Golf Course Architect Richard Mandell was on site for two days at the end of May. He was able to spend quality time with the two lead shapers from Duininck, Rich and Scott. As I stated in a previous post, this melding of the minds is critical in the transfer of the architect's vision to golf course features composed of soil and grass.
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Richard explaining his vision for the centerline bunker in 2 fairway to one of the shapers.
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| A view from above of the roughed-in bunker in 2 fairway. |
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| The entire hole from the tee showing trees removed right and left of the fairway. |
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| Here is the roughed-in cavity for 1 green. |
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| An action shot of the front left bunker being created on 1 green. |
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Unfortunately, this sight has been all too familiar in 2013. Duininck estimates they are approximately one week behind from where they would like to be ideally. If the rain gods decide to take a vacation, the schedule should come together just fine. It is raining as I write this.
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| Here are several shots from the 3rd hole. This shot shows the wider, more visible landing area from the beginning of 3 fairway. A new bunker will be added into the ridge on the right hand side even with the centerline pole at 250 yards. |
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| A look from the back tee of the 3rd hole. |
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| The 3rd green cavity is excavated. There are currently two fairway bunkers scheduled to be built on the left side (as the hole is played) of the fairway. The fill being deposited in the approach will help elevate the fairway bunker closest to the green, improving visibility. |
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The floor (subgrade) of the second green cavity is nearing completion. The white flags represent a 10 foot grid pattern of the subgrade. Surveyors shoot elevations for each point on the grid and this information is sent to the architect for his final approval. This is an important step because the final putting surface will closely mimic the topography of the subgrade. Once final approval is obtained, Duininck will begin installing the all important drain tile system. Good drainage is a must for growing great greens.
This cross section shows you how our USGA greens will be constructed. The drain tile is placed in a gravel-filled trench that is cut into the subgrade. A four inch layer of pea gravel is placed on top of the subgrade. The root zone mix is 12 inches deep and is placed on top of the pea gravel layer. It is very important that the root zone mix is a consistent 12 inches across the entire green. Otherwise, it is possible for dry areas and wet areas to develop within the putting green profile. We are using a root zone mix comprised of 85% sand and 15% peat. All of these components, including the gravel, are thoroughly tested throughout the construction process to ensure they meet the tight USGA specifications.
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| From the middle of 18 fairway. Once Duininck runs a box scraper over the roughed-in fairway, it really starts to take shape. The green complex lines up with the left half of the clubhouse. |
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| Irrigation main line installation along the east side of 12 fairway. |
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| Duininck irrigation crew in full swing. Since switching over to this large trencher, the amount of main line pipe going in the ground has increased dramatically. This machine trenches at a rate of 10 feet per minute at a 3 foot depth. |
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| This is a 10 inch main line tee intersection near the pumphouse on the east side of 12 fairway. The orange device on the pipe is a very expensive isolation valve. These valves are installed throughout the golf course. In the event of a leak, golf course staff can isolate a fairway, tee or a green, and make a repair while keeping the rest of the system operational. Note the concrete poured behind the tee fitting. This is called a thrust block and they are required wherever the pipe changes direction. Water can move at high speeds through these pipes and that " water hammer" or pressure surge causes great stress on angled pipe fittings. The thrust block keeps the pipe and fitting from moving when stressed, hopefully eliminating pipe/fitting failures and the associated repair nightmares |
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| This is how the concrete is delivered to the thrust block locations across the golf course. |
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| Cement trucks no longer rinse off wherever they please or at least not on MPCA monitored properties. Duininck was required to dig and install this plastic lined pit for just that purpose. Collected material will be properly disposed of off site at a later date. |
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| The components for the new irrigation pump station were delivered ten days ago. Construction on the new pumphouse is slated to begin next week. After the slab is poured for the building, the pump station skid, piping, pumps and control panel will be placed in position on the slab and the building will be built around it. |
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| The majority of the clubhouse roof is shingled as seen from the area of 11 approach. |
Richard Mandell will be on site the second and fourth week of June. Upcoming projects include final shaping of the irrigation pond and liner installation, continuing irrigation main line installation, topsoil replacement on areas where final grades have been approved by the architect and continued rough shaping of greens, tees and bunkers. Installation of doors and windows in the buildings began today. The new curb is in on County Road B and paving is scheduled to begin tomorrow. Expect County Road B to be open both directions as of June 17.
