Keller GC Grounds Renovation 2012

We have had no major rain events in almost two weeks so progress on the course has been substantial. Of the 21 greens under construction, 13 have all their drain tile, gravel and green mix in place. The irrigation installation is proceeding at a rapid pace, averaging 2-3 days per hole. This process includes pulling the lateral PVC lines and control wires, installing swing joints and irrigation heads and wiring satellite controllers. Installation of the irrigation pond liner continues on hold as Duininck continues de-watering of the basin.

The following series of photos show the construction of our pumphouse located next to the irrigation pond on the 12th hole. The building was constructed around our new Flowtronics pump station.

The concrete pad with the wet well covered for safety.

The pump station is delivered to the site and...

carefully set in place.

The block is stacked in preparation for wall construction.

The walls are finished.

The roof trusses are in place.

Xcel showed up to run power to the pumphouse from a power pole along Highway 61

The finished product.

Green mix being spread out over the gravel layer on the first green.

Trucks dump the mix on the edge of the green

A small dozer pushes the mix from that point out onto the green, always working on 12+ inches of mix so as not to disturb the gravel layer below.

The black material surrounding the green cavity is a plastic anti-wicking barrier. It is placed between the green mix and the surrounding soil to prevent the native soil from sucking moisture out of the green mix, resulting in dry spots on the edges of the greens.

The second green cavity full of mix. The extra material in the pile will be used to account for the settling that will occur as the mix is worked and compacted prior to final grade.

Mix on seven green spread by a skid steer.

A worker uses a compacting machine to settle the mix along the margin of the green. The area where the soil meets the mix will be worked thoroughly to ensure no future settling occurs.

Drainage lines on sixteen green are laid out and trenching begins.

Topsoil is spread on the 14th hole - view is from the 16th hole.

"Topsoiling" is complete on the 14th and 15th holes.

The centerline bunker on the second hole with topsoil. The view is from the tee.

A new bunker being dug into the hillside of the 16th fairway.

The seventh hole tee complex nearing completion.

A vibratory plow used to install the 2" PVC lateral irrigation lines. The pipe is attached to the cylindrical fitting shown hanging behind the plow blade and is pulled through the ground at a two foot depth.

Lateral irrigation line installation on the third hole.

An irrigation head staking crew at work. Spacing between irrigation heads is critical for maximum performance so all head locations are measured in the field. The individual in blue is from our irrigation design firm and he is overseeing the operation.

The control wires for the irrigation heads are conveniently laid out in one pass using a wire cart.

The vibratory pipe puller is shown here in action. The bundle of control wires is fed from above and buried on top the pipe in the ground.

Irrigation installation on the second hole.

Wire cart in action.

Irrigation installation on the 17th hole.

The Duininck irrigation superintendent flushing a pipe prior to head installation. It is important that all dirt and foreign material is flushed from the lines or the irrigation heads may not function properly.

A common sight...the irrigation pond holding water. Soils must be dry before the liner can be installed.

Constant pumping from excavated sumps dug into the floor of the basin reduced water levels only so far.

The latest plan to dry out this basin involves placing drain pipe and rock into trenches cut into the floor of the pond. The trenches lead to a deep sump from which the pumping will continue.