One Step Closer

We are getting there one step at a time.  Today was the beginning of the installation of the new pump system into the new pump house.  A crane lifted the pump from one of our trucks on Military Road and placed it inside the shell, which now can be roofed and we are almost there!

Lets hope the snow holds off a little bit and we will be ready for some not so cold water to fire the system up.

A little fine tuning and we should be able to start the long process of punch list items to repair.  We are still looking at being complete before opening day.  Plenty of work will need to be done, touching up low spots and getting yardage plates on all the heads, which by the way will have 3 yardages now.

In all nearly 650 yardages will be around the course, so be patient, it takes time to sort those out to make sure we  get them on the correct location.  An example is shown below.

Watch your step!

Many times over the winter the attraction of golf balls in the creeks is a force that some can't resist.  As the foliage dies back and we on the staff clear the banks the temptation to chase old Titelists is too strong to ignore.  We want to warn the members of the perils that surround these areas,  they are very steep and have some gullies that look safe but are very deep.   Covered in vines to invite you to make the  perilous first step.  This picture shows the kind of dangers involved and the cautious tale to make sure you play in groups.  This could have ended in disaster, but with the help of fellow playing partners, thankfully no one was injured.  Winter golf can be enjoyable, please make it a safe round as well.

WGCC the beautiful

This picture was recently taken by one our long term staff members, Ronald Alvarez.  Not only does it highlight the beauty found around our course, but to me demonstrates how much our staff appreciate and enjoy the natural grandeur of our club.  This photo really exemplifies what we love about this property and the amazing beauty we get a chance to experience in the early hours of the day.

I'll let you guess where it was taken!

The irrigation project continues a slow march towards completion.  We still have around 24 working days left, but February typically has only around 10-13 good working days.  Holes 16-18 have yet to be completed along with some sporadic areas to finish, mostly outer rough we left for poor weather days.

We will start the ordering of sprinkler head yardages in the next few weeks.  The process of installing these is quite slow so expect that they all get installed before opening day.

Whats happening at 11?

The hillside above the 11th green has deteriorated over the years.  The trees have health issues and the azaleas are contaminated by weeds, vines and disease.  In addition, the slopes are very severe which coupled with the density of the growth, has become almost impossible to combat the problems.  We are taking this winter to remove the dead and dying shrubs and trees, relocate some of the healthy specimens, and start the long process of revitalizing the area.

The picture below shows what you may see next time you visit.

We have drawn up what we would like to create.  This process will take some time and be performed in stages.  The amount of invasive species will requires us to keep the area relatively bare this season while we eradicate the problems.  We hope to plant several new trees this spring, but wait on most of the shrubs and flowers until fall once a summer of clearing has helped prepare the area for planting.  This is a very challenging spot to not only keep nice, but even to grade and clear the area is proving to be difficult as well.  We have high hopes this areas can provide a nice backdrop to the hole once finished and allow some nice views of the large white oak (Kirchner Tree) at 14 tee as well.

As we search for the elusive methods to improve the playing conditions, we will always move forward with small improvements projects that enhance the playing experience.

Priceless

Our course has some of the best vistas anywhere, as the commercial goes...  Priceless, but all things have a cost so, I thought I would list a few of the items we use every year.

22,000,000   The number of gallons of water we use during the year

30,000          The square feet of sod we installed last year

600               The tons of sand we used on the course for topdressing and bunkers

10,000          Gallons of fuel consumed in maintaining the course

6,000            Pounds of seed put in to the ground

300              gallons of oil changed for fleet maintenance

45                number of flags lost due to vandalism

200              feet of chain for the chainsaws

300              the average number of steps a foursome takes on every green

365              the number of days spent worrying about the course!


Enjoy the new year and everyone have a great golf season......



In later posts I will begin a several part series on our greens;  the history, construction and challenges we face.   This primer may help some have a better understanding of the costliest and most critical aspect of the course.

Slooooow Going

The irrigation project continues to rock and roll.  Literally rock in this case.  We strive to install roughly 20 heads per day if possible.  The first two days on Hole 3 were slowed by striking old ductile iron main line pipe several times.  The effort requires digging up around the pipe large enough to get a saw in place, cut the old pipe out, cap it to reduce the chance it floods and seeps water out later on, and then repair the area and continue on.


This process happened 4 times on Tuesday.  We thought the worst was over when we happened upon the left side of three around 220 yards from the green.  Rock... lots and lots of rock.  The twenty head rule was thrown out the window and we managed around 20 feet of pipe installed.  We knew we would encounter some issues along the way, but this illustrates the difficulty in accurately predicting when we will finish.   Although we are roughly on schedule to be done by the end of March, many issues including weather still remain in our path.  In addition many months of follow up work, to level valves, repair settled lines and general clean up will still be required once done.

We look forward to the day when everyone has vacated the site and we can resume normal operations, but until then, keep you eyes out for bumps and holes and check back here for any updates.

Our Weeds Are Tough!

Many times people wonder as we clear out areas of underbrush and vines why we don't rush in and re-plant material.  Comments have been made that it was nice that we cleaned this or that up , but how about making it better looking.  Well as this photo shows the weeds and underbrush here are tough plants.

Years of unchecked growth and good habitat for them to thrive have made formidable foes.  Throwing some round up at them is not enough.  The number of times we have seen plants that are unfazed by roundup have come back stronger than ever are too numerous to count.

That is why once we clear an area, we wait 1-2 years before we attempt to plant again.  It gives us time to continue to knock back the aggressive plants and minimize the risk that we lose the area we struggled to get under control.


As the picture shows, this vine along 3 creek was so determined that a little concrete was not going to deter it from finding it's way to freedom.  So when you see us "clear cut" an area, give us some time, our goal is to continue to beautify the entire course, some areas are just a little more stubborn than others.