Course Update 4.22.16

Number 1 Green on 4.22.16

Flooding again...For the third time in two years we are experiencing major flooding on the course. Information on #1 Green can be found by following the link on the right side of the page or by clicking here: Information on #1 Green . The areas of the course that are not underwater have drained well and we are no longer cart path only. The course is being played as follows:

• All Rounds will begin on #10
• Hole #1 - Closed
• Hole #2 - Tee off from Fairway
• Holes 16,17,18 - Several areas flooded, but these holes are playable. 

The image below should give you a reference of the flooding near the maintenance faclity and dry dock. The lake is currently at 476.5ft and we are expecting it to go up to around 478ft. or 480ft. Last year the lake peaked at 479ft. 

You can also check out these links to monitor the changes in lake level:

Waco Lake Home

USACE Hydrologic

Live Reports on River Flows and Flooding

Course Update 4.15.16

Early Green Up! Number 8 Fairway on March 16th

Once again, I apologize for the long lapse in blog updates. The exceptionally short and warm winter has resulted in an early start to the busy spring season. Spring is always the busiest time of year for maintenance operations. We have been working hard to get the course in shape, clean up leaves and debris, finish winter projects, and complete critical agronomic practices. We are also in the process of hiring and training several new employees. Overall things are going well and we are set to have a great spring and summer on the course.

Course Conditions

Greens: The greens are loving the spring time conditions and we are currently in great shape to begin entering the warmer months. We completed our first "Planet Air" procedure on March 21st. The process went great and the greens are once again putting smooth. Our next scheduled procedure is tentatively planned for May 2nd. Number 1 green is coming along nicely and is finally starting to catch up with the rest of the greens. We recently completed repairs to both of our nursery greens that will allow us to use these greens by early summer.

A large aerator is used as part of our "Planet Air" Procedure on 3.21.16

Tees and Fairways: Overall the bermudagrass on our tees and fairways is doing great. We experienced a much earlier green up than in years pasts. While we are experiencing some growth, temperatures have not been warm enough for any of our bermudagrass to begin actively growing. A good rule of thumb when discussing warm season turf growth is the "150 Rule". Basically when we add the daytime high with the nighttime low we are looking for a sum of 150 degrees or more. Once we experience consistent temperatures in this range our tees and fairways will be actively growing - and recovering from stresses such as cart traffic and divots. This same rule applies to our roughs and driving range tees. While we prefer a long cool spring for our greens, the warmer temperatures are certainly needed to help our bermudagrass perform well with the busy spring golf schedule.

Impact of cart traffic on #7 fairway

Roughs and Other: The common bermudagrass in our roughs is typically the slowest to break winter dormancy. It is also the most susceptible to cart traffic. As soil temperatures increase the common will start to thicken up providing better playing conditions. We have also re-seeeded the tall fescue in many of our shaded areas. Like our greens, tall fescue prefers cooler temperatures. It is thriving right now, however as temperatures increase it will slowly start to thin. Please limit cart traffic in any shaded areas. We have also repaired several weak areas in the rough by planting sod. Our plans are to continue this practice throughout the season.

Ruby and Roxy check out the new sod on #13

Bunkers: We are constantly working to keep our bunkers playing great. One of our usual winter projects is to complete thorough checks for sand depth. We have done our best to stay on top of this practice, but have been exceptionally busy keeping up with other areas of the course. Recently we added sand to several bunkers including 2, 4, 9, 15, and others. In addition, we have attempted to cover up some of the exposed black liner by adding sand to the faces. We will be trying other practices to cover up these liners in coming weeks.

Jacob, Joe, and Jacob H repairing the fairway bunker on #2

The crew completes the labor intensive task of edging bunkers

Driving Range: The new tee boxes are performing well for the high amount of winter play. The lower tee is certainly taking the brunt of the use, but we confident that the Celebration bermuda will come in great once we experience warmer temperatures. The upper tees are not receiving as much use and are in better condition. If you plan on practicing irons, I encourage you to try out the other tees. Also the new driving rage bunkers are completed.

View of the new bunkers from the main driving range tee

GPS Loggers: Thank you for taking the time to participate in our collaborative efforts with the USGA to monitor golfer's use of the course. The data will be used to help us make course management decisions based which areas of the course get the most use or play. Our study will be concluded on Sunday April 17th. We will be analyzing the data next week, so stay tuned for the results.

Additional Course Work and Happenings

New irrigation and grass added to the fire pit area. 

• Fire pit landscaping and irrigation completed
• Repaired sand and liner on #2 Fairway bunker
• Sprayed all areas of course with preventative weed control
• Completed sod work on left side of 13
• Driving range bunkers completed
• Planet Air completed on greens on 3.21
• Aerated, fertilized, and sprayed driving range tees
• Completed repairs to nursery greens
• Trimming, thinning, and general cleanup of landscaping near putting green. Dumpsters have also been moved
• Preventative maintenace and major repairs completed on most equipment
• New course accessories - including flags and sicks put in play
• Irrigation repairs and audit are still in progress
• Implementation of new moisture management technology
• Implementation of new mapping and labor management tools
• Additional weather station added at Fish Pond - thanks to Hack Branch and John Davis
• Chemical applications for weeds in roughs and around greens
• Bunker depth checks, spraying, edging, and mowing
• Edging greens
• Preventative fungicide applications to greens

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS OF COURSE WORK

Upcoming Work

• Ferilizer application to tees, fairways, and roughs scheduled for 4.18
• Trimming of trees at tennis
• Possible installation of drainage on 10 fairway
• Drainage improvments near the old basketball court
• Aligning of tees and mowing patterns
• Fire ant bait applications
• Aeration and vertical mowing of tees and fairways
• Additional sod work in roughs

Projects and Plans

• Maintenance Facility plans are still progressing
• Transfer Pump plans are being finalized
• Repairs to the Marina Road
• Major drainage and erosion improvements on the left side of #9
• Erosion control and improvements for #11, including dredging of ponds
• Cart path repairs on several holes

Course Update 2.5.16

I apologize for the extra long lapse in blog updates. I will return to monthly updates beginning immediately. We have had a busy last couple of months - Check out the photos and information below to see a few of the items that we have been working on:

#1 Green: We finally opened #1 Green for play the day before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately the rains continued and by that Saturday we were back under water. The flooding did not cause major damage, but did set us back in terms of improving putting quality. We have now been open for more than two months and the grass is handling traffic well. As spring approaches we will adjust our cultural practices and be able to get this green putting as well as the rest of the greens.

#1 Green on 2.5.16

Driving Range Update: In 2015, RCC completed several improvements to the driving range practice tees. All of the tees were resurfaced, enlarged, and planted to an improved variety of bermudagrass (Celebration) that recovers quickly from divots. However, our teeing areas are still relatively small compared to the amount of use they receive. You can help keep the grass looking good by minimizing the amount surface area damaged by divots. Check out the image below for a quick and simple tip that can make a big difference.

Proper divot patterns will help keep the grass looking good.
Photo credit: http://www.golfledger.com

In other driving range news, we have been busy improving drainage and are currently in the process of renovating the driving range bunkers. They will match the look of the bunkers on the course, and help with maintenance practices such as mowing and collecting range balls.

Jack Johnson of Johnson Golf Services works with our crew to reshape the bunkers on the range.

Irrigation Work: Our crew has remained busy working to improve our irrigation system. One of our main goals this winter is to complete leveling of the green-side sprinkler heads. Completing this labor intensive task will increase irrigation efficiency while improving play-ability around the greens. We will replace the turf around the sprinklers within the next month.

Many of our green side sprinkler heads are more than six inches below grade.

The crew working to "level the heads" around 13 green. 

Ruby and Roxy check out the finished product.

We are also fixing several leaks as the soils have gone from saturated to dry again. Irrigation technicians - Jacob Nava and Jaime Guerra have done a great job.

Jacob and Jaime repair a valve near 11 green. 

Safety Training and Compliance: One of our biggest goals for 2016 is to provide a structured safety training program for our golf course maintenance staff. Our program will help reduce work related injuries and ensure compliance with OSHA and other government agencies. We have a spend a considerable amount of time working to update all of our records and inventory to reflect the changes in the Globally Harmonized System. We printed, filed, and organized more than 800 pages of Safety Data Sheets. In addition, we have started requiring all employees to watch a series of safety training videos that specifically focus on golf course maintenance. The videos cover such topics as "chainsaw safety", "eye protection", "safe mower operation", and more. For information visit www.mccordgolf.com.

Our new time clock area has all required signage and provides employees with access to Safety Data Sheets. 

The crew takes advantage of a cold morning to watch a training video on working around hazard chemicals.

Course Accessories: Every year we spend time refurbishing and replacing many of our course accessories. Items such as tee markers, yardage plates, cups, and more are brought to the shop for cleaning and painting. We are currently working on a plan to replace all of the ball washer on the course.

Several crew members painting tee markers in January.

Tree Work: We removed several damaged trees over the last couple of months. Many of these trees presented safety and liability concerns. Each year we contract with Ted Crews (Crews Service Company) to grind any stumps resulting from tree removals. This year he completed 28 stump removals for RCC.

This Cedar Elm located to the right of 15 tee box was almost completely rotten in the center - posing a major safety concern.

Ted removing a large Arizona Ash stump near #7 fairway. Photo by Duane Kemp.

Winter Sod Work: We decided to repair the damaged areas on #6 and #9 Greens by using sod taken from the chipping green. Typically, we use our nursery greens to complete this task, however the flooding in 2015 caused our nurseries to be unusable. By early summer we hope to have our nurseries back in great shape.

Joe Nava and Sergio Zapata work on #6 Green.

The crew removed the sod from the location of the new fire pit prior to construction. This sod was transplanted to the front of the clubhouse.

On the Horizon: Several areas of the course on are in need of repairs in 2016. We are currently planning for repairs to the wall near #7 green, erosion and drainage improvements on #9 and #11, repairs to the Marina road, and changes to our irrigation transfer pump.

This conceptual image shows the required changes to our transfer pump in order to be in compliance with new USACE regulations.

Course Update 11.6.15

Roxy and Ruby check out the rising lake water near #1 Green.

I started my last post by talking about "Crazy Weather". I will continue that same them this month as 2015 will surely definitely going down in the record books as a year of extremes. RCC only received one inch of precipitation for all of July, August, September, and most of October. However, the dry pattern quickly changed with the aftermath of Hurricane Patricia and the long awaited impact of El Nino. Over the weekend of  October 23rd we received 13.5 inches. This was followed by another 5.5 inches over Halloween. So far this week we have received another inch with more in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. The above events add up to nearly 20 inches in the last 14 days! Check out the video below showing the enormous amount of water coming from the across the 18th fairway and running accross the road leading to the Marina and Maintenance Facility. The crew was actually stuck at the shop until the water receded.

The below video shows what happens on #9 during heavy rains. Alex Johnson one of our Assistant Golf Professionals took this video earlier this year. The same scenario has taken place more than once so far this October.

The positive side of all the rain is that the entire course has shown significant drought recovery, and we are now in much better shape to enter the winter months. The downside is that we have had quite a mess on the course the last couple of weeks, several newly planted areas have washed, bunkers have been worked and re-worked several times, and we are now concerned with flooding once again. Overall the course has fared well but there has certainly been a lot of work to do. Check out the list and photos below to see some of the damage from the rain and other course happenings.

#1 Green - This green was re-planted just over seven weeks ago as a result of flood damage received in June. The green has been doing great and we are hoping to open sometime in the next few weeks. Fortunately, the flooding has reached the green yet. We came close last week when the lake hit 468ft or only 2ft away from the green. More information on #1 Green can be found HERE

#1 Green on 9.15

#1 Green on 9.25

#1 Green on 11.4

Greens- The rest of the greens are doing great thanks to fall temperatures finally coming to central Texas. The constant wet weather has certainly increased disease pressure, however the cool temperatures and occasional dry air has resulted in overall recovery from the summer heat. We are planning to sod the weak areas on 4,6, and 9 as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the rain has washed out our newly planted nursery greens twice and we have been forced to use the practice chipping green as a temporary nursery. We are hoping to purchase a small amount of sod late next week to complete repairs to these areas. Our nursery greens should be ready for use by next spring.

Crewmember Jacob Heppell planting one of our nursery greens prior to all the rain.

Water near the 18th tee and one of our new newly seeded nurseries (back).

Fall Plantings- The rain certainly caused a mess on several areas of the course. Prior to the rain we had completed overseeding of all practice tees and target greens. In addition, we were about 70% complete on planting several areas to tall fescue. Fortunately we were able to finish our fall flower change out and complete our preventative weed applications before the rain started. Most of the seeded areas are still doing great, however many will need to be reseeded thanks to flooding and erosion.

The crew decided to plant the Ridgewood "R" as part of our fall flower change out.

Overseed on main driving range tee and target green. The rain has made it difficult to prepare the grass for play.

Erosion control mats helped minimize the damage but, the newly seeded area on 13 required reseeding two times already.

Bunkers- We have spent quite a bit of time on the course over the last couple of weeks working to repair bunkers from the constant rains. Fortunately, the drainage and liner system in the bunkers is working as designed and we have not had major damage to any bunker. Most of our efforts have gone into shoveling sand back onto the faces, checking bunker depths, leveling, removing debris and defining edges. The entire crew has done a great job completing these task repeatedly over the last couple of weeks.  

Bunkers near the 10th green after one of the rain events 

Bunkers to the right of the 12th green.

Damage and Cleanup- In addition to repairing bunkers, we have been busy working to clean up debris and mud resulting from erosion.

Water coming across the 18th fairway. The water is over 10ft deep in places.

Water running across the back 9.

Large amounts of silt deposited near the 11th green. It is still to wet to complete clean up in this area.

Erosion on #11 coming from Lake Shore Dr and surrounding area.

Duane Kemp uses the backhoe to unplug a stopped drain.

Debris and silt near the approach on #9

Erosion control helped keep a large amount of mud off of 10 fairway

Course Update 10.2.15

Crazy Weather and Playing Conditions

The last three months have put us back into the "Severe Drought" category.

Our exceptionally wet spring and start to summer quickly changed over the three last months. According to official rainfall reports (take at Waco Regional Airport) we went 49 straight days without any measurable precipitation - setting an all time record. At RCC we have now received just about 1" of rain since late June. Fortunately, the rainfall we received earlier in the year has helped keep Lake Waco close to normal level, and our water budget is still in good shape. Overall the course is handling the exceptionally dry conditions quite well, but you probably have noticed several areas on the course that are either very wet or very dry. We have made a lot of progress improving our irrigation system over the last year, however it was never designed to completely replace rainfall. We are continuing to make adjustments, change programming, and complete repairs, but any imperfections are painfully obvious during these long dry stretches, In addition to being dry - we have remained several degrees above normal. The heat has forced us to adjust our maintenance practices - especially on greens. Typically by late September we have experienced significant recovery from the summer months and are able to focus more on putting speed and firmness. This year we have been forced to delay some of these practices until the cooler weather sets in. Finally, most climatologist are predicting a strong El Nino effect this winter. If the pattern holds we can expect to have an exceptionally cool and wet winter.

We are constantly making notes and changes to our irrigation system

Driving Range Tees

Divot recovery after 14 days

All of the practice tees are now open for play. All construction has been completed on the main tee box and it is currently open a few days a week for play. The grass is certainly healthy enough to handle traffic, however we are limiting play in order to provide as much time as possible for the grass to get even stronger. We are currently applying weekly fertilizer and cultural practices to help the new grass continue to improve before winter. We will be overseeding all of the practice tees and target greens in mid-October (tentative dates are Oct. 12 for the upper tees and Oct. 19 for main tee). At that time the tees will be temporarily closed until the overseed is established. All of the driving range flags and poles were recently replaced and we are in the process of ordering new yardage markers. Have you ever wondered the best way to take divots in order to protect the grass? CLICK HERE to learn how to "Practice Like a Pro"

#1 Green and Nurseries

#1 Green on 9.21 after planting

10 days after planting, the seed is doing very well

After considerable time and effort, #1 Green was planted on Tuesday, September 21st. We spent several few weeks eradicating bermudagrass contamination, removing silt and algae (left over from the flood), and lightly tilling the top inch of the soil profile. September is the ideal time to plant bentgrass in our climate, and the green is already looking great. We are hoping to open the green
around Thanksgiving (10 weeks after planting) - only if it is healthy to handle traffic. Preparation has also been underway to replant our two nursery greens. The "new nursery" suffered the same fate as #1 Green during the flood, and the "old nursery" was severely contaminated with bermudagrass and weeds. These greens are critical to our care of the regulation greens as they provide a source of identical grass that can be used for repairs, testing, and removing bermudagrass contamination. In addition, we are hoping that they will be used as supplemental short game practice areas.

Practice Putting Green Improvements 

The front portion of the practice putting green has traditionally struggled every summer. In my three summers at RCC we were only successful once in keeping grass here all year. The reason bentgrass stuggled in this area is due to several circumstances - with air movement, traffic, and heat being the three most difficult to overcome. We made the decision earlier this year to remove approximately 900 square feet of putting surface and to replace it with a more tolerant grass. In order to complete this process we stripped the entire area including the collar. The soil was the then amended, leveled, and prepared for planting. Also, short bump and run chips are allowed on the putting green for warm up and quick practice sessions. If you would like to practice pitch shots,bunker shots, or spend more time chipping please use the Practice Chipping Green located between #3 Green and #4 Tee.

Any good grass in the area was saved prior to preparing the area for new sod

Current and Upcoming Events

• Preventative Weed and Disease Control - Herbicide applications will begin in the next two weeks to all areas of the course. The products will need to watered in following application - so the course may play extra wet for a week or so afterwards. Fungicide applications will take place on greens and zoysiagrass areas only. 
• Tall Fescue - Preparations are underway to re-seed many already established areas and to plant several new areas to tall fescue - including the new parking area at the driving range tee and the rough on the left side of #13. 
• Annual Flowers - Fall annual flower change out is already underway. All work will be completed by October 15th. 
• Tree Removal - Goss Tree Service will be removing the large Live Oak near the ballroom entrance and our staff will begin working on Cedar Elms on several holes and a couple of large Ash trees between holes #6 and #7. All of these trees are safety hazards and have been inspected by a certified arborist before being selected for removal. 
• Cart Path Repairs - Many of our cart paths have shifted with large changes in soil moisture. We are currently patching many places to prevent damage to carts.
• Planet Air Procedure - We completed our first "Planet Air Procedure" on Monday the 14th of September. The scheduled procedure will take place on October 12th.  
• Irrigation Repairs - Similar to the cart paths, our irrigation pipes are breaking due to large shifts in the soil. Repairs are taking place daily.