Course Update 6.13.14

What a difference rain makes!
Hole 15 on June 10th
Photo taken by Trey Kemp of Colligan Design

Good Afternoon and thank you for visiting the blog. I will use today's post to give an update on several areas of the course including: rainfall, "no mow" areas, bunker maintenance, and other course news.

Rainfall
Until mid-May we were experiencing one of the driest springs on record. However, over the last 30 days we have received over 11 inches of rain! In addition, Lake Waco is almost back to a normal elevation of 462 ft. The rain provided a much needed boost to our water budget - putting us in a much better position to enter the summer months.

"No Mow" Areas

Walk path mowed into the "no mow" area on #9

Water Reduction and Grassing Plan

We are currently letting the rough grow to its maximum height on select "out of play" areas on the course (9, 11, 13, 15, 17). These areas are part of a larger Master Plan that we developed with Colligan Design. The plan focuses on water conservation, native grass plantings, tree planting, and landscape improvements. The idea behind these "no mow" areas is to get a feel for how some parts of the course might look if we convert them to native grasses. By reducing maintenance in these areas we are able to save water, fuel, labor, and fertilizer. We can then re-direct these resources to the "in play" areas of the course such as tees, collars, approaches, and fairways. Ultimately our goal is to make better use of our water allotment, be more prepared for drought conditions, and improve the look and feel of the golf course by adding definition.

Bunker Maintenance

Mechanical rake used to only prepare the  bottom of bunker

The new bunkers are now just over one year old. During this time the sand has settled and compacted significantly - resulting in firmer playing conditions than last summer. However, we have received numerous comments from golfers stating that the sand is still too soft. As a result, we are trying different methods of raking the bunkers to see if we provide firmer playing conditions and help the ball roll down the faces to the bottom of the bunker. For example, only minimal raking will be performed on all slopes and faces. When raking is required in these areas we will use only the smooth side of the rake. The idea is that the less we disturb the sand, then the more compact it will be. This should help more balls to roll back to the bottom of the bunker. This method of raking bunkers is commonly referred to as the "Australian method". In fact, this is the same method used at many USGA championships including this year's US OPEN at Pinehurst. The same holds true in the bottoms of the bunkers. We are moving away from disturbing the entire bottom of the bunker daily, and will be only raking footprints and smoothing uneven areas. We are also experimenting with using our mechanical bunker rake to help smooth and compact the bunkers on a weekly basis. Finally, we will be testing a plate tamper to see if it significantly impacts compaction long term. Please remember that the single most important factor when discussing firmness in bunkers is moisture. Wet bunkers will always be firmer than dry bunkers - regardless of maintenance practices. Click below to see a quick USGA video on bunker consistency. If you do not see the video click here: USGA Bunker Maintenance Video.

Other Course News

• Planning to plant the old basketball court to grass by July 1
• Working on plans to renovate the driving range
• Artificial turf will be installed on the cement slab at the back of driving range
• Black tee on #10 has been leveled and re-sodded
• Adjusting mowing patterns
• "Planet Air" on greens will take place on Monday 6/16
• New equipment working great
• We will continue vertical mowing and aerating fairways beginning Monday 6/16
• Greens doing great - shifting gears to summer maintenance (more coming next post)