One of the challenges with golf course construction is always the weather, but rain in particular is troublesome because it will wash out seed and sod. The picture above is of the transition fairway from 15 to 16 tee. Water continues to run down the fairway and through this area due to multiple rain events.
We have fixed this area several times and placed a grow tarp on it. The good news is that the washouts continue to get smaller and smaller.
Week of January 9th, 2023:
LaBar Golf Renovations has had a strong week! Much sod has been laid and we are starting to close out areas.
#15 tees are complete.
Week of January 1st, 2023:
Warm temperatures this week allowed us to pull tarps off the greens to let them breath. We are very happy with what we are seeing with the color and root initiation. Note the 2-3" roots that have tacked into #15 green. The earlier in the fall we get greens and sodding completed, the more time new grass can take advantage of the fall's great growing weather, with that additional 2-3" rooting allowing on-target spring opening.
#View of #15 green.
#15 green rooting.
#View of #15 and #16 greens after the tarps were removed.
Week of December 18th:
Brisk winds this week have blown tarps off of some greens. While it is a nuisance to have to constantly check and re-staple tarps, it gives us an opportunity to get a look at the grass.
The 15th green seems to be doing well underneath the grow tarps and continues to grow a bit even in this cold weather.
Prep for fine fescue area to the right of #15 green.
Landscapes will be taking the holiday week off and will be back the 2nd week of January to complete #11 black tee, #10 tee complex and a few rough heads on #10. Power and communication wire from #15 tee to the shop are being laid that will allow the central control unit to directly communicate with new irrigation. Remaining satellites on the golf course have been switched to Rainbird and the Ewing team will help with building the database over the winter.
Week of December 12th:
Below is a picture of the 15th fairway bunker fully sanded. For bunkers not yet complete, Capcon (drain liner) will be poured only once temperatures rise.
The fairway bunkers are starting to take shape on #10 with the right side shaped and drained. More work needs to be done on the left side bunkers, however, the impact they will have on play is quite noticeable, and exciting.
Week of December 5th:
#12 and #15 greens were mowed for the first time. These two greens have stabilized with an inch of roots growing into the mix. We were also able to top-dress with our riding top dresser. This is important because the process will help smooth these new greens..
First hand-mowing of #15 green.
Sand installation at the rebuilt fairway bunker on #15.
Week of November 14th:
Phase 1 of the Master Plan continues to progress. Despite two inches of rain this week, we lost only one-half day of work.
‘Grow Tarps' allow sunlight, air, and water through but also serve to insulate, keeping the sod a little warmer and helping with the "grow in". Tarps will be coming on and off depending on temperatures.
Capillary Concrete liners were installed in the two bunkers on #15 and the bunker on #12. This concrete is one of the newest technologies in bunker liners and has quickly become an industry standard. Between the liner and new bunker sand, there will be minimal washouts during storms, greatly improving playability and reducing man hours to repair damage.
Week of November 7th:
This week was an extremely productive week. More greens are starting to take shape, bunkers are getting built, and sod and irrigation are going in.
On Monday, Cedarbrook staff laid sod on the fairway and rough, then "flat plate tamped" the green to smooth it out. We followed up by lightly brushing sand into the sod seams, then giving it a heavy shot of hand-watering to float the sand into the remaining low areas.
Days 10-13 Update (10/27-11/2):
Sodding at 15 green is complete. The new green is 7,000 square feet with 4,000 square feet of pinnable area. The old green was 5,000 square feet with 500 square feet of pinnable area.
Days 7, 8 & 9 (10/23-10/26):
The Last 3 days have been a little bit of a challenge with some rainy, cloudy conditions that turned the construction site into a muddy mess. Despite these challenges all contractors have kept busy and continued to make progress. Our goal as of now is to have the greens sod back on the 15 green by Saturday (10/29). Our second goal is to star closing out the green surround with sod, the fairway bunker with liner and sod and continue to work out 12 green and get that finished as soon as possible to stay on our goal of greens and green complexes complete by Thanksgiving.
Work has continued at 15 green with sub floor prepped for gravel base and the gravel has been installed. The new greens mix is currently being hauled to the site. Drainage outfalls have been run through the approach and connected to a trunkline going down to the creek. These outfalls will also serve as drainage for the approaches with water seeping down the hill from right to left in front of the green. Landscapes has finished the greens loop for irrigation. They will work on the lateral valves down the fairway to ensure we can get water to the green site as soon as needed. They will stay busy in the fairway until irrigation is ready for 12 green.
The 15th fairways bunker had drainage installed and once we sod out around the bunker, the new CapCon liner can be installed. Our goal is to install liner in the 2 bunkers by mid-week next week.
The drainage ditch has also begun behind the 15th green. Water that runs in the rough currently from 17 and the neighborhood will be more contained in this ditch rather than spreading all over the rough between 16 tee and green. In the future, we will catch the water at the cart path on 17 and trench it across the fairway to 15 green, then down the path and then the ditch.
Days 5 & 6:
Day 5 and 6 entailed working details of the subfloor of 15 green and the fairway bunker. Topsoil was redistributed around the fairway bunker for sod to be laid and the subfloor was edged and prepped for drainage. Additionally, the area at the gold tee was leveled.
The green subfloor was edged and prepped for drainage, which was installed, and pipe was covered with stone in the trenches. The subfloor will be double checked for grade and 4” of the same stone will be distributed throughout the floor followed by 12” of the new growing medium (soil) for the green. 14 &16 tee were rough shaped and graded.
Irrigation for hole 15 was staked (sprinkler locations identified) and grass lines were laid out. The green surround was also further shaped, and the Lions Mouth bunker has been roughed in.
Days 3 & 4:
Work continued with some more demo work by Labar Golf and shaping of features by Proper Golf.
Cedarbrook staff and Labar teamed up to strip sod from 15 approach and 14 tee and move the sod down to the fairway expansion on 15 saving $0.65 per square foot of sod we would buy from a sod farm. Brett from Proper Golf continued to shape the fairway bunker and get it ready for LaBar to come in to edge the bunker, install drainage and fine tune prep the bunker floor.
Jaeger Kovich of Proper golf moved massive amounts of earth of what was the 15 green and has the base of the punchbowl shaped out and already ready for Labar to come into edge, install drainage and start building the green cavity back up with the gravel blanket and new sandy mix growing medium. The ‘Lionsmouth’ bunker was rough shaped and will be detailed out with the excavator to get ready for LaBar to install drainage, liner, and sand.
