8/21 We Have Green!

Sodding operations began August 19, and seed started hitting the ground yesterday. Everything is moving at a very quick pace. Duininck hopes to complete four to five hole per week and turn them over to the Keller maintenance staff for grow-in. The first four holes scheduled for completion are 3, 4, 14, and 15.

 The new irrigation system was fired up this past Monday for the first time with no set backs. It is a cadillac system with incredible control, efficiency and performance - a huge improvement over our old system!

The following photos are from the past two weeks of construction. Enjoy!

Erosion control blankets were installed around the perimeter of the irrigation pond to protect the slopes while the seed germinates. The current pond level is up to the bottom of the straw blankets. In the center of the photo you can see the location of the #12 green cavity and a sand bunker located behind it.

The hillside beneath the 13th green complex was also seeded and blanketed to protect the slope and help prevent soil from washing into the new water feature.

This is the centerline bunker in two fairway, shelled out, drainage installed, finish-shaped and waiting for sand and sod.

Drainage is installed in the right side fairway bunker on the 3rd hole.

In conjunction with the golf course renovation, many new areas are being converted to native short-grass prairie. This is  initial  prairie establishment along the fenceline of the 14th hole. The visible tall grass-like plants are actually oats which is planted as a cover crop while the warm season prairie grasses slowly develop.

After the drainage system was installed on the golf course it was determined that the wetland area that drains much of the course (located left of the 2nd hole) lacked the necessary capacity. Another contractor was brought in to enlarge and deepen the basin.

This is the finished product, seeded and covered with blanket. The soils in this area are all sand and will drain quickly.

The new cart path that snakes through the tee complex on the 16th hole.

Here is a worker saturating the sand/peat green mix prior to finish grading. This done to to compact the sand so there is no settling of the putting surface after grassing.

Here a bunker rake is working on the finish grade while another worker uses a probe to check for a uniform 12" green mix profile throughout the green. Failure to obtain a uniform 12" depth could lead to localized wet and dry spots in the future.

A view from the fifth fairway.

Here are the three roughed-in bunkers in the bottom of 12 fairway, per plan, prior to the arrival of GC Architect Richard Mandell. Richard was onsite the end of last week. During his visit, Golf Pro Tom Purcell made a very persuasive argument that the first bunker on the right blocked access to the upper right fairway for the average golfer. Now there are only two bunkers! Note the dust in the air. We haven't received appreciable rainfall in quite some time and any traffic or wind creates an eye-irritating dust bowl.

The first load of bunker sand is dumped in the third fairway.

An irrigation crew installing the main line that exits the pumphouse.

Greenside bunker on the third hole with sand installed.

The same bunker with sod in place. The backdrop of the third green has also been sodded. It is starting to look like a golf course again!

One of the  left-side fairway bunkers with sand.

The same bunker with sod

Right-side fairway bunker on the third hole, below the fifth green.

A sod crew working on this bunker.

The same bunker completed.

A view from behind the third green. The entire hole is finish-graded and ready for seed and sod.

The front left bunker on the fourth green.

Laser-leveled tees on the third hole ready for some sod on the surrounds.

Rings of sod installed.

We are using big rolls of sod, 30" wide, on this project. A semi-truck delivers 50 rolls of sod and that is equivalent to approximately 10,000 sq ft. We will average 15,000 sq ft per golf hole. The sod is transported and unrolled in place with a skid loader. 

Prior to seeding of the tee, a starter fertilizer is applied.

After the fertilizer application, the seed is applied with a drop spreader in two directions. The Duininck staff is doing a meticulous job of fertilizing and seeding. The individual doing the application actually changes out of his boots and into flat-bottomed tennis shoes at each tee to minimize disruption of the laser-leveled surface. In addition, every effort is made at each seeding site to avoid contaminating the surround areas with bentgrass. 

This is a rock picker working the soil in 14/15 combination fairway. The 14th green is on the horizon.

8/7 The Pond Liner Is In!

The installation crew from Michigan was on onsite last  Thursday morning at 7:00 a.m.to install the liner in our 1.6 acre irrigation pond. The weather was perfect and the project was completed by dark. It took Duininck two days to cap the liner with 12" of soil. We began filling the basin Monday morning and it should be close to full by Thursday or Friday. I have posted some pictures showing the liner installation process.

At this time the 12th green is the only green that is not built due to it's proximity to the irrigation pond and the work going on there. The tees are 90% roughed-in and many have been capped with sand/peat mix and laser-leveled. Irrigation installation is scheduled to be wrapped up by the third week of August. Head and lateral line installation is currently 65% complete. Bituminous Roadways was on site last week and began installing base material for the new cart paths. Some paving began yesterday on holes 14, 15, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8. As this whole renovation process nears completion, operations will move from the corners of the property towards the main entrance...essentially backing out of the property.

The sections of undisturbed turf in fairways 2, 3, 5, 14 and 15 have been sprayed with Roundup twice in preparation for seeding. The seeding process is anticipated to begin August 15 and finish by September 19.

Richard Mandell was on site this past Monday and Tuesday. He is pleased with the progress and excited about the end product. We spent most of his visit establishing grassing lines for the fairways, painting sand lines in the roughed-in bunkers and tweaking landscape features. He will return in 2-3 weeks.

Due to unstable soil conditions in the bottom of the pond, Duininck was forced to install this geomembrane over a section of the bottom. This fabric stabilized the area and allowed completion of final grading.

Final grading is nearing completion in this photo. The fabric is now covered with soil.

A trench is dug around the perimeter of the pond. The liner will be anchored in this trench.

Part of the liner installation crew attending to final prep and hand work.

The installation begins. This 20 mil PVC liner came in long rectangular sections. The overlapping seams are welded together in the field using a special heat-producing seam welding machine.

Progress through early afternoon.

Here is the process of installing a section of liner...

All the liner is in place by early evening.  All seams are checked with compressed air to ensure there are no leaks. Note how the liner is laid in the perimeter trench and covered with soil, anchoring it in place. Final water level will be 6-12" below the trench.

A boot of PVC material  is glued in place wherever  pipes enter the pond.

Duininck begins spreading the 12" cap. Note the spotter in front looking for sharp objects that could puncture the liner. The cap is necessary to prevent the UV light from degrading the PVC material.

The capping process is complete.

The filling process began Monday morning. Rip rap and plastic sheeting were installed beneath the fill pipe to minimize erosion of the cap material.

The view on Tuesday morning.

Workers re-position rip rap and plastic sheeting.

The view on Tuesday late afternoon. As of Wednesday morning we have pumped 2.75 million gallons of water into the pond. We estimate the pond will hold close to 5 million gallons and provide us with a 7-10 supply of water during mid-season growing conditions.

Results of two Roundup applications on the 5th fairway.

The 3rd fairway following herbicide applications.

The asphalt contractor is shown soaking the base material on the cart path prior to rolling.

Base material between the 8th and 9th holes ready for asphalt.

Bunker construction is kicking into high gear. Here are three prototypes from the 3rd hole. This is a left side  fairway bunker.

This is also a left side fairway bunker. The 4th tee is in the background.

The right front greenside bunker on the 3rd green.

Concrete workers finishing up a patio and entrance walk on the east side of the clubhouse.