#18 Drainage



This past week we have been working on draining the approach on hole #18.  If you remember, #18 approach is habitually wet from runoff in the parking lot area.  We had drainage in #18 approach but because of the large volume of water we had to add some more to help get it from ponding.

We added several new tiles lines and manipulated the pitch so that we could achieve more surface drainage helping to move water quicker.   Also we added a large holding area just off of the parking lot so that water does not run across the fairway and back up the tile that is currently in #18 approach. 

On August 20th and 21st we received several inches of rain.  Although there was some water in the approach it was gone within an hour after the rain had stopped.  In the past standing water would have been present for days not hours.

We are looking to do small drainage projects like this in the upcoming weeks.  Next on our list is #16 fairway, which we hope to start sometime in the near future.  The golf course continues to be in good shape so come on out and enjoy the last couple months of the golf season.




The picture above is of an area that was stripped, graded for surface drainage and new tile lines installed.

The above picture is of the finished product once the tile was installed, surface regraded, drainage grates set, sod laid and new sod topdressed with sand for smoothness.


The above picture is of an area of the approach near the green that bubbled up due to a crushed tile line.  New drainage was added and new sod laid.

 This final picture is of #18 approach near the green, which was stripped, leveled and sodded.

What to Expect

The past couple of weeks have brought warmer, rainier and more humid weather.   With this change in weather we have a shift in the playability of the golf course.  As you may have noticed with your lawns at home, grass is growing at an unbelievable rate.  You can expect slower, softer greens and longer rough.  

This time of season we have a smaller staff to complete work on the course.  Please understand that some areas of the golf course might have some longer than normal rough.  The high humidity and good growing weather have slowed the greens down considerably from what you are used too.  Please take note and adjust accordingly.

With that being said the course is very green and beautiful please come out and enjoy it … when it’s not raining.

Successes and Needed Improvements

Successes

Storm Water Project

No standing water on #12 fwy
after 2.50" of rain!

With a majority of the storm pond project completed and the heavy rain the past week we are able to assess how well our holding pond is working.  On August 16^th we received 1.25” of rain and on August 18^th we received 2.50” of rain, both times we had little if any standing water.  Normally the storm on August 18^th would have meant golf course closure for a day.  Other than a little water in #4 fairway there was not the massive flooding that previously caused golf course closures.    Also #11 fairway did not get the ponding effect that we previously experienced because our tile system was able to handle both #12 fairway thru #16 tee and #11 fairway at the same time.   Even though the new holding pond is only a couple of weeks old it has already saved 1 day of golf!

Water moisture meter and firmness meter

The past couple of weeks we have been experimenting with our new water moisture meter and firmness meter.   These items will really help us keep greens “dialed” in so that we achieve the right moisture and firmness.   Our regime will focus on keep good plant health while making greens firm but receptive to well struck iron shots.



New meters



 Due to the wet period we have experienced and how new these meters are to us we are still experimenting with the data so that we can hone in how we want our turf to perform.  The rest of the season will be a good test so we can go into 2015 with a good idea of how we can interpret the data to achieve optimal playing conditions on a more consistent basis.   

Needed improvements

Drainage woes …

Now that we have our storm drainage under control, it’s time to focus on other areas of the course so we can improve both turf health and playability.  I still believe that our #1 area for improvement on the course is adding drainage to many areas of the course. I have broken down the areas that need drainage to improve turf quality and playability:

1.       Greens- #4, #6, #11, #13, #16 and #17 greens need to be addressed.  The excessive rain and high humidity showed that these putting surfaces need some attention.  Keep in mind 2013 and 2014 have been very mild weather wise, hence turf on these greens looks very good.  If we get years of hot, humid and rainy weather these greens will underperform.  Turf loss in seasons of hot, humid and rainy weather should be expected if we do not correct the problem.  Some minor turf thinning was observed last week on #13, #16 and #17 due to excessive water and the inability of the water to escape.  Although turf still looks good and most members may not notice what I observed, the question should be asked: What if we had extended periods of severe weather like in 2010, 2011, and 2012? Would these greens still be as good as they are now? The answer is no they would not and we should expect less than stellar conditions.



Thinning turf on #16 green.
Taken 8/25/14



2.       Collars and Approaches- Overall collars are in the best shape they have been in 5 years.  Collars and approaches are closely related to greens because of their close proximity to each other.  So improving drainage in collars/approaches also has positive impact on drainage on greens and vise versa.  Collars like #2, #4, #10 #11, #13, #14, #16, #17, and #18 could all use some smile drainage to catch water.   Collars and the approaches hold the most water because our greens slope from back to front.  This means excess water runs off into the approach and collar area making them softer and susceptible to all kinds of maladies.  Firmer, healthier turf in the approach is desired to help shots hit short run onto the putting surface plus with added drainage we will see less of the worn out turf that can persist in the summer months of July and August.

#2 collar holds water.

3.       Fairway and Rough- #4, #14 and #16 fairways all have small areas that need some drainage to improve turf quality.  Old USGA reports confirm that these areas have been problematic for over 25 years. Also the area in front of #14 tee and east of #6 green hold excessive amounts of water and should be looked at for future drainage.

#16 fairway swale

The golf course has been in stellar shape all season however it is my job and that of the greens & grounds committee to look at problems so we can continually improve our product.  By fixing our drainage issues we have more consistency in our presentation, turf health, and playability.  Right now the areas I outlined for drainage are at the mercy of Mother Nature.  Remember she is not always kind . . .

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.