As the short game area continues to come together at a fast pace, this project has confirmed a few things, which we deal with on a regular basis.
For anyone who questions the need for, and the long-term benefits of aerification, the construction area provides some validation. This area has had hundreds of pieces of equipment driving over it for the past three weeks, and it has taken a pounding.
However, if you look closely, you can see some green dots on the old fairway. Those dots are from aerification which took place exactly one full year ago!
This project has also confirmed once again why different plots of the golf course don't perform uniformly. Most of the golf course property was a mine prior to construction 30 years ago. Both fast draining gravel (used for roadbeds) as well as impermeable clay (used for lining landfills) was removed from the site. When the golf course was built, over 1.3 million cubic yards of material was moved, creating pockets of each of these materials throughout the property.
As you can see in the picture below, the moisture and nutrient holding capacities of soils just a few feet apart can be dramatically different. To the left, we have something resembling beach sand, but to the right, the guys are chipping away at material you could make pottery out of. We often say that you never know what you'll hit when you stick a shovel in the ground.
Lastly, prior to Saturday night, it's been really dry over the past three weeks, and while that makes for challenges on the golf course, it also offers some logistical opportunities for construction. The triaxles delivering greens mix were able to bring the material down #10 and dump it directly into the greens' cavity. This wouldn't have been possible one month ago with the excessive rainfall during the first half of July.
Irrigation for the short game area and #10 tees is scheduled to be installed this week, just as we take on aerification on the golf course--it is certainly a busy time!
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