#12 Irrigation Box

Recently, the irrigation control box located between 12 green and 13 tees had been struck by lightning.  The high electrical current resulted in heat being passed through the electrical components inside the box and a small fire ensued.  

 

The entire inside of the box was damaged and needed to be replaced.

An up close look reveals melted parts.  The bottom left was a surge protector which was no match for the power of lightning.

We took this opportunity to resolve another problem with the location of the box.  Every year when we would receive heavy rainfall, the control box would flood because it is located in a low lying area.  As we all know, water and electrical parts do not mix.  To solve this problem, the box was pushed back a couple feet and also raised 2 feet on a concrete pad.  

Wood was used to create a form for the concrete pad.  The wires in front all had the be spliced and an additional 5 feet of wire was added. In all, over 50 slices were done.  The wires were then run through "sweeps" which are pipe that create space for the wires.

A lot of wires!

The box was placed on top of the concrete pad and bolted down.  All the wires were attached and double checked to ensure the proper wires were in the right place. 

Sticky stone will be added to the concrete pad in the spring time to make it look more appealing.

Bunker Rehab Continued...

With old man winter knocking on the door, the crew at Rivercrest kept busy by sprucing up the some of the bunkers. This process has been going on for the last couple of years, and we have received great feedback on the results.  There are a few reasons the bunkers have been declining which include over watering, build up of sand, compaction, and insects. This year bunkers on #4, #5, #8,and  #16 were addressed.   

The big bunker on the right hand side of #4 fairway was stripped of the Fescue that had become very compacted and patchy. 

Once the sod was stripped, soil was added to level off certain areas to ensure a smooth surface for the sod to be laid.  This will not only be more appealing to the eye but will ensure better playability.  

 

 

Three bunkers on the left side of #8 were stripped in preparation for sodding.  The fine Fescue around these bunkers had also become very patchy and weed infested

Once these areas were stripped turf type tall fescue sod was  put down. 

These areas will all be maintained at about 2” to 3” in height and will make for better playability and also much more appealing to the eye.  The proper management of these new areas should keep these areas in good shape for years to come.

 

 

A Little Facelift

One area of the course that was in need of a facelift was the 3 bunkers on the right hand side of #9. Fine Fescue grasses do well with minimal inputs and due to the location of the sprinklers this area was constantly being over-watered. This produced excessive growth and the grass to lay over on itself causing matting issues.  The plan was to re-grass the area to Kentucky Bluegrass so that it can be maintained and the irrigation coverage utilized. The area will be maintained at 2-3" from this point on.

Before.  The native grasses were clumpy and infested with weeds.

First we cut the grass as short as possible and prepared the area for sod cutting. As you can see, the sod cutter did not fare so well.

Martin weed whacking to make sod cutting easier

Josh and Corey attempting to sod cut

We decided to bring out the big toys to help with sod removal.

Once the sod was stripped, 4,500 square feet of sod was laid.  Over the course of a week, the right hand side of 9 has received a facelift. 

Finished Product!

 



 A couple weeks ago I had the fortunate experience to volunteer for The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida.  This was my first time going to a PGA event so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  I was excited to see how a golf course was managed at this level as well as taking in the pure beauty of the course.

  This was a great opportunity because it not only gave me the chance to see what goes into preparing the course for the biggest purse in golf, but also gave me a chance to network with other turf professionals from around the world.  I spent most of my mornings fixing ball marks, moving turning boards, and blowing off greens with a superintendent from Malaysia that had just got done hosting the CIMB classic. This was a unique experience that I wouldn't have gotten to experience anywhere else.


  

There were about 80 volunteers from all over the world paired with TPC’s staff of about 70.  It was interesting to see over 100 people working together day and night in order to make the course the best it could be.  It was also eye opening to see how much communication and team work is needed to pull of such a large event.  While I was bummed that I didn’t get the chance to mow 17 like Corey and Chris had in the past, it was a pleasure to be a part of this tournament. The way it ended on Sunday night made it even more entertaining. All of the volunteers including myself were  happy that they were able to finish on Sunday which  meant that we would get to relax a bit by hitting some balls on 17 Monday morning. I had a great time in Sawgrass and am looking forward to using what I learned on a daily basis at Rivercrest.

Aww, cute little furry animals

Adorable

Yeah Right! When the snow finally melted we were greeted with these unusual trails everywhere. After a little research, it was concluded that the friendly little Vole created this mess. The vole is a mouse like rodent that will burrow under the snow eating the soft vegetation. Most of the trails lead to a drain area where melting snow provides fresh water for them. I never realized we had so many on the property as damage was seen on virtually every hole. Most areas were fixed with raking up the debris and reseeding but a few were damaged to the point that sod was needed.

Not so much.

Walls come tumbling down

The long cold winter did more than keep members off the course and praying for spring. The heavy snow coupled with rapid warm ups then deep freezes caused excessive expansion of the soil behind the dry stack walls. Four large sections of walls in and around 15 tee and 17 green collapsed into the ponds. This was especially difficult as someone had to get into the VERY cold water to pick up and rebuild these sections. My assistants Corey and Josh(expert wall builders) volunteered to get wet. Thank goodness for insulated waders!

He actually looks like he's enjoying this!

Someone's going to sleep well tonight

The soil behind the wall was removed and back-filled with stone to help reduce future problems.

Nice work

15 Creek Update

Mariano cutting in sod pieces as Rene brings  more soil to finish contouring the edges.

Carlos flexing his muscles. Next time carry three pieces!

Just a few of the rocks we pulled from the creek. This will help slow the rushing water and save the banks downstream

Finished head-wall with new sodding above.

Finally, some greener pictures!

Greens Aerification Update

Monday (3/24) we were able to get holes 1-4 aerified.  With the night time temperatures dropping well below freezing, the greens were frozen and we were not able to get started until 1:00pm.

The aerification process on the greens is called the Graden.  This machine creates slits in the green and then fills the slit with sand.

As you can see, the machine pulls out a lot of organic material which will be recycled and used as divot mix on the range tee throughout the year.

After the piles are picked up the green is brushed and blown off.  This process should not affect playability as much as typical core aerification.

Up close picture of the sand-filled slits.

The night time temperatures on Monday night dropped to 18 degrees.  As I write this, we are patiently waiting for the greens to thaw so we can get out there again.  Lets hope the snow holds off!
  

Aerification Update 3/25/14

Does anyone else think Mother Nature is being a tease?  It seems as if the weather we had over the weekend is behind us and we are back to being stuck in the cold.  With the couple of nice days we had last week, we were able to get a jump on the aerification process.  Tees and approaches were both core aerified, plugs picked up, and blown off.  The approaches were then topdressed and the sand was brushed into the holes.  Here are a couple pictures from the process:

The idea of aerifing is to remove the "bad stuff" (thatch) and to replace is with new sand.  This will increase root growth, gas exchange, and water movement through the profile.

The crew blowing the plugs off of #16 approach. 

The plugs were blown into piles then picked up and removed.

We will begin aerifing fairways this week.  A solid tine will be used making the clean up process much faster.  Lets hope Mother Nature decides to cooperate so we can all get out and finally play some golf. 

Starting to get spring fever?

 

This winter has been a brutal one and with the snow finally melting off after a few warm days we've had a chance to continue on 15 creek. 

     Here is an update to the previous post. We have been working on the stream bed in front of 15 green and it's coming along nicely despite the weather set backs. We have added a rock wall to the drainage outlet which will improve the look of the hole.

  

 Once the weather allows us to lay sod we will do so throughout the whole stream bed down to the first hazard stakes. This will give golfers a better chance to find their golf balls without any tripping hazards and make the creek more aesthetically pleasing. Once the sod is laid we will add a few clumps of broomsedge along the bottom to complete the natural look.

I’m sure most of you are ready to get out and play some golf, and as for us we are ready to get outside and get the ball rolling for 2014.

The Snow Won't Stop........................us!

 2/28/14

While it seems as if winter keeps on coming, the crew is staying busy and getting ready for the season to begin.  One process that we have been working on is edging all of the bunkers. The idea is to bring the bunkers back to the original contour by creating a defined edge.  This will be aesthetically pleasing as well as decreasing excess sand from building up on the bunker banks.  

While clearing the snow adds and extra step in the process, we are still able to get to the edges. 

          

Once the snow is removed, the sun thaws the soil out which then can be edged.

 
 The end result is a nicely defined edge.

Come on Spring!

I know everyone is chomping at the bit to start playing some golf. Cabin fever has kicked in and my staff just wants to get out on the course. Come on Spring! Before we dust off the clubs and begin striping it down the fairway, lets start thinking about etiquette and keeping our course in the best shape possible. The link to proper ball mark repair is below as a reminder before the season gets under way.

Ice Damage

The recent ice storm which tracked up the North east corridor and caused numerous power outages and millions in damage across the region also hit RiverCrest, but luckily we only sustained minor damage. A few trees will have to be removed as they snapped off more than three quarters the way down. The combination of ice and snow caused the pines behind 13 to lose a decent portion of the limbs greenside but should survive. We will make a final judgement on the tree furthest to the right on a later date.

Left of 2 Cart Path

Near 11 green

Heavy damage on 13

Course Update 2/10/14

It has been a little over a week since Punxsutawney Phil had predicted six more weeks of winter; and it seems as if he were correct.  With the latest storm over the weekend the total snowfall amount has surpassed the 40 inch mark.  With no signs of letting up, we will be lucky to see green grass by April.  Even with the harsh winter weather, we have still been able to access the course and continue with our winter projects.  Here are some photos of work we have been doing this winter:

15 Creek Bed Project:

The objective of this project is to reshape the creek bed to become more golfer friendly by making it easier to hit golf shots and walk through while still keeping it a hazard. 

The first step was to remove large rocks and debris located within the bed.

Next, we added soil and used the transit to create fall so rain water can drain naturally.

The the soil was packed and checked once more for fall.

Currently this project is at a halt as we wait for warmer temperature and the snow to melt.  The next and final step will be to lay sod.  The finished product will allow golfers to walk through the creek bed without concerns of stepping on a rock and twisting an ankle.  It will also be easier to hit golf shots out of.  But be careful because it will still be marked as a hazard so don't ground your club!

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring and some warmer weather.  But while we wait, we will soak in the beautiful scenery that RiverCrest Golf Club has to offer.