#2 Green Renovation Continued

The green is ready for sod. The sod that we stripped during the initial phase of the renovation will be replaced. The entire sodding process took us two days. We still have some final shaping of the green surrounds and then we will hydromulch the rest of the disturbed area.

Now we hope that good weather is forcasted so that the sod can begin rooting. Once the sod is more stable, we will topdress the new sod with a heavy coat of sand and put it to bed for the winter. Throughout the winter, the sod will be checked on a weekly basis for moisture. If the sod needs any moisture, we will add some water using the hydromulcher. I will make sure to take photos when that occurs.

We will look forward to opening the new green extension next season. Look for future blog topics such as topdressing, disease prevention, winter construction and more.

#2 Green Renovation Continued

The shaping is done and has been approved by David Kidd and now we can start installing the drainage system, pea gravel layer and then the USGA Greensmix. The following pictures show you all the remaining steps besides the grassing. This coming Monday, we will start sodding the new green and this should take us approximately four to five days to complete.

In my opinion, the sodding is the most difficult task in a greens renovation. During the sodding process, the staff is very meticulous in placing the sod pieces so that the seems are smooth and consistent. A quality sod job ensures a quality putting surface.

Hearing bone drainage system.

Perforated drain pipe is laid into the trenches. Then a four inch layer of pea gravel is spread out over the entire area.

After the pea gravel is installed, we check the final grade and make any adjustments necessary.

Then the sand installation begins. Twelve inches of USGA Greensmix is installed.

Once all of the greensmix is installed, we take a lot of time compacting the sand so that settling will not occur in the future. In order to compact the sand we use the mini-ex, plate compactor and a lot of water to make sure not only are the depths accurate but to ensure the stability of the sand. This process will take several days. In comparison to time, the installation of the drainage ditches, pipe, pea gravel and sand only took two and half days.

See you when we are sodding.

#2 Green Renovation

Great golf courses are a work of art. Many of the top golf courses in the world have gone through many changes over the years. These changes are generally intended to enhance the playing experience, turfgrass health, technology, etc.

At Tetherow our ownership is committed to making the course its very best. With the guidance and support of David McLay Kidd and his talented team along with an in house construction team lead by Golf Course Superintendent Chris Condon, we will be improving areas that will ultimately increase the overall playability, agronomic health and enjoyment of the golf course.

After last seasons' successful projects, most notably the #3 green extension, the ownership has given the green light to continue the success. Currently we are working on the #2 green and when completed will have an additional 1700 square feet of putting surface which will make the entire green size approximately 6600 square feet.

Following are some pictures of our progress. Please look through them and watch the progress in additional blog entries.

We started by stripping the turfgrass in the proposed construction area. This sod with be replaced in a couple of weeks once construction is completed.

With any renovation work, the existing irrigation system requires some re-routing on additional sprinkler heads added. Fortunately for us, the work on #2 will only require irrigation to be re-routed or repositioned.

You can see just a portion of the green that is affected by the renovation. This picture only represents about 5% of the entire green surface. To the left of the green/sand/pea gravel is the new portion of the green.

This is the end result of shaping the area prior to coring for the future green bowl. The shaping is being done in house by yours truly. It is very important to re-create the same type of playing surfaces in and around these green sites. The goal is for the new areas to look and play as if they were originally designed and constructed during initial course construction.

Along with shaping a new area, it is important to incorporate existing features such as this bunker. With the new green, this bunker will really make one think about which line of play they chose. #2 is a 546 yard Par 5 which is rather easy to reach in two. After we are finished and the entire green is in play sometime early next season, certain pin positions will raise the risk/reward level.

So far so good. The construction process is progressing very nicely and we should be grassing within the next 7 to 10 days.