Fieldstone Retaining Wall Project

This month we were able to have Boulderman Landscaping come out and rebuild the retaining walls in front of #1 tee and along #8 tees.  One great resource we have here is the amount of field stone that has been collected and stored over the years, some of which were tremendous in size and made for quite a dramatic upgrade in look over the railroad ties that once held as a wall.  80% of the total stone used in this project came from Elcona's land.  Below are some pictures of the process, and the final look.  

Harold loading stone from our north field

Our contractor laid down a fabric behind the wall to help curb soil erosion and weed growth.  River rock was placed behind the stones to aid in drainage and prevent soil from washing out behind and causing possible wall collapse.

A breakdown of the materials used in the wall

8 Green tee after stone work is finished

8 Tee from afar

Number 1 Tee's final work

While the stone work has been completed, the project is not.  In the coming week, we will be removing a strip of sod and re-contouring the grade from the tee to the rocks on #8, and laying sod to overlap the top course of rock, to further stabilize the top of the wall and make a much smoother transition from tee to wall.  Until we can complete this work, everyone should utilize the stairs or walk onto the tee from the back to prevent any stones from dislodging and causing harm.  We will have signs reminding everyone of this.  Also, we will be repairing some damage to the older asphalt path as there was a bit of buckling with the weight of materials used and the thawing of the earth beneath.  As weather allows, we will be making those repairs.  Please watch your path and speed as you traverse to 8 green.

Grade work behind the stones still needs to be completed

When this project is completed, it will add a dramatic new look to the golf course and provide a longer term solution compared to landscape timbers.  I appreciate your understanding while we complete these improvements!

Ryan

Late July Course Update

Staff hard at work prepping for Day 3

 

Another Walter O. Wells Invitational is in the books, and on behalf of the entire Grounds staff, congratulations to all the flight winners.  We hope that everyone had another memorable experience this past week. 

 



New path and landscape bed along 9 tee

One of the neat projects that the staff completed this month was reshaping and edging the landscape bed along 9 tee.  With the resurfacing of the cart path, it was necessary to remove the old timbers that lined the path.  In lieu of new timbers, we decided to line the edge with fieldstone.  Many of you asked where we got the stone, and how much we spent on it.  That is the great part about this project.  Over the years, these stones have come from adjacent fields from Elcona's property that the farmers have piled up and given to us.  Other stones have been found on property from doing various renovation projects.  Many thanks to Greg Stump, Elcona's horticulturalist, for his efforts planning and executing this great improvement to the golf course. 

 



Normal and over-regulated bluegrass, 5 green

Finally, many of you have asked me about the rough directly next to the collar around greens.  This Kentucky Bluegrass rough has the playability similar to Bermudagrass and is quite stemmy, as the picture on the right shows, which can result in balls sinking down and creating quite the tough pitch shot.  This is a result of over-regulation of the plant.  Growth regulator is applied to the greens on a weekly basis to help produce the playing conditions that are expected.  In late Spring, additional growth regulator was applied to keep the rough in check and help us keep up with mowing.  As a result, these regulators limit leaf growth and promote root/stem growth.  What has resulted this year is something that I have not seen in my career. 

 

In the short term, we have applied a slow-release fertilizer to promote new leaf tissue growth and help keep balls from sinking down into the canopy.  When fall weather hits, we will be aggressively verticutting around the greens to remove plant material and promote further new growth that will not have this growth habit.  Finally, green surrounds will be aerified to increase air flow to the rootzone and reduce the compaction from foot and machinery traffic.  All of these cultural practices will help alleviate our current situation and improve playability around greens. 

 

Ryan