Storm Damage

After the high winds from last weekend we had substantial damage and the course was a wreck.  Here is an example of that damage:

It took some time but the course is currently clear of the majority of debris from the windstorms.

A Spectacular Morning View

Morning views like this one can make golf course maintenance pretty special

Irrigation Upgrade

Ownership at Stillmeadow Country Club has made another large investment toward the promising future of our club.  This investment was a much needed one that most members would think is in a very unlikely location.  The location for this major improvement is the pump house.  The pump house is a small building between holes number one and nine that is of no cosmetic interest to the golf course.  However, it is what is inside that counts.  Inside the pump house are two pumps that supply all of the water used for irrigation to the golf course.  These pumps can be controlled in a variety of different ways and some ways are better than others.  Our old control system was a Cla-Valve.  A Cla-Valve is a mechanical device used for pressure regulation and pump staging.  We found this device to be unreliable and a maintenance hassle.  One of our pumps didn't even flow through the Cla-Valve because of a faulty design plan.  Another result of this was that our pumps were staged on and off by pressure readings from the course piping and not the Cla-Valve.  The old control system had no safeties for automatic shut down when there is a low pressure or high pressure event in the system.  The bottom line is that the old pump station controls were outdated.  On piping that is as old and weak as our system, we needed new and more gentle controls to protect our water lines.  Here are some photos of our pump station prior to our retro project.

Now to the new controls.  We have installed an Oasis panel and two variable frequency drives.  These devices are used for a variety of different functions when it comes to pump controls.  However, the main function of these devices is to always speed up and slow down the pumps and the flow of water to the irrigation system based from the demand of that same system.  The pumps used to run all or nothing.  Now the pumps only run at a speed that is required by the demand.  This means less water hammer and slower water velocities to us.  The goal is, this means less busted pipes and water holes on the golf course to you. Here are some photos of the finished product.  You will notice that we have been able remove many of the old components for a much cleaner look.

Clearing Project Behind #9 Green

We should see some benefit of air flow as well as a cosmetic improvement to the golf hole.

The beginning of the project

Stage 2

The finished project

Summer Annuals

Begonias and alternanthera for summer color

Leak On 1 Fairway

The Leak

The Fix

Just a Few Recent Pics

Greens Speeds

The stimp meter...the worst invention ever created in my book.  The first thing I will mention is the fact that I will never lie about our green speeds.  Our greens are currently running slightly over 8.5 on the stimp.  They have been fluctuating from somewhere between 8 and 9.  While this isn't where I would like them to be, it is a very manageable speed for normal, everyday play.  I feel that this speed should definitely be acceptable considering the condition of the greens just five short months ago.  Currently, the first priority for our greens is health and the second is speed.  This is always a must when dealing with greens that have the amount of poa annua (annual bluegrass) that we have on our greens at Stillmeadow. Ultimately my goal for our greens and regular play is 10.  I can ensure you that based off the slope of the greens and a REAL stimp reading this should be fast enough for everyone.  I can also ensure that once the greens are healthy and covered with grass, I will always do the best I can to skate the line between health and speed.

Thanks for your patience,
Klint Ladd
Golf Course Superintendent

Forward Tee on #16

The forward teeing area on #16 is one that has many issues.  The first issue is that it is not level.  The second issue we have with this tee is one of turf quality.  After reviewing the problems with the teeing surface we have decided that this tee will be the first that receives attention from a renovation standpoint.  To be honest, this decision was made months ago and even though we have had every intention to address this tee sooner the course has had other plans for our staff.  Those plans being irrigation work.  While the body of irrigation work is still plentiful, we will try to fit the renovation of this tee into the scope of work as soon as possible.

Leak on #5

Randy took a break from managing the crew along with the 50 other things he does in a normal day to help with irrigation.  He finally caught the big one!

Another pic of the pipe and couplers we removed.  Notice the curve to the assembly and all the different couplers.

The Fix

The straight and clean looking finished product.  We will send water to it tomorrow.  Hope it works!