Stairs
The new bunker left of #4 green is very pleasing, however a little to steep to climb into so we added some stairs. The stairs are a nice addition and will help those who had a hard time getting in and out.
Root Pruning
The large cottonwood tree behind #7 green is beautiful to look at but tree roots invade the putting surface taking important water and nutrients away from the green. Because the tree is massive in size and has beautiful form we chose to root prune. Root pruning is the process of cutting off tree roots so that they no longer interfere with turf health. We used our trencher to dig down several feet to sever any tree roots on the south side of the tree. Then we simply back filled, tamped and sodded back over the trench. The trench is outside of the drip line so that it does not affect tree health. This is an important process especially in times of drought were turf health can be severely compromised. By doing it now we are better able to give the putting surface the right amount of water without having it taken by invasive tree roots. In the coming years we plan to do some more root pruning where important trees are affecting turf quality (i.e. #18 fairway etc.). Also areas like this will have to be root pruned again once the roots grow back to the green which will take several years. The pictures below show the tree in question and the finished product once sodded. The new sod lines are barely noticeable and one can hardly tell what was done here.
Cart Path Edges
And lastly we began sodding cart path edges that are worn and rutted from cart traffic. We began with areas of cart paths nearest tees and greens. Currently #4 green, #5-#13 tees and #14 tee areas have been sodded along cart paths. We will continue to tackle the worst cart path edges and stake them appropriately to keep cart traffic to a minimum. Below is the finished product along #14 tee, their is no longer any ruts and bare ground!
