Storm Water Retention Pond Update

A lot of progress has been made by the town of Clayton in the past couple of weeks with the construction of a large retention pond near the maintenance facility.  Because the town is redoing the road on Ridgeway Dr. water will get onto the golf course quicker and with more volume than in the past.   So to subdue many of the past drainage issues plus prevent any further problems, a large retention pond was needed to hold storm runoff in the 40 acres southeast of the golf course.  Storm water in the pond will then run into the underground drain tiling system we currently have on the golf course.  This will not prevent every storm from causing the course to flood but it will greatly reduce the amount of golf course closures we have in the future.  In the past a large river from #12 fairway to #16 tee prevented us from opening the golf course during large rain falls.  This also backed up our tiling system so that #11 fairway held water and created a large pond at the bottom of the range across #11 fairway and over to the maintenance facility.  In my 5 years at Ridgeway we have had to cancel a number of large events and good golfing days simply because of this storm drainage problem.  This retention pond project should fix many of those issues.

Another issue we discovered was that the 12” tile that runs underneath the course from #12 fairway all the way #16 tee is partially clogged.  We are currently looking at getting a company in to unclog this tile line.  This is important because this tile is the main artery to drain water during massive rain events.   Unclogging this tile line plus the addition of a large retention pond will really go a long way in stopping golf course closures in the future. 

The above picture taken from east of #12 fairway near the out of bounds and is really the only disruption on the golf course itself.   This is where a large manhole sits and ties in the retention pond water with our existing tile underneath the golf course.

 

This picture is of the spill way area were water would actually run out onto the golf course if the rain got heavy enough.   As deep as this pond is (~8 feet) and by unclogging our existing tile system this should happen very infrequently. 

 

This picture is taken looking east toward Ridgeway Dr. just off of hole #12.  As you can see the pond is deep so that it can hold a large amount of water.

 

This is the large drain at the bottom of the pond where collected storm water begins to go underground over to #12 manhole from the first picture that was taken.

This picture was taken looking northwest standing on Ridgeway Dr.  This picture does not do justice to how deep the pond really is…

And lastly this picture is of the new driveway for the maintenance facility which was moved to make room for the pond.  The new entrance is 80 yards farther east past the other side of the new sod nursery and then turns and runs parallel to #11.   

 

The town has a few loose ends to tie up before this project is complete. 

1. Grass the pond, pond banks, area left of #12 fairway, and the ditch along Ridgeway Dr.
2. Blacktop the new maintenance road.
3. Pick up and remove some small soil piles along the nursery
4. Add some shrubs and trees near the new maintenance road so it is less visible from #11.

Stay tuned for more updates on this project and all other golf course maintenance activities. 

 

Overhanging Branches

This week we are going to be cutting down a number of the overhanging branches and widow makers on the property. A number of silver maples on the property have large overhanging limbs that interfere with shots that are hit from the fairway.  Most notably #4, 9, 11, and 18 have large limbs that hang down over the fairways.   Also we have a number of hanging branches (AKA widow makers) that need to be removed for aesthetic and safety reasons.

We rented a large lift to assist in being able to accomplish this task safely and efficiently.  Please understand that we will have some branches laying on or near the fairways.  Equipment may also be in the way but should only affect your round on 1 hole.  This task will take several days and may need to be finished at a later date. 

Thanks and sorry for any inconvenience while we finish this task.

Storm Drainage Project

This week the Town of Clayton started a storm drainage project on Ridgeway property near the maintenance facility.  The goal of the project is to build a large holding pond to collect water before it reaches the golf course.  This pond will slowly drain into existing drainage on the property.  The pond will be located out of play well left of #12 fairway near the maintenance facility.  Also a new driveway will be built on the far west end of the new nursery.

This is good news because it will result in less golf course closures after heavy rains than in the past. In the past the course closed due to a large flowing river running across hole #'s: 12, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 15.  These areas would become impassable by foot or with a vehicle.  The new pond will not solve all of the flooding problems but will add days to your golfing calendar.  Also because the Town is taking care of this project there is no cost to Ridgeway.   

There will be minimal interference as it relates to your golfing experience in the coming weeks.  Wednesday on #12 they dug a hole to reset the manhole that was there previously and quickly added fill.  Also some minor work may be done south of #11 fairway to facilitate construction of the new driveway.   That should be the only interference to the golf course itself, most of the work will take place near the maintenance facility well out of play.  However do expect some noise of construction equipment while playing #11 and #12. 

We will keep you informed on the status of this important project in the days and weeks to come.  Enjoy the beautiful weather that is in our near future.

Firmness: An update

This year we have made a consensus effort to monitor firmness on the golf course.  A golf course that is either too firm or too soft has its own set of problems.  Soft conditions promote weak rooted plants, numerous ball marks, bumpy greens and Poa annua invasion. Too firm of conditions make stopping a ball impossible and can take away from the enjoyment of the game.  

Our goal has been to promote healthy turf that is firm but not so firm that balls fly off the back of greens.  So far in 2014 mother nature has prevented us from getting the golf course too firm.  Being half way through the golf season it is still  good to look back at what has gone right and what things we need to improve upon.  

So far the putting surfaces have been in really good condition despite the heavy rains.  Although soft, greens have remained smooth and a reasonable speed.  Root structure and depth is still very good throughout.  

The biggest issue we have had this season is getting approaches to firm up so balls that are hit short run onto the putting surface.  Greens and approaches do not dry down the same simply due to the fact that greens at Ridgeway tilt severely from back to front.  After rain events water surface drains into the approaches making them wetter than greens.  Because of this they hold more water than our putting surfaces.  So far we have had inconsistency from approach to green due to this drainage fact.   

So what can we do to have approach firmness mirror that of the greens?

1. Install smile drains.  Smile drains are sections of drain tile that would be installed at the low areas of the green/collar catching water as it leaves the putting surface.  Because it follows the green edge it often looks like a smiley face.  Smile drains offer a host of great benefits to both the green and approach.  Also depending on how they are done they can sometimes be utilized to get water off of greens in winter months. By adding smile drains we would cut down the amount of water that gets to our approaches thus firming them up.
2. Sand, sand and more sand.  We have been topdressing our approaches however we have anywhere from ¾”-1 ¼” of sand in our approach profile, whereas greens have almost 4” of sand near its surface. By adding sand to approaches they will react more like a green.
3. Aeration and verticutting.  This will remove thatch which acts as a sponge and stops balls from bouncing.
4. Rolling.  Due to the wet conditions we have done very little approach rolling which would firm up the surface.
5. Monitor using moisture meters and firmness meters. We have purchased and will be receiving these devices which will allow us to check daily both the water moisture levels and firmness levels.  Using bluetooth technology we can log our information so we can best use the data to benefit the golfer and turf health.

So far member feedback this season has been very positive however we still need to look to improve so we can provide a better product day in and day out. Our goal is to make fairways and approaches firmer than greens.  So far this season that has not occurred.  By following the 5 steps laid out we can make playability more consistent and make the game more enjoyable.

Nursery Project

As you are aware last fall we started a large sod nursery project near the maintenance facility just left of #11 fairway.  The greens portion of the nursery has grown in nicely and with some mowing and extra fertilization should be filled in by late summer early fall.  This section was prepped and seeded first and had a head start over the outside perimeter.  The outside perimeter was seeded later and with very little germination the area became susceptible to erosion with the heavy spring rains. 

Good germination...
Greens portion of nursery.

Eroded area...
Needs more work!

To this point very little has been done about the outside perimeter of the nursery.  One reason is the weather continues to bring heavy rain.  Any effort to fix the outside perimeter would have again been destroyed from heavy rains causing even more erosion.  Although portions of the nursery are behind schedule I am glad that little effort was done to repair certain areas because it would have meant money down the drain. 

The next couple of weeks we will renew our effort to fix, repair, and reseed the outside perimeter of the sod nursery. Also we will be vigorously working on getting the good part of the nursery to fill in so that we have a good greens nursery going into fall.

This is an outstanding addition to our department and a great investment for the future of Ridgeway.  All we need is a little more sweat equity and some luck from mother nature to finally make this project a success.

Its weed season

Broadleaf Weeds

As you venture onto the course this week you will notice dandelions and clover are out in full force.  Under normal conditions we would have already sprayed; however, the cold and wet weather has pushed back our spraying of broadleaf weeds.  Spraying broadleaf weeds in spring is an exact science. We use this website http://www.gddtracker.net/ to figure out what time is best for spraying weeds.  If we spray too early we miss a lot of broadleafs and we would have to reapply herbicide later on which would cost more money.

As you can see, by looking at the website, this next week is going to be prime time for spraying broadleaf weeds.  I anticipate with the nice weather ahead we will be able to spray the entire course in order to kill off what weeds are there presently.  Along with that, we will be spraying the natural areas of the golf course for broadleaf and grassy weeds.  Even though some of the areas on the golf course have a few weeds, we have gotten less and less as the years go by.

Clubhouse Landscape Project

Although we just started the clubhouse landscape project Sunday night, we have gotten a lot of work done already.  Monday's rain did not help; yet we still hope to complete the project within the next week.

We will keep you updated on the project and more in the coming days.  Come out and enjoy the nice weather ahead!

April Showers

The old saying, "April showers bring May flowers" has so far been the story of this spring. This April at Ridgeway we received almost 10" of rainfall along with 4" of snow. The course is still wet and needs some time dry out. Some warm temperatures and sun would be much appreciated.

The last blog post talked about some potential winterkill issues with some colder nights in mid-April. The good news is we had no signs of any issues as a result of that cold stretch. The turf overall is in great shape for this time of year and has only minor damage coming out of winter. #9 and #17 greens have a few areas of minor winterkill that should not impact play and with warm weather should be back to full strength. Also some small fairway low areas have some winterkill but already appear to be healing in nicely. Warmer temperatures will be our greatest asset to getting these areas to recover.

Spring is an important time to prepare the golf course for the peak season ahead. We use this time to lay the foundation of what will be a great season. Aeration and topdressing are two processes that we utilize this time of year to prepare the course for the rigors of summertime.  One step in that summertime preparation is deep-needle tining or more commonly referred too as forking . We like to fork greens several times a season. This process is minimally invasive and has almost zero impact on the playability of the golf course. Forking is great for improving soil oxygen, roots, water infiltration and helps relieve compaction. Since we started forking greens 4-6 times a year, our greens health has improved greatly, not to mention our bentgrass populations have skyrocketed. Like I said earlier, the majority of our aeration and topdressing this spring will have very little impact on play but will have a large impact come summer in terms of healthy turf and smooth playing surfaces.

The month of May will be a busy month for the greens and grounds’ considering it was very wet in April. Here are a few items we will working on:

·         Building and installing new landscape beds between 1 tee/ 18 green.

·         Drainage in front of #14 tee.

·         Spray for broadleaf weeds.

·         Spray pre-emergent herbicide on fairways.

·         Repair and seed walks.

·         Topdressing of tees, greens and approaches.

·         Fix and repair the end of cart paths with crushed asphalt.

·         Prune trees with deadwood and overhanging branches.

·         Irrigation repair and maintenance.

·         Keep up with mowing the course which is difficult at this time of year because of how fast grass tends to grow with warm temperatures and soil that is moist.

That's a lot on our plate and is only a portion of what we need to accomplish in such a short time. We hope the weather is friendlier for accomplishing the work that we need to get done. With how well the course came out of winter and some elbow grease in the next month, 2014 looks to be a great year!