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.