concerns especially if they are in areas that see a large amount of traffic. The picture below is an example of one such tree. We have observed this oak tree for the past few years while we watched for signs of decline. You can see what looked to most as a normal tree was completely rotted out and was leading to dangerous situation.
I will be making updates as we move towards spring, in the meantime firewood is ample supply, and the staff is busy refurbishing all the equipment and benches, birdhouses and other items that need our care. The days are already getting longer, so get golf ready.
