Chipping bunker improvements

The October bunker renovation on holes 5, 6, and 7 finished with some left over sand.  Part of conducting this work within a seven day window is making sure we have enough product, so we erred on the side of caution.  We stockpiled some bunker sand in the shop for future use and needed to use up what remained.  Most bunkers call for a major overhaul complete with a lot of earth moving.  The chipping bunker just needs some sand to practice shots so it was an obvious choice to be renovated in-house.

The most important part of a bunker is the drain line underneath.  You don't putt on roots, and you don't  play off drain lines, but both are extremely important.  We inspected the exit drain of the chipping bunker and found it to be crushed.  The drain within the bunker was also contaminated and required replacement.  To the left, Jose Luis and Oso pose next to sod over the new drain line while Abel waits in the background.  Seems to me like they are having fun with this.

The overall shape of the bunker is pretty disfigured from many years of sand being splashed up on the face.  We dug out much of this sand, to be used as divot mix, and packed in a new floor with native clay.  Proper construction would require the complete removal of the sand, but that would have taken us all the way to the green and a small project would become a huge project.  We did what we could, providing a much better practice space in the short game area.

The other bunker in the short game area has 3 palm trees growing in the bunker.  We decided to leave this bunker alone to provide examples of the new bunkers and old bunkers to players wanted to practice from both surfaces.  

What did you do to the greens?

We've been getting that question a lot.  Green speeds have picked up to over 11 feet on the stimp meter and it's left the membership guessing on the reasons why.  Hopefully this post will shed some light on  the factors that contribute to the recent improvement.

Green speed is not developed over night.  I get asked all the time, "did you speed up the greens?" for some tournament or for weekend play.  The greens are going to be nearly the same as they were the day before and probably the day before that.  Unfortunately, there is no dial in the maintenance shop that behaves like a dimmer switch.  Boy, how life would be simpler if that switch did exist.

Green speed is determined by a combination of many factors and many cultural practices.  Mowing, of course, is one of those factors and we pretty much mow every day.  The height we cut the grass is another factor, but it is very rarely changed, only during aerification does it raise up to avoid some sand and drop back down when the greens have healed.  Returning to our normal height was part of the speed increase, but the greens are much faster now even though the height is the same as before.

Rolling the greens certainly influences green speed, but we also do this every day.

The way we water can influence green speed and we monitor moisture very closely, but we rarely dry them out completely to get crazy fast, hard greens.  You'll see this in the major tournaments when the greens look near death on Sunday.  If the PGA shows up, we'll go that route, but not for a Mens' Guest Day, sorry.

Growth regulators, chemicals that slow the vertical growth of turf, are very useful for improving the health and speed of greens.  We use these year round.

So far, we have a list of items that are normal practices which will keep the greens rolling along.  Now we get to the a few items that can turn greens around and make a major improvement.

First off, fertilization.  I once worked at a course that had some amazing roots throughout the course, nearly 12 inches in many locations.  The putting green began to have some problems on the surface, which turned out to be superficial fairy ring.  The roots still looked excellent, but the turf up top was wilting and spotty.  The owner was talking to the superintendent who told him about the impressive root system.  The owner replied, "I don't care, I don't putt on the roots." He's right, but good roots usually means a good surface.  Last year at this time, we had a little over an inch of roots.  Today we have between 3 and 4 inches.  That means we have stronger plants that are dense, withstand traffic, need less water, and resist disease.  Our fertility program will improve the soil over time and will constantly be adjusted based on soil reports and conditions.

The other big item that makes big improvements is aerification and sanding.  When we aerify, we break through layers, reduce thatch, provide new drain channels, introduce more oxygen, and deliver valuable nutrients to the soil profile.  When performed properly, aerification can bring greens back to life and greatly smooth the surface.  The sand application is just as important as punching the holes.  We put a little extra on the greens to "cap" the holes to prevent the dimpling effect that will cause bumpy greens for months.  The sand fills in the small imperfections and also insulates the growing points of each grass plant.  This protects the plant from foot traffic and mechanical damage like scalping.  Our newly purchased, light top dresser will take care of our sanding needs between aerifications and is essential to keep the greens rolling as well as they are now.

In closing, green speed is based on the cumulative effect of many separate efforts.  Not a single item on this list can be ignored if excellent greens are the goal.

Bunker Review

The annual fall maintenance week was a bit more exciting than past years with green-side bunker renovations on #'s 5, 6, and 7.  Earth Sculptures Inc., one of two companies responsible for our lake renovation on #17, did an excellent job in a very short amount of time transforming these three green complexes.

There were multiple problems that needed to be addressed during this project.  The existing bunkers are nearly 30 years old and the drain lines have stopped working, the sand is contaminated, and the edges are many feet away from the original dimensions.

 #5 was a dramatic change, completely reshaping the left side bunker and lowering the initial grade to show off more of the bunker.

The seventh hole received similar treatment, lowering the area in front of the left, front bunker by over 2 feet.  Before the renovation, this bunker could not be seen from the fairway.











The right green-side bunker was sloped back to front, had severely contaminated sand, and offered very little playing area between the turf after years of shrinking.

Below is a shot of the initial coring process.  Believe it or not, this bunker had nearly 2 feet of soil just like all the others.  Adding sand is not the answer once the sand gets contaminated.

The finished product is two pics below with Izzo enjoying some fresh, soft Tifway Bermuda.

 To the left are some of the problems we encountered.  Here, the contractors are trying to determine the original edge so they are not building on sand which could collapse under the weight of equipment.  Small scale renovation projects over the years have moved the edge and capped built up sand with clay.  This area is soon covered with more sand from golf shots blowing sand out of the bunkers.  The result is a layered mess which all needs to be removed so proper, long-lasting construction can be completed.



This photo is the right, green-side bunker on the sixth hole.  At some point, grass slopes were built on the face of the bunker to prevent plugged lies or to reduce bunker surface, I can only guess.  Once again, this all needs to be removed so we are building on a firm surface.

 Once the bunker is formed and matching the contours of the existing green complex, the edges are marked and carved in with an excavator.  The left, pot bunker on #7 was widened to provide a much larger playing surface.  The bunker had regressed to a v-shaped hole and all the balls would come to rest in the same spot as did irrigation and rain water that could not find a drain.

 I leave you with a portion of a USGA article dealing with bunker maintenance.  I shared the advice in the second paragraph many times, but it is hard for golfers to accept.  Eventually, bunker sand gets too old to serve its purpose and must be replaced.

 Sand Purity: This factor measures the level of contamination in the bunkers. The presence of silt, clay, and organic debris in the sand can act as an impediment to drainage by reducing the infiltration rate of the bunker sand. Contaminated sand is often hard. The appearance of rocks in the bunkers is distracting and disruptive to play. 

Little can be done to improve the purity of sand without taking out the old sand and replacing it with new sand. It is tempting to top off the bunkers with a few inches of new sand, but this process will not remedy the underlying problems. Within a short period of time, these new bunkers will look just like the old ones. 

The well's impact to BHCC

Of course, we were all very excited when we found a new water source and especially thrilled when the water poured into our new reservoir.  Now that this water is being used to irrigate the course, we can begin to see some of the results.  As most cultural practices at a course build on a cumulative basis, the new water will follow suit and slowly change the environment for better, and in some ways, for worse. (don't worry, we can undo the bad stuff)



1. Financial savings

In short, the course has been spending 1/2 a million dollars per year on city water.  The new pump station is currently feeding 2/3 of the course.  Subtract the added electrical expense for pumping and you still have a very nice amount of savings.  This is, by far, the well's greatest impact and the reason we went through so much trouble.

2. Additional irrigated locations

When you're spending so much on water, you need to cut back.  Now that the bill has been greatly reduced, we are returning some of the irrigation in playable locations and our landscaping.  All turf areas are being converted to bermudagrass, so the water savings is still huge compared to the green of ryegrass.  The slopes that border most holes have been shut off and the acacias, silverberries, pyracanthas, and trees have suffered.  Water is being returned to all these locations as quickly as possible.

3.  Equal pressure all the time

This is not a benefit I had counted on, but it's a big one.  The previous irrigation system was charged with five separate points of connection to the city supply.  When many heads where running during the night, the water flow could not keep a steady pressure to all areas of the course.  Booster pumps where added, but the pressure still varied greatly and reduced efficiency and uniformity.  The new system, a very smart pump house, maintains pressure equally and constantly.  From the moment each sprinkler is turned on to when it drops back below the surface, the pressure is at 80 psi and the coverage is greatly improved.

4.  Increased salinity

Most water in Southern California, including potable water, is pretty hard and high in salt content.  The groundwater has a TDS (total dissolved solids) that is more than twice the amount we had been using, but the quality is still in the acceptable range for turfgrass.  Basically, the bermuda won't care, but the Poa annua and bentgrass greens could struggle.  We will monitor the sodium levels in the greens very closely and flush out the salts when necessary.  Frequent applications of calcium and organic acid will help greatly.

There have been some rumors around the club that the water needed blending to use, but that is not true.  We are using the well water just as we expected and have many ways to combat the increased salinity.  I will detail those practices in a future post.  We will not know the true impact of this water source until next summer when the greens require more water, and therefore, more of the nasty stuff that comes with it.  So far, we are seeing what we expected and perceive it to be a very manageable situation.

5.  Deep watering

Bermudagrass can push roots very deep into the soil, sometimes many feet.  If we can't get the water down there, the roots are not going to go searching below the surface.  Deep watering was cost prohibitive for our fairways and difficult to achieve due to layering in the upper portion from topdressing and infrequent aerification.  Now that we have a new water source, and more importantly a  new aerifier, we will be able to push water deep to encourage deep roots and strong grass.

So that is my take on the  top 5 impacts of the new well to your course.  I'm happy to report that all systems are running perfectly, the increased pressure has not had any negative effects, and the well is pumping the same amount of water as it did when first tested.

New Teal Tees

The blog has been on vacation for over a month while the staff has been working non-stop.  Now, with the weather cooling off, the days growing shorter, and this strange moisture falling from the sky, I think it's time to share some of our efforts.

During our annual closure, a new forward Teal Tee, was built on #8.  As you can see by the photo, the previous teeing ground was on a severe slope.

The new tee was constructed using native soil from the bunker projects and old bunker sand as the cap. We planted some hybrid bermuda and had significant rooting within a week.

The sod is a little off-color, but the roots are down nearly 4 inches and very dense.  We followed up the tee on #8 by building a couple tees in-house on #'s 1 and 10.  The Teal Tee on #10 is shown below and should be open for play in another week.

The next Teal Tee on the slate is #5 and then we'll wait for warmer weather to continue the program.  These tees will provide a much friendlier course to new players, juniors, and senior golfers.  I plan on playing a few rounds from these tees as well to practice shorter clubs and to get a new look at the course.

A member recently shared a golf format with me in which a player starts from a central tee and stays put with a par, moves back with a birdie, and moves up with a bogey.  I expect to spend most the round teeing it forward, but I sometimes surprise myself.

More updates are coming soon on bunkers, the irrigation reservoir, projects, and much more.  Stay tuned and stay dry.

Turf Relocation

As we continue to push toward a pure stand of bermudagrass, we are finding many locations that have very little desirable turf.  Years of overseeding have taken a toll and thinned any bermudagrass that we had.  The surrounds of fairway bunkers are especially poor because they were double overseeded and mowed a bit higher which favored ryegrass.

To fill in these areas as quickly as possible we are going the route of sod for instant green.  Over the past four weeks, the staff has installed over 10 pallets of hybrid bermuda throughout the course.  In addition to the sod we've purchased, we've also been removing good turf from out-of-play areas to use in busier locations.

To the left and below is the fairway bunker on the 8th hole.  Not only did this location have little to no bermudagrass, it is also receives a lot of play and way too much traffic from carts circling the bunker.  It is always best to keep the carts on the short stuff; enter the fairway and stay in the fairway.  Driving on the rough mats down the grass and thins it out quickly.

Our main source of on-course sod, and perhaps our new bermuda nursery is right of the tee box on the par-3 12th hole.  This location has long been a waste of water and labor and serves no purpose to playability.  However, it has certainly been serving a purpose lately, supplying the course with over 2000 sq feet of thick, healthy turf.  There is easily another 3000 sq feet yet to harvest and hopes of up to 10,000 square feet a year.

As we remove the sod, we are filling in the void with good topsoil and allowing the bermuda to push back to the top.  Next summer, we will have another crop to harvest as we continue to fill in any thin area around the course.

New Landscaping

Last week, we worked on the finishing touches for the lake project and the pump house on #11.  Over 100 plants have been installed including 8 allepo pines that are over 15 feet tall.  The final steps include installation of some ground cover, a decomposed granite path to the pump house, and some new sod to repair our access area.

Here are some photos of the plants and the landscaping work:

Mexican Feather Grass

Lantana gold

Crassula campfire

Miscanthus 'morning light'

Day Lilies along the lake and photinia bushes

Time to de-thatch

Recently, many locations on the fairways have turned a little brown for a unique reason that has little to do with water.  As the bermuda in the fairways becomes thick and dense, it also becomes spongy and thatch ridden.  When our fairway mowers pass over these thatchy locations, the blades dip down and scalp the turf, leaving some brown turf.  These areas can take a few days or even a week to green up before they are mowed again with the same result.

The way we combat this scalping is by removing thatch and tightening the surface.  We do the same thing on greens when we verticut to smooth the surface and promote upright growth.  A fairway verticut is much more aggressive and messy.  Heal time is about 10 to 14 days, but it varies by location.  Normally, the turf will get a little brown and just a bit thin, but playability is not greatly affected in the short term.  Once the turf heals, playability can be greatly improved with firmer surfaces, young healthy shoots on the bermuda, and more upright than lateral growth.  Bermuda really loves this process.  

In addition to the improvement in fairways, verticutting creates many bermuda stolons that can be planted in thin areas.  We are experimenting with this process to the right of 18 fairway with more locations in the coming days.

Your patience is appreciated as we work to transition to bermuda as quickly and painlessly as possible. The trouble we are going through is already starting to pay off with improved conditions.

New look for #7

As reported in the Scorecard, a few months ago, the rough left of the cart path on the 7th hole is being converted to decomposed granite.  We'll also mix in some pine straw, some rocks, and some drought tolerant plants to dress things up.  Decomposed granite offers a lot of good benefits.  It is permeable, so rain passes through to tree roots and standing water is uncommon.  It compacts nicely and stays put without much maintenance.  Weeds can be controlled easily by hand removal, pre-emergent, and the occasional backpack of glyphosate.  You can drive on it, walk on it, and play on it.  It also is an attractive color that makes the grass on the other side (of the cart path) look greener.

Here are some photos of the project from the last few days:

The previous week, we sod cut and reused any turf that was worth saving.  The rest, mostly kikuyugrass and weeds was sprayed with herbicide.  The crew sod cut the dead turf and removed the spoils with a box blade and a front-end loader.  The area was graded by hand and was ready for the first load of DG.

This part went quick and we soon ran out of our stock of DG, just short of completing the prepped area.  More DG is on order and we will continue with the rest of the left rough.  Because we have many projects going on at the same time, it is much easier to work in stages than to knock out the whole assignment at once.  After all, we also have grass to grow.

The DG will be watered and rolled to produce a firm, smooth surface.  Most of this area slopes back to the turf, so shots from here will not be too common.  However, you do not get relief, so take your medicine and get the ball back to the fairway.  Happy golfing!!

Project Updates

I'm starting to look forward to the time when I can write a post for this blog and it has nothing to do with the new reservoir, or the pump house, or electrical hook ups.  That time is not today because we are still very busy with finishing up this 6 month adventure.

On Monday, we started working on the electrical line that will run between a couple neighboring apartment buildings down to the new pump house.  There was a lot of hand digging near the connection point where we had to navigate around (luckily above) a gas, electric, and cable line.  The trench is finished, the conduit is in, and inspections by SDGE and the county will happen today.  I will have more info on when we can actually start irrigating with our new water source in the near future.  

Unfortunately, we had to trench through our new sod.  This was expected as one contractor had to finish up their portion and we were waiting on some red tape issues to design the electrical connection.  Not to worry, because the sod is in great shape and we know how to put it back together as you can see in the photos below.

Finally, another update on the well and the filling of the reservoir.  At 9:30, Tuesday morning, we hit the mark of 1 million gallons pumped from the well.  281,000 went to fill up #9 and the rest went to the reservoir on #11.  As of today, we are 40% full and should hit 50% by the end of the day.  It looks like we've filled more than that, but realize that the major quantity of water is near the top where each foot is close to an acre foot or 326,000 gallons of water.  We have about 4 vertical feet to go until the lake is full.

Landscaping around the lake and the new pumphouse will start as early as next week.  I have a few plant samples coming in today and a cost breakdown for the project.  The end is in sight.

If you have any questions about the project or any course conditions, don't hesitate to contact me at jalwine@bhcc.net.

It's finally a Lake Update

This was a very long time coming, but water is finally being drawn from the well and pouring into the new reservoir.  Before I left work, the well had pumped 380,000 gallons of water.  310,000 has gone to the reservoir and 70,000 was sent to the lake on #9.  OK, so more numbers.  The reservoir is at 14% of the projected volume of 2.2 million gallons.  The full amount pumped would have cost the club $2052.

We are currently running a generator to power the well pump and expect the power source to be energized on July 31st.  The well is pumping at 90%, getting 255 gallons per minute.  At 100%, we can draw 300 gallons per minute.  Filling the reservoir would take about 6 days if we pumped 24 hours per day.  With the generator, we are only pumping 12 hours today for the sake of our neighbors.  The generator is very quiet, but there is really no rush.




Monday, trenching will begin on #11 for the power connection to the pump house.  We will bang through this process as quickly as possible so the club can start to realize the savings we've all been waiting for.

A few other notes on the project:

• Landscaping on #11 has been planned and will commence after the trenching for power.
• The water coming from the well is 74 degrees, perfect for an afternoon swim.  (please refrain from swimming in the pond)
• We cleaned the waterfall on #9 today, scrubbing down the rocks, it will be back on tomorrow.
• The quality of the well water is very good and we will not be blending with potable water.
• The new sod around the lake is rooted down past 3 inches so feel free to play/walk on it.

Lake Update

Last week, contractors wrapped up the scope of their work at the site of the new reservoir.  Monday thru Thursday saw the installation of the new main line, attaching the pump house to the current irrigation system.  Installed along with this pipe, was our potable water fill line.  This source could be used in the future if the well is unavailable or if we need to blend the two sources for quality issues.  We hope to use this source on a rare occasion, but the fill line is certainly necessary.

The sod, hybrid bermuda, came in on Friday and installation was finished by 11:00 am.  The sod company wasted very little which resulted in some extra sod which we'll be installing in some thin spots.

All of the 11th hole will be fertilized and aerified to promote recovery from the sporadic watering and heavy traffic from the last few months.  Most of the bermuda that is now brown and dormant along the right rough will bounce back with some extra water and some fertilizer.

This week, the BHCC crew will install the filter flush line and the lake aeration system.  We also will prepare for landscaping around the lake and pump house and get the sod rooted into its new home.  The temporary tee on 11 and the temporary green on 17 are no longer needed, so go out and enjoy a full golf course.  We do ask that you take a drop from any new sod and limit any traffic across roped-off locations.