Alternate Tee #18

There is a large gap in the teeing options on the 18th hole, the Members tee plaque is 402, while the Forward tee is 324.  Adding a new tee at 360 creates more options for players of many skill levels.  Players who utilize the forward tee during the warmer months could play this tee, while members who play members tees could also use this tee during the winter months.  

The tee shot on the 18th hole is one of the most challenging tee shots on the golf course, the addition on the new tee will create an option that fits with carry distances for golfers who play these tee options.  Track-man has changed how golf is played, data is now available to correlate swing speed and optimal carry distance with each club.

This diagram is a quick reference guide for carry distances with each club in relation to swing speed.   The picture below shows the carry distance of the new tee compared to the distance of the current member tee plaque.

The forty yard difference makes a huge difference in the difficult of the carry for not only the drive, but also the second shot, which is also a forced carry.  I hope you enjoy the new tee and the options that it provides to fit your game.  The tee will open for play in the Spring of 2019.  

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Finally

That's the only way to describe the reaction to completing this project, finally.  The area just left of the fourth tee that extends all way up to the cart path behind the third green has been an eyesore that needed our attention.  This area was used as a haul road during construction of the golf course and has struggled since the course opened.  A lot has been made of what to do with this area through the years, for now this was our plan to improve it.

The first step was tilling the existing soil and trying to incorporate  some additional soil to help with future growing conditions.  

This was the most economical fix to an area of this size and are hoping it improves the aesthetics of this area next season.  The soil was then compacted before adding seed and fertilizer.  Now, we wait.  Please keep of this area as the seed establishes over the winter/spring.  Walk either to the left or right of this area, not through it for the time being.  Thank you

Which one is the bentgrass?

All of them.  Ok, let me explain how they all look so different.  

Plants have genes just like humans.  The human genome consists of 19,000 genes, the genome of a grass plant (i.e Corn, rice, bentgrass) is estimated to be around 40,000.  That's a lot of different ways to express itself over time.

Plants will naturally segregate genetically over time, expressing different growth patterns and color, during its life span.  Plant breeders are constantly creating new varieties and use these genetic changes to cultivate new varieties by crossing desirable traits expressed in two plants of the same species (Think back to high school and the Punnett square).

The diversity throughout a year (season to season) I believe can also change.  We use a chemical on the greens called Trimmit to help control Poa encroachment, it is my belief that this chemical (a plant growth regulator) causes greater genetic expression, showing more variability on a green.  

Lets think about it like this;

These nine babies in a nursery look very similar all wrapped in the same blanket and would be hard to distinguish as individuals for most people.  As these kids age and grow into themselves at the age of 18 it would be much easier to distinguish them as individuals.  

The picture below is a 'report card' provided by Seed Research of Oregon listing a few characteristics of many bentgrass cultivars that have been available for commercial purchase.  I have placed an arrow next to the cultivar that was originally planted for our putting surfaces (Century).

I really like the variety that Paul chose years ago, it has some really good characteristics for our environment.  If the time ever came for us to regrass the putting surfaces I would choose a variety similar to that of Century.
Thank you to the many of you who brought this topic to my attention and I hope this all makes more sense.  Have a great day!




  

Rip off the band-aid

We started a project today that has been long overdue and with that it brought me to the blog to talk about it.  I've done a terrible job using this forum as a place to communicate with members, guests, colleagues, or anyone who enjoys reading blogs.   I have a fear of writing and more importantly being judged for what I wrote.  English was my least favorite class in high school and I always struggled believing in myself.  While working on the project near the first green, the thought crossed my mind that this project needs to be a blog post.  That thought instantly froze my thinking when the fear of writing took over.  It's weird how the mind works.

I've been an avid listener of "The Finding Mastery" Podcast by Michael Gervais since in started. (If you don't listen to this podcast, you really should.)  I usually listen to it on my way to and from work and any other time I can find.  Gervais said something today that instantly brought me back to that moment in the morning when my fear of writing froze my thinking,
         
                             "For many, fear doesn't come from the fact that we are going to blow it.
                               It is that we are not going to live up to what we could be or what we 
                               we could do."

Boom.  That is it for me.  That's the fear or writing, I don't fear the failure of a bad grade, I fear the failure of it not being good enough.  The curbing on the golf course is similar to my fear of writing.  I hoped the curbing would go away or fix itself, so its time to rip both things off and go for it.  

Back to the curbing.  The original product was a man-made stone that had deteriorated to its current state over nearly two decades.  We have sourced a new product, Pacific black basalt from a local vendor, and we are confident the life span is much longer.

 After removing the sod and excavating the old curbing, we use the flat trough left by the old curbing to start installation of the basalt.  Starting in the middle allows us to gradually lower the end pieces to the grade of the cartpath.  Piece by piece they go in the ground and check for level along the way.  Back fill the void behind the curbing, place down some new sod and the finished product is as you see below.

The goal is to finish this project over the next two winters, it could take longer.  Hole by hole, piece by piece, just like my fear or writing, we will get it done and I will use this platform more frequently to share the happenings around the property.

Thank you for reading and until next time.  Have a great day.

Checking Items off the list

The end of February is in our sights as we try and finish up a list of winter projects.  Along with our larger projects, we also crossed off some smaller projects. This includes upgrading the sprinkler yardage markers on the course and cleaning up and re-staining the water coolers.  Most of the accessories around the course (benches, garbage cans, water coolers, rope stakes) are unique to Aldarra and I believe they present a great addition to the golf course

February started with two large projects at the top of the list; Rough Renovations and Native Edge Expansions.

Rough Renovations

The first application of rough fertilizer is applied in late February to mid-March, all at the mercy of Mother Nature.  My biggest concern is fertilizing to early if a wet Spring is in the cards, and then trying to stay on top of mowing the 27 acres of rough.  Before any fertilizer goes down we want to get any thin rough areas renovated (remove thatch), seeded, and topdressed (covered in sand).

This is a great practice for your home lawn as well if you are trying to remove moss.  In the rough we are using a sand that has 15 percent organic matter mixed into it to help hold in moisture and heat to help seed germination.  Members will often ask me when a good time is to seed their lawn.  Spring of Fall are best, but we put seed down year-round.  The most important thing to do is scratch the areas before putting seed down and cover the seed with soil or mulch to help germination.  Covering the seed also decreases the amount of seed birds can get too.

Native Edge Expansions

During construction of 

the golf course, irrigation was placed on the edges of each hole to help determine grass lines.  The native areas that surround each hole were not designed to receive irrigation.  Over the years, the grass lines have moved, but the irrigation heads have remained in the same place.  When a native line moves in, the coverage of that head is affected because the native grass that now surrounds the head is blocking part of the throw of water.  This winter I had a goal to reestablish, to the best of our ability, the original lines.  This should help the irrigation coverage during the summer months on the edges of the course. 

A marking flag is placed behind each sprinkler on the ryegrass/native line allowing the mower to ensure that the entire head is inside the primary rough line and give a little leeway as the season goes on for a small change.  Much of what is being mowed down has been scalped, resulting in discoloration.  In the upcoming months, many of these areas will need to be treated to remove any undesired species of turf, and new seed will also be added into these areas to help with the conversion.

Rough renovation is nearly complete, while native edge management will be ongoing throughout the season.