Dig Deep Enough and You Will Discover...

The bunkers have been a hot topic during my tenure here at Arrowhead Country Club.  It is gratifying to know that when I first arrived, the directive from the Green committee was to:  "Make it through the summer with the greens."  Now we spend a majority of our discussions on what in the golf world is considered, a hazard.  At the risk of deviating from the post, I would like to focus on bunker drainage.  As many of you can attest, the bunkers do not drain well after a weather event.  

After searching the archives, I found that the bunkers here at ACC were renovated in 2000 by an outside contractor.  That contractor was said to have installed "drainage" in numerous bunkers.  The bunkers on Hole #2 are included in that list and as you know, do not drain correctly.  After years of experience in construction, here are a few things I found fault with:

1.  The pipe selection.  The pipe installed was primarily developed for leach bed applications, not golf course drainage.  The pipe utilized could be purchased at any local hardware dealer and consists of a series of dual holes located on the bottom portion of a polyethylene shell.  N-12 would have been the correct application.  N-12 is a world standard, double walled, perforated, corrugated polyethylene drainage pipe with a smooth walled interior.  It is rigid enough to handle the weight of traffic and is more more accepting of water with the design.

2.  The trench width.  The trench was cut 6" wide to bed a pipe 4" in diameter.  This leaves very little room for error or gravel installation on each side of the pipe.  A minimum 8" trench should have been cut to allow for 2" of gravel on each side in conjunction with 2" below and above the pipe.

3.  The low point.  Drainage should be trenched into the lowest point of any bunker floor.  This point should be located where the sub-floor collects.

4.  Sand Quality.  If poor quality sand (containing high silt/clay percentages) is present, the drain will fail regardless of depth of sand and installation practices.




Pipe Utilized
N-12 Pipe




A Helpful Tool

If any of you are planning a project or just looking to verify a quantity or square footage, visit:

I recently utilized the application to verify the surface acreage of the lakes present on the course.


Putting Green Shade versus Light

Many people have expressed interest as to why three Sycamore trees were removed from the surrounds of the practice putting greens.  An earlier post containing video narrates the primary reasons, but the pictures below say a thousand words.  The Sycamores close proximity to the putting surfaces allowed for root competition for water and nutrients, provided high volumes of shade (especially in the winter months with their southern locations), and funneled traffic to narrow corridors on an already undersized green.  Turfgrass requires high volumes of light to handle to the wear and tear of play.  The putting green sustains the highest volume of traffic of all greens on the course.  Combine lack of sunlight and high volumes of traffic and turfgrass decline is almost always the result.  As an example, when you are out on the putting green, look at the turfgrass quality on the northern side and then compare it to the southern side.  I am willing to bet that after inspection, even the untrained eye will note a difference.  

Be sure to note the improved density and quality of Bentgrass in the coming weeks now that the trees have been removed.     

Shade present prior to Sycamore removal
Light After Sycamore removal
Tree Decay within the Sycamore:  Future Danger



A Project Here, A Project There...

With the cool temperatures and our mowing frequency this time of season, we have the luxury of completing a few minor projects that have blessed "the list".  Do not be mistaken, the list never shortens.  We make our best effort to cross off an item, just after we add one.  

This past week's project was to install a drain box, drainage, and a drain sump along the cart path north of Hole #10 tee.  This area is a low in the cart path and surrounding grade, which has been a perennial trap for water.  



February Roots

A photograph illustrating the healthy, root depth on a portion of Hole #2 green.

Elevated Tree Trimming

The 60' Man-Lift, critical in the removal of the trees over-hanging the putting green, was also utilized to perform the bi-annual trimming of the Palm trees on Holes #10 and #15.  In addition to the Palms, the wind damaged Oak west of #11 tee was also pruned utilizing the machine.  




Continuing Relocation

With the irrigation season quickly approaching, we continue to relocate irrigation sprinklers.  This part circle, greens back-up head, was relocated to the edge of the collar on the north side of Hole #12 green.  Multiple back up heads are slated to be moved this spring. 



Another Interesting Discovery

It is always fun to find water bubbling up inside a bunker.  A major "no-no" in golf construction is to install irrigation pipe under or within a green or a bunker.  The damage due to a pipe failure could be very costly and take a feature out of play for the day or more.  As you can see by the photos, irrigation pipe runs through the right side bunker on Hole #3 green here at ACC.


This irrigation pipe relocation goes on the list of irrigation items to be addressed in the upcoming weeks, right below relocating the irrigation pipe that runs through the east side of the practice putting green.




Trees, Trees, Trees....

With the removal of the three Sycamores adjacent to the putting green, that leaves 999 trees on property.  Evaluation and upkeep is a costly and time consuming process.  Trimming dead wood, low branches, and removal of suckers is a job that has been performed for many years by long tenured employee, Luis Franco.  Luis does a tremendous job with this task and could probably tell you a story about nearly every tree residing on property.

One years worth of tree trimming

Luis' Best Work

Luis in action

Irrigation upgrade

As mentioned many times previously, the irrigation system is in dyer need of an upgrade.  Given the cost of a total renovation, we must and have addressed this situation, one step/component at a time.  The past two season have been spent relocating sprinklers, correcting triangulation, and creating efficient programming.  This January, due to a failing 32 year old Toshiba pump/motor controller, we were forced to upgrade to a Watertronics control panel.  I say "forced" because we had exhausted all alternatives in keeping the old panel operational.  Next in line for upgrades will be a VFD drive for our 75 hp pumps, which should extend the life of our motors and pumps, as well as conserve electricity.  Our electricity costs are slated to increase 1.9% to 4.4% above last season.

The new panel

Removal of Trees Surrounding the Putting Greens

For those of you that have expressed interest in why specific Sycamore trees were removed adjacent to the putting and chipping greens, below is an informative video that for the most part reiterates my comments: