16 Taking Shape

 

The alternate side of 16 fairway is irrigated and now sodded, including the green.  The left side of the hole will be sodded once irrigation is installed.  A major transformation from only a few weeks ago.

New Green on 11 Maturing

 

The new green on 11 which was sodded only 2 weeks ago has now been mowed once and rolled twice.  Topdressing will be applied weekly and in another 4-6 weeks we will begin covering it.  The goal is to aerate this green 2x before winter time.

Irrigation Progression

 Irrigation laterals and heads are being installed on 17 fairway this week.  This will be the first fairway we can now water with our new system.  While this is a time consuming process, progress will be made quickly now that construction is being completed ahead of them.

Cap Con Installation

 

The process of installing our bunker liner Cap Con is pretty straight forward.  A local concrete distributor makes up the Cap Con mix (which each load has to be approved when it arrives), it is dumped in bunkers and spread to a 2" thickness and paint rollers are used to smooth out.  Once it cures after 24-48 hours, sand can be installed.  The concrete allows water to pass through yet the sand to remain in place during heavy rains.  This will prolong the life of our new bunkers moving forward.

Roughs Germinating

 Back in mid September we applied Tenacity, an herbicide that will remove bentgrass after several applications to all our roughs.   This process takes 3 applications about 2-3 weeks apart.  After the first application, all our bentgrass turned white.  About 5 days after the application, we went in and seeded all the roughs and aeravated them in 2 directions.  Our second application was made 10 days following seeding.  Despite the lack of rainfall, we are seeing germination occurring throughout the course.  A good sign as we start to head into cooler weather which will not be ideal for seed to grow.  As long as we can keep the seed moist and have decent weather, we can still get more germination in the next few weeks.  Our final application will be made with fertilizers on October 20th.  We will assess next June how successful this process was.

3 Down, 2 To Go

 Our new 1st green was sodded yesterday and that leaves us 4 and 9 left to do.  Weather permitting, 9 should be sodded by Saturday or Monday the latest and 1 should take another week once Andy approves.  The goal was to have all 5 greens done by October 15th so we can be aerifying them before the winter.  The good news is the bunkers by 1 green are edged and drained and we have irrigation around the green.  Once CapCon is installed, we can sod, add sand and finish sodding the new fairway leading up to the green.

Finishing Touches

 New Pro Angle sand going in the greenside bunkers on 16.  This shows we are starting to get over the hump of having the hole completed.  Irrigation has been going in on the alternate fairway and hoping to have the hole fully irrigated in next 7-10 days so fairway sod can be completed.

Until we convert from our old irrigation system to the new one, you will see this, hundreds of feet of hose being used to water new sod until heads are installed.  Once irrigation goes in, things will come together quickly!

New 1st Green Moving Quickly

 Between our staff starting to sod the new fairway and LaBar Renovations building the green and shaping bunkers it is a mad house in this area.  Irrigation crews trying to get green irrigated to allow the sod to be put on in the next few days.

We cant complain about the weather, bone dry with no lost days due to rain.  The negative is the amount of dust throughout the property, even with our staff spraying paths and traffic areas to keep dust down.

11 Green Coming to Life

 Pre plant materials going on the green to help the sod get rooted and acclimated quicker.

The green almost sodded with the Travis inspired fescue mounds "chunked" in front of the green.  We harvested fescue sod from our current fescue areas to give it an old thin appearance.  Sand will sit on the ledge between the mounds.  Because this pond slowly leaks, the water level will still come up another 3 feet. 

Progressing Through the Course

 LaBar has now moved to the 2nd tees to demo the mens tees in preparation of shaping the new 1st green.  Currently 11,16,17 and now 2 are under construction.  Play will still be allowed through this area until further notice.

Starting To Take Shape

 The new 16th hole is starting to take shape.  Green will be getting drainage and mix in the next two days and Andy will be in tomorrow to approve bunkers etc.  Once irrigation goes in, green and surrounds will be sodded and bunkers will be completed.  Hole is starting to look cool!

Don't Blink!

 

The much anticipated renovation has finally begun.  LaBar Golf Construction came in a week ago like gangbusters and have the new 16th green in place and ready to be finished in a matter of days.  Most of the finish work hinges on irrigation for the sod, so we will have our consultant come in and stake the new 16th hole this week.  In the meantime, LGI will shell the green, add drainage and finish the bunkers.  Once irrigation is operational, we will strip the existing 16th green and move it to the new green.  A lot of moving pieces as the project continues.  With perfect weather, you can expect LGI to move quickly through the course.

Getting Closer to the Renovation

 

We are only a few weeks away from the official start to the renovation.  We have been busy trying to knock a few projects out to ensure we get more work done out of our budget this fall.  Above you will see the view from the new white tee on the new number 9.  A lot of mounding had to be removed to construct the tees and open up the view of the soon to be new 9th fairway.  A much shorter walk from 8 tee and a strong finishing hole for sure. 

The second picture is the new fairway line that was painted out by Andy Staples two weeks ago.  We must start cutting the rough back and start topdressing, seeding and spraying out the undesirable grasses now while we have another month of great growing weather for seed.  It is our hope we get this fairway expansion to match the rest of the fairway by summer of 2026.  By scalping it saves us a significant amount of money vs sodding.

Stress Evident on the Course

 

With no significant rainfall in over 2 weeks, temperatures in the upper 90s and increased cart traffic on the course this year and the stress is evident everywhere.  We have always used less water in years past throughout the course to allow the course to play firmer, but this year our lack of irrigation accuracy has exposed our weaknesses.  Not to mention outings and outside events crammed on top of each other and the course already looks tired and we are just entering August.  In the pictures above you will see where carts funnel and regardless how we irrigate, the turf cannot tolerate it.  We also have these same stresses on fairways where carts enter and exit and around fairway bunkers, where traffic is funneled.  The only solution is to increase our water usage to "hide" these stresses, but this can jeopardize our Water Allocation Permit and more importantly our turf health and playability.  While we did get over a half inch of rain last night, the forecast called for 1-3" which would have been good for everything including filling our ponds.  We will be back at irrigating again in another day or so with lower temperatures and lower humidity on the horizon.  The new irrigation system will definitely help us next year with more accurate coverage and control capabilities.

Limit Disruption to Members

 

As you can see by the picture, this is the first time we are crossing the front of a fairway and once the trench is dug and existing pipes are hand dug, the pipe can then be installed.  We shut down the 8th tees at noon on Wednesday and will reopen by the afternoon today, disrupting about 24 hours of play.  The smaller pipe you see to the right of the trench will recirculate water from 13 pond up to 4 fairway, to give the ditch a more natural look as it runs through the 3rd and 4th holes.

Brutal Weather

 

It is bad enough we have had triple digit temperatures a few times now in the last 2 weeks, but during an outing when we need to quickly get water on greens makes it even more challenging.  Leaving greens on edge requires more men to be on them more often.  Keeping greens as dry as possible during this heat is actually better for the turf.  Over watering with high humidity and heat can lead to a slew of problems.  Unfortunately when we are busy, we often have to improvise and put 2 men on a green to get it done before the next groups are hitting in to the green.  The challenge with this job is to provide the best conditions no matter what the weather is with as little to no impact on the golfer experience.

Tedious Work

 

While it seems that putting pipe in the ground is easy, just dig and put it in, but I wish it were that easy.  The contractor has to make sure not to break any existing pipes that are keeping the golf course alive right now, so we have to locate them and carefully dig around them.  This main on 8 feeds most of the golf course and if this were to be broken, we would have to shut pumps down, and that is not an option when it is 100 degrees every day.  The white pipe on top feeds the bathroom too and all the wires are for heads.  As you can see our new main lines are going to be right next to the existing making it even more difficult.  

Mainline Installation

 

If you have been out playing this week, you have noticed that the irrigation project is underway.  Mainline installation has begun on the 8th hole and you will see what is involved during and after.  The bottom picture shows what most of the area will look like once the mains are backfilled and cleaned up.  The key is to make it look like they were never there.

Pipe Fusing Underway

 

The tedious process of fusing mainlines together has begun today.  No more cement or gasket joints, just heating/fusing pipes together that if done properly will last 30 years.  Right now LaBar Irrigation will fuse a bunch of pipe together before installing in the ground.  Looks like Tuesday or Wednesday we will start breaking ground along the 13th hole in the rough.

Planning, Planning, Planning

 

Never underestimate how much space you need to create a construction compound.  The entire area by the old house is being used to store materials, equipment, offices and fuel for our irrigation project.  Once the construction gets going it will grow even bigger.  This is a major project with a major contractor!

Irrigation Underway

 

The official flagging of golf holes is beginning with Paul Roche (irrigation consultant), LaBar Golf Irrigation (contractor), Ewing Irrigation (distributor) and Rain Bird Irrigation (supplier) on site.  This is the official beginning of our new irrigation system installation for the next 4-5 months.

Good Improvements

 

Above, the staff ran a 12" trunk line to alleviate the drainage sumps on 18.  This 12" will continue up towards 18 green later this year to provide a drainage source for the new green on 1, all the new bunkers on 1 and all the restored bunkers on 18.  Before, during prolonged wet spells, the sumps would fill up keeping water in the bunkers.  This will not happen going forward.

Belgium block curbing was installed along the practice green to help protect the cart path edge from carts and utility vehicles from pulling off into the grass.  Being a high impact area and visible from the clubhouse, this will clean up the area and offer options for cart path reductions in the future.

A Welcoming Entrance

 

When you look back at our original entrance, it was a miracle there were not more accidents.  The pinch point was right where cars were swinging in and cars were trying to get out.  Now, our entrance will allow cars to safely turn in and out and also allow trucks to make deliveries without damaging our plants.  A great improvement!

New Employees

 

We have officially entered the autonomous world!   We are starting with 2 mowers and if the mowers continue to mow like we have seen, we will definitely be adding more to our fleet in the coming years.  The self adjusting height allows the mower to mow low, then automatically raise the height to mow rough areas.  Ideally practice areas and rough are where I think this will fit in at Arcola.  They mow 24 hours a day unless charging so stay tuned for more updates.

Data Based Decisions

 

Often times we are asked how fast the greens are or how firm they are.  With the new USGA GS3 ball and Deacon app, we can now provide numbers for how fast, firm and true they are.  The USGA determines numbers for each matrix so we know how we are doing on a daily basis.  With moisture meters that sync with this app and apps that provide growth regulation data, we can now have more control over our inputs daily and are able to make more data based decisions every day.

GS3: A Look at How to Use the USGA's New Smart Ball

Entrance Improvement

 

The entrance is getting a much needed facelift with some tree removals and the installation of new plants.  This will greatly improve the appearance of the Club.  While we are at it, it was decided to widen the curb lines as much as possible to allow for safer entry and exiting for cars and trucks.  Stay tuned for more pictures when the project is complete.

Wildflower Area Transforming

 

The picture above is the wildflower area along the driveway last year.  At this time last year, annuals were filling the area with color.

The photo below shows the same area this year, with a few annuals growing from the over seed this past winter, but this area will be mainly perennials for the next few years.  The key to establishing wildflowers is to not disturb the soil over and over when introducing new seeds.  By doing so you limit the amount of weed invasion.

Making Progress!

 

While the picture above may not look very pretty, it is a thing of beauty for the grounds staff.  The dreaded 11th green has been a thorn in our side since it was built in 2011.  After fighting to keep bentgrass thriving on it, a battle we were slowly losing, we opted to transition it over to poa to match our other greens.  This variety of bentgrass could not tolerate our aggressive management practices and would thin out every year.  Finally, 2 years ago we decided to start working poa into the green every chance we could.  Each aeration we took small plugs from our other greens and spread them on top and then punched them into the soil.  By the looks of this green, we are more than 85% poa now and will continue to encourage poa.  Allowing the poa to go to seed allows more poa to spread in the spring and being the bentgrass is not waking up, the poa will out-compete it right now.  I feel confident enough when the green is rebuilt this fall, we can strip the green sod and reuse again.

A Little Facelift

 

The staff provided a much needed facelift to the overgrown landscaping around the clubhouse.  In a matter of 2 days, much of the landscaping around the building and patios were replaced with simple, yet elegant plants.  It is imperative to stay on top of maintaining all the new plants with proper pruning, fertilizing and watering.

Its Getting Real!

 All the planning for the past few years is starting to become a reality as the irrigation materials are starting to arrive for a July start.  10 truckloads of pipe in total will be delivered and you can see how quickly the area by the houses is filling up after only 5 truckloads.  This will be the irrigation hub for the installation contractor and it was the only area on the property that could handle the amount of materials and not be seen by members.