Even in San Diego, we are not exempt from two of the worst conditions in golf: frost delays and the dreaded, CART PATH ONLY. I've walked the course at Bernardo Heights Country Club and it is not an easy walk. So it is not an simple decision to keep the membership from driving down the fairways. Rounds will be impacted, tournaments will be hampered, and personal schedules will be disrupted. I understand the results of this decision so I thought you might like to know how it is made.
The last two days, my trusty dog and I were on the fairways by 5:45 with a flashlight to determine the cart rules. I already checked the weather station and saw the reading of .85 inches yesterday and an additional .2 inches this morning. From my limited experience with rain on this course, I know that a heavy rain (anything near 1 inch) requires about 10 hours of drying time before the fairways and rough will be good for traffic. Anything less than 1/2 inch tends to soak right in if we are not already saturated.
The goal is always to get the carts out there because people want to play golf and it is much easier and enjoyable, especially here, when you have a cart. Quite often there are a few bad holes, many bad spots, and the rest is good and firm. Then we get out some rope, some stakes, and a bunch of small marking flags and let golfers get on the turf. When more than 50% of the course needs to be roped off, which is the case this weekend, we need to make the call of cart path only.
Another variable which you may not realize is the longevity of dormant bermuda. If dormant bermuda is kept dry and above the soil line, it will last all winter and provide a playable surface. If cart traffic pushes the dormant bermuda into the underlying soil, then it becomes mud very quickly. Then we are left with bare soil until warm spring temperatures arrive. Cart restrictions are not designed to prevent rutting or major damage to the playing surface. It is the cumulative effect of traffic on a surface that is very sensitive. The restrictions this weekend will maintain better conditions next week and next weekend and maybe even into the spring.
The good news is this rain will help the bermuda rebound. I'm sure I saw turf turning green yesterday on the driving range, #4 fairway, and #17. Hydrated bermuda is less sensitive to the cold and retains color to a greater degree.
We are not far away from improved conditions, better weather, and no more frost delays. Thank you for your patience with our winter pains. We are blessed to have very few compared to the rest of the country.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Keep your head up
That's the opposite of what you normally hear on a golf course, but keeping your head down won't help in this case. I'm talking about sprinkler heads, not the thing that holds your brain. Our sprinklers are not sinking, the ground surrounding them is rising. The topdressing program certainly plays a part in creating this problem and thatch accumulation has the same effect.
The photo to the left is a good example of a sprinkler that needs to be raised. I placed a yellow ball on the sprinkler head and it is just barely visible. In the background, Jose Camacho, our irrigation technician is working on another low sprinkler head. This may just look like busy work or something as trivial as weedeating, but it is extremely important. Low heads mean low nozzles which spread water unequally. The result is green circles and brown donuts. We've also worked to replace all the nozzles in the fairways and have now turned our attention to the rough. This summer you will see these improvements, the change will be very clear.
You'll be seeing many raised sprinkler heads with a marking flag to warn the mowers. The crew has already raised over 25 sprinklers this winter with many more to go.
The photo to the left is a good example of a sprinkler that needs to be raised. I placed a yellow ball on the sprinkler head and it is just barely visible. In the background, Jose Camacho, our irrigation technician is working on another low sprinkler head. This may just look like busy work or something as trivial as weedeating, but it is extremely important. Low heads mean low nozzles which spread water unequally. The result is green circles and brown donuts. We've also worked to replace all the nozzles in the fairways and have now turned our attention to the rough. This summer you will see these improvements, the change will be very clear.
You'll be seeing many raised sprinkler heads with a marking flag to warn the mowers. The crew has already raised over 25 sprinklers this winter with many more to go.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Well Update--Drilling is Complete
Sorry for the lack of posts...... Actually, I'm not sorry, I've been on vacation and forgot about work for 10 solid days. I can get away without constantly checking in because I'm blessed with an excellent staff that can handle the good and the bad. I sent a few emails, but that's it. I also return to good conditions, perfect weather, very few fires to put out, and excellent news like this well update from General Manager, Mike Spayd:
The drilling crew completed their work today on the bottom portion of the well which is now bored out to 8 inches down to a depth of approximately 985 feet. Our crew chief believes that the production increased with the additional boring. It is his estimation that the well was producing in the range of 500 gallons per minute at the end of their work. As they were withdrawing the drill from the well, they tested the flow at different depths and still had estimated production of 300 gallons per minute at a depth of 600 feet. The crew chief said that this was an indication of excellent pressure in the well and that they very rarely see this type of output that far away from the fracture point.
It is still our goal to be able to call a General Membership meeting later in January for approval of the financing package that we will need to acquire the additional infrastructure components needed to be able to irrigate the golf course with our water during the upcoming summer season. Based on the amount and quality of the water that the well is capable of producing, the total project investment is anticipated to be able to be repaid in three to four years through cost savings from our current level of water expense.
The well construction site will be cleaned up, starting tomorrow. We have some soil to move, holes to fill, and ruts to repair. Of course, there is plenty more work to do on the course and much to discuss on the blog. Check in soon.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Well Update -- Casing Installation
Today was an especially exciting day out at the well site. Stehly Brothers Drilling Co installed over 300 feet of 10 inch steel casing down through the clay and into the rock. You may remember an earlier update when an 8 inch, temporary casing was installed when we first broke through the clay. The new casing is larger, to allow for more water to be pumped out and is also permanent, surrounded by concrete. The concrete was the exciting part.
I hate allowing large machinery on a golf course and concrete trucks are the heaviest of the heavies. In this instance, we have no choice and have to make the best of it. The good news is, the truck did not get stuck and the fairway still looks like a fairway. Nearly the entire crew helped lay and move plastic mats to protect the turf from some tire damage. We will have a bit of renovation to do in this well-traveled construction path, but it will be back to normal shortly after all the trucks, trailers, and drill rigs make their exodus.
The concrete was pumped through a homemade contraption, down a two inch pipe to the bottom of the hole. Air is forced into the 10 inch casing, so the only place the concrete can go is up and around the steel pipe. As the concrete is pumped in, the mud in the hole slowly exits through the top. When the concrete starts bubbling up, the job is done.
Next up, a ten inch hole will be drilled and an 8 inch casing will be installed past 600 feet. The finish line is near.
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| Paul Stehly prepping the two inch pipe |
The concrete was pumped through a homemade contraption, down a two inch pipe to the bottom of the hole. Air is forced into the 10 inch casing, so the only place the concrete can go is up and around the steel pipe. As the concrete is pumped in, the mud in the hole slowly exits through the top. When the concrete starts bubbling up, the job is done.
Next up, a ten inch hole will be drilled and an 8 inch casing will be installed past 600 feet. The finish line is near.
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| All done, with a small concrete pad around the well. |
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| Concrete being pumped down the casing. |
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Strange mushrooms on #10 green
I've seen mushrooms on greens before, but these are new to me. However, they are not new to this very specific location, the back portion of the green on the tenth hole.
According to staff members, these mushrooms reappear every winter and go away in spring. They grow just below the surface and are hollow. The tops of the mushrooms push through the surface of the green and are mowed off, leaving a small mushroom cup that is visible as a small hole on the green's surface. The surrounding turf might be browned out from the water repelling influence of the mushrooms, but more likely is damaged from scalping by our mowers as the mushrooms raise the surface above a normal grade.
In the last photo, you can see our effort to plug out some of the mushrooms and replace with turf from our nursery green. The plugs are darker because the turf is all bentgrass and is mowed a bit higher than the tenth green. So why are the mushrooms here? It may be fairy ring, a common disease on greens and most likely, the culprit in this instance as well.
We will be treating this location with a fungicide tomorrow afternoon in hopes of knocking back the mushrooms. I'm told that the affected area expands each season since it's arrival, 7 years ago, when the greens were sodded. We certainly do not want this condition to spread beyond its current borders.
Until it is controlled or seasonal changes phase out the fungus, we will keep the pin location in the front or middle portions of the green
According to staff members, these mushrooms reappear every winter and go away in spring. They grow just below the surface and are hollow. The tops of the mushrooms push through the surface of the green and are mowed off, leaving a small mushroom cup that is visible as a small hole on the green's surface. The surrounding turf might be browned out from the water repelling influence of the mushrooms, but more likely is damaged from scalping by our mowers as the mushrooms raise the surface above a normal grade.
In the last photo, you can see our effort to plug out some of the mushrooms and replace with turf from our nursery green. The plugs are darker because the turf is all bentgrass and is mowed a bit higher than the tenth green. So why are the mushrooms here? It may be fairy ring, a common disease on greens and most likely, the culprit in this instance as well.
Until it is controlled or seasonal changes phase out the fungus, we will keep the pin location in the front or middle portions of the green
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Well Update
The best Christmas present of the year for BHCC is a high volume well that will be pumping water in no time. I haven't posted the last couple updates from General Manager, Mike Spayd, so here they are:
On December 26th:
The Water Committee met with Paul Stehly, the head of our well drilling company this past Saturday to discuss the next steps regarding the development of our water well. Depending on the weather, over the next two weeks, our drillers will be working on the final stages to transform our well into a production well. Concurrently, we are working on refining our cost estimates to present to the membership in January for approval of the financing package that we will need to complete the project and begin to irrigate the golf course with our own water.
And today, January 2nd:
Work commences again today when our drilling crew will resume working on the final stages to transform our well into a production well. The first phase of this work will be to increase the bore width of the well from 12 to 14 inches and the installation of the permanent casing in the well. Concurrently, we are working on refining our cost estimates to present to the membership later in January for approval of the financing package that we will need to complete the project and begin to irrigate the golf course with our own water.
Water quality test results will be evaluated in the next day or two and I will share some of that info on the blog. At this time, we are confident that the water can certainly grow grass.
Good start to 2013!!
On December 26th:
The Water Committee met with Paul Stehly, the head of our well drilling company this past Saturday to discuss the next steps regarding the development of our water well. Depending on the weather, over the next two weeks, our drillers will be working on the final stages to transform our well into a production well. Concurrently, we are working on refining our cost estimates to present to the membership in January for approval of the financing package that we will need to complete the project and begin to irrigate the golf course with our own water.
And today, January 2nd:
Work commences again today when our drilling crew will resume working on the final stages to transform our well into a production well. The first phase of this work will be to increase the bore width of the well from 12 to 14 inches and the installation of the permanent casing in the well. Concurrently, we are working on refining our cost estimates to present to the membership later in January for approval of the financing package that we will need to complete the project and begin to irrigate the golf course with our own water.
Water quality test results will be evaluated in the next day or two and I will share some of that info on the blog. At this time, we are confident that the water can certainly grow grass.
Good start to 2013!!
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