Renovation of #18 Green: Day 3

Lots of progress was made on Day 3.  As I reviewed the pictures that I took it was amazing how much detail work took place and how close we are to a finished sub-grade.  Ramon and his staff from O&J Construction are very good at what they do, and have proved it everyday.  As of now, the sub-grade of the green is ready for Arthur Hills to review and the new bunker has begun to take shape.  Mr. Hills and his associate, Brian Yoder will be here tomorrow (Thursday) to recommend the final contours of the green and make the necessary changes to the shape of the bunker.  Once the final contours of the sub-grade are created, it will be time to bring in the native rootzone material that was removed earlier in the week.

All-in-all, the project is moving along quite quickly and I remain very pleased with the work that is being done.  Enjoy the photos!

Adding grade stakes to check slope measurements

Starting to see the tier betweeen upper and lower levels

Grade work on lower tier

Old bunker size/shape

Rough size/shape of new bunker.  I will be recommending that there be a
sod face to the bunker instead of flashing sand up the entire face. This will
minimize the risk of washouts.

Staking transition points and marking final height of green surface with
ribbon between the stakes.

Renovation of #18 green: Day 2

After a long day yesterday of stripping, rolling and temporarily laying the salvaged sod on the practice tee, we were ready for some action.  Significant progress was made with the removal of the existing rootzone material.  This material will also be saved and re-used once the sub-grade of the green is established.  By using the same sod from the original green as well as the original rootzone material, we are coming as close as possible to keeping the new 18th green as consistent as the other 17 greens.  Please click on the photos for a larger view.

Setting grade stakes and removing the last bit of sod from the old green.

Beginning to remove the rootzone material

Establishing the new back edge of the green.

The 18th green sod layed out on the practice tee for temporary storage

Removing original galvanized steel irrigation pipe that was running through the
green.  we actually found the quick coupler that was located in the exact center of
of the green.  This is how the green was originally irrigated.

Progress at the end of Day 2.  It is now getting easier to visualize what
the final product will look like.



Renovation of #18 Green: Day 1

Well, the day has finally come.  For many of you it couldn't come soon enough. This will be the first of hopefully not many daily updates pertaining to the renovation of #18 green. The fewer the updates, the faster the project is moving along which is good for everyone. There won't be much "content" to these updates, but there will be several pictures.  If you are interested in seeing a picture in a larger view, simply click on it.

The first picture below is the reason for the renovation.  Golf course architects typically will not design a putting green with areas for pin placements that have a slope greater than 3%.  A vast majority of #18 green has an average slope of 7%.  In this photo (taken from the right side of the green), the slope is 7.4%. 

Slope measuerment taken from the right side of #18 green

Architect and Contractor reviewing layout of new green

The first pass of sod removal.  No turning back now!

 

Rolling and staging sod after cutting.

2/3 of sod removed and view of where new false front will be located.

   




View of the rootzone after sod has been removed. Notice the aerifcation
holes that have been filled with sand over the last few years.





The Renovation of #18 Green: What to Expect

Now that we are getting closer to the commencement date of the renovation of our 18^th green, I would like to give everyone an idea of what to expect. This is a very exciting project that has been discussed for a number of years, but it has not been without its share of criticism.  The reason for the renovation is because the green can no longer be managed like the other 17 greens on the golf course and the slope from the back of the green to the front is so severe that we are only able to utilize about 1/3 of the green for pin locations and the entire left side of the green has become unusable.

Mr. Arthur Hills explaining the new green to members of the Green Committee

The scheduled start date is Monday, October 10th and we have been told that work should be completed within two weeks.  In layman’s terms, here is how the project will take place:

·         Strip and save all sod.

·         Remove all native rootzone material and save.

·         Remove existing irrigation and save as much as possible.

·         Shape new green, green complex and bunker

·         Add saved rootzone material that was saved mimicking rough grade of green

·         Install irrigation and gps new head/coupler locations

·         Add soil amendments to improve turf health

·         Add saved sod that was removed from the original green

·         Finish bunker

·         Add rough sod

Arthur Hills has been hired to design the new green and O&J Construction will be the contractor completing the project with oversight from myself as well as Arthur Hills and his associate, Brian Yoder.

New rough sketch of #18 green on top of current version of green

Both Arthur Hills and O&J Construction have requested that there be NO interference from the membership or other individuals during the project.  This includes being on the construction site while work is being performed, giving personal opinions of how the green should look when completed, interfering with the crew while working etc.  They are all professionals and have a plan to provide us with a fantastic product when it is finished.

Again, this is a very exciting time for the club, and we are expecting the best possible outcome, but will need your cooperation to help complete this as quickly as possible.  I will be providing updates almost daily on this blog for those that are interested.