Putting gravity to work

 We all know that gravity can be a drag (pun intended) when you're running uphill, trying to lift a heavy box, or trip and hit the ground with a thud.  So when we can actually put this force to use for our benefit, it seems somewhat noteworthy.

We needed to expose (aka, dig up) the entire discharge pipe at the pump station between #5 and #6.  As you can see in the picture below taken pre-dig, this 30 year old pipe developed a hole last year and currently has a repair clamp on it to prevent leaking.  However, after digging down to a 4' depth we found that we were below the irrigation pond's water level, and were fighting to keep the hole from filling up with water seeping in from the pond, which is only a few feet away.  

Instead of digging a huge hole and trying to continually pump muddy water out of it as the sides caved in, the simpler solution seemed to be to lower the pond's water level to a point that our hole would no longer be below it--water would now flow out of the hole to the pond, instead of into it from the pond.

With the surface area of the pond being close to five acres, we would have to remove 1.5 million gallons of water to lower the level by just one foot, and this doesn't account for ground water and rainfall that would be entering the pond as we tried to lower it.  

One option to get this much water moved would be to rent a pump, but pumps can have some downsides to using them.  First of all, they're often quite noisy, and if you want to get the water out quickly, then you're going to want to run the pump 24/7.  This takes us to another pump issue--they need to be fueled and maintained--especially if they're running around the clock.

Once again we opted for a simpler solution, which brings us back to our good old friend called gravity.  Instead of a pump, we used two siphons, made out of PVC pipe, to lower the water level.  They are silent, have no fuel cost, and you can basically "set them, and forget them."   

Pictured above is the smaller 2" siphon we used.  We fill it with water, gently place end caps on to keep the water in while setting in place.  As soon as we drop it onto the overflow, the end caps come off (but aren't lost, thanks to duct tape and string), and it starts sucking away.  The key here is that the bottom of the overflow structure is 6' lower than the top of it.

 

Based on the drop of the water level, we have averaged better than 150 gallons of water per minute using these siphons. We will now be able to continue digging around the discharge pipe, without having a muddy mess.  Thank you gravity!

Paving Project

A record number of rounds, and the fact that you can now get more than just water to drink when playing #6 or 14, has led to some serious traffic issues in this area over the last year.  We have recently done a couple of things to address the traffic damage on the right side of #6.  

First, we stripped the knob of the "not so fine-looking" Fine Fescue, then softened the mounding a touch, and resodded this to a Primary Rough sod.  The second improvement in this area was to have a pull off area paved.

With the paving contractor already working in the area, we had the path at #13 green and #14 tees resurfaced.  The beginning of this cart path was a real rollercoaster ride for their equipment, but the finished product will give you a smooth ride in your cart.  

The team will be finishing up some edge repairs, as the weather permits.

Project Time

 As you may recall, the Medal tee on #9 got lumped up last summer when a municipal water supply line ruptured beneath it ("It could have been worse").  Given that a good bit of the tee remained useable, we opted to wait until the off-season to regrade it, and we tackled the project this past week.

The process started by stripping the existing Bentgrass.  You might never realize how large some of our tees are--until you pick up all of the sod from them.

With a good amount of thatch accumulation on this par 5 tee, we actually went over it twice with the sod cutter.  The first time was to harvest the Bent, and the second was to strip the layer of organic matter beneath it.  So, yes, if you think picking up this much sod once is fun, doing it twice was really something!  Once the sod was removed, we had a contractor come in to re-level the surface.

After grading was completed, we had the pleasure of replacing the Bentgrass.

One of the final steps was to roll the tee.  Until the tee is ready for use this spring, we will be shifting the Medal markers to either the front of the Palmer tee, or rear of the Honors tee.

One thing we typically take for granted in January is not having to look over our shoulders when working on the course.  That has not been the case this month, as the mild temperatures brought out plenty of members, and had us dodging balls like it was April.  

Thank you, Thor

 One of the many benefits of being a golf course employee, is that you are typically working in a "pet friendly" environment.  Dogs are found on most courses, and having them there is often a symbiotic relationship--one which both the members and the employees appreciate (as well as the lucky pup of the golf course).

This has definitely been the case for the past eight years with Thor.  We were fortunate to adopt him from a caring family when he was three, and while his personality didn't exactly match his name, he quickly learned his job at Laurel Creek, and earned a title:  Wildlife Manager

Sadly, we recently lost Thor--just one more jab during 2020.  He was a creature of habit who loved his daily routine, and was a wonderful copilot when checking the course each morning.    

With 15 ponds and 40 acres of wetlands, members often ask how we are able to have so few geese on the golf course.  The answer is that we use a variety of methods to make it clear that the "No Vacancy" sign is up at Laurel Creek.  Over the years, our dogs have certainly been one of the best deterrents, including Thor and Buster.  

Thor loved water in any form, whether it was bobbing his head in the lakes, chomping on sprinklers, or just hanging out in the snow.

Given this affinity for water, Thor assumed he would be the obvious choice when it came to supervising all irrigation repairs.

Never one to shy away from the camera, he also enjoyed participating in Club events...

Thor is sorely missed--he loved every person he met, and was rewarded tenfold with the affection he received in return.

New year, new habits...

 It's now 2021, and perhaps some New Year's resolutions might be in order.  As a suggestion, it would be greatly appreciated if everyone could make a sincere effort to adhere to the "Mats Only" policy at the range during the winter.  We were greeted during the final week of 2020 by this excellent example of how to properly practice in a linear manner on the tee:  

Without question, this is the perfect divot pattern, and one which will help speed turf recovery--in July...  Unfortunately, having occurred at the end of December, this area of overseeded Bermudagrass will likely not fill in until Memorial Day.  

Not surprisingly, once one person thinks this is acceptable, so too do others.  The beautiful divot pattern above quickly got amended, and on January 1 looked like this:

If you stop for a second and think about it, your home lawn likely goes four to five months between the final fall mowing, and the first spring mowing.  The reason for this is pretty simple--the grass isn't growing, and therefore will not recover from any damage inflicted upon it during this time of the year.  The grass on the golf course is no different.

We've discussed the need to be cautious with carts this time of year before.  Please, respect the guidelines put in place, which are there for the long-term benefit of all of the Club's members.