Dredging #13

The time has come once again to dredge the silt on hole #13.  We try to dredge this area near the forebay at least twice a year.  Due to the above average rainfall this winter, silt levels were at an all time high!  Take a look at the pictures below to see the dredging process.

Here is a look at our excavator as we prepare to dig.  Look closely just under the tracks of the machine and you will see all the silt.  There is even a log under the water if you look closely!  It is incredible what the water brings down the creek in a heavy rain storm!

This picture shows the 4 inch pump we rent to help us do the dredging.  The pump allows us to remove most of the water so we can see what we are digging and not just scooping muddy water.

The water is starting to really drop down, exposing even more and more silt!

As we start to dig it is obvious there is a lot more silt than expected!  We start at the wall and move upstream to help keep the water pumped down at the wall.  On average we removed about 3 to 4 feet of silt along the entire creek bottom!

Here is a good look at the sand bar that had developed in the middle of he creek. 

Making progress!  

This is the method we use to remove all the silt.  Each trailer hold approximately 2 yards of material when full.  Over the 3 days we worked we hauled out 65 trailer loads of silt and debris!!!  All of that material would have been in the pond if we did not have this dam to slow the water down.

Here is a good look at the other side of the creek.  The pump helps to pull the water down so we can really see the silt we need to dig.

The completed project looks much better!  Now there is several feet of water all along the creek from the bridge to the dam.  No doubt the silt will return, and we will have plenty of capacity to catch it and remove again someday.

The water is clear after all the silt is removed!

 Here is a good look from the dam at the clean creek.  Some of the boulders placed along the creek bank have fallen in over time, so we will work to replace them this Spring.  When dealing with water features on the golf course there is always some maintenance to do.  We hope this removal of silt will help protect the pond and continue to improve the looks of the creek!

Greens recovering nicely from Aerification

Almost 3 weeks have passed since aerification and the greens are really healing up quickly.  Last week with low temperatures around 25 for a few nights really slowed the growth, but the holes are getting smaller every day.  We have been mowing daily for the past week, working on lowering the cutting height of the greens.  The mowers were set at .120" before the aerification.  After adding heavy sand at aerification, we take a week or so off from mowing to let the sand work into the holes and let the grass grow.  Once we started mowing again, we raised the height of cut to .160".  This does not seem like a big difference, but it is actually increasing the grass height by close to 30%.  By beginning to mow at a higher height, we will reduce scalping and injury to the turf.  By next weekend we should be back down to our standard height of cut at .120", and will look to go a bit lower to help increase green speeds this Spring!  With more sunshine and warmer temperatures forecast in the next few days the holes will be gone in no time!    

#9 fountain finally works!

The water fountain in #9 pond is now working better than ever!  After rebuilding the entire motor and pump of the fountain, we had trouble getting any water to come out.  This was caused by a bad electrical connection underground.  The splice box, or underground container which holds the connected wires, was buried under the grass.  Because this box was not visible, and we had no idea where it could be, it took us a long time to find these connections.  Luckily once we found the problem, it was a cheap fix!  The connector used to connect the two wires was degraded.  All it took was some new connectors to fuse the wires and the fountain worked perfect!

Signs of Spring!

This week we started to really see changes around the golf course that indicate Spring is near!  The tulip bulbs around the Club are really blooming nicely, and the fairways are even starting to green up!  Here are a few pictures to show the signs of Spring!

#9 fairway is really starting to green up and show some definition!

If you look closely you can see it greening up in both #9 and #10 Fairway!

#8 Fairway starting to show some green!  The forecast for the next week looks dry! 

Repairing Drainage Basins

As the ground started to dry out this week with a few days of sunny weather, we took the opportunity to start fixing some drainage basins.  The basins have been washing out around the edges and creating a much larger depression than is needed, especially around greens.  When these drainage basins start to sink in it is not only unsightly, but also can effect golf by the balls rolling into the depressions.  The basins around the greens are the first priority, but also some areas in the fairways need attention as well.

This is an example of one of the problem basins.  This basin happens to be right next to #4 green.  It is hard to tell in the picture but the surrounding area is washed out and depressed.  Most of these drain basins are also made out of plastic, which work good on residential applications but should not be on a golf course.  Over time these plastic basins have broken and caused the ground to settle around them.

Here is a look at the same basin with the plastic lid off

This is a picture of another basin which has settled on #1 Overlook fairway.  Once again it is hard to see in the picture but it has washed out very badly.

This picture shows the same plastic drain in the first picture near #4 green, but in the process of being repaired.  We first sod cut the grass around the drain to remove the turf.  Then we dig down and add a 10 inch corrugated pipe like you see sticking out of the ground above.  This pipe is fastened to the "trunk line" which carries all the water which falls in the basin away.      

After the 10 inch pipe is installed, we will back fill the pipe and surrounding area with good dry dirt.  This dry dirt is important because it packs very well and helps to shape the basin area.  It is ideal to have a gradual fall the drainage basin.  The guys above are using a vibratory tamp to pack the dirt around the basin to ensure it does not wash out again.

This is a picture of the work on #1 Overlook fairway.  The staff is using a different kind of tamp this time which jumps up and down, packing the dirt around the new basin pipe to ensure no washing out.  This basin had a very large area that had washed out below the surface of the drain basin, which required a good amount of new soil and tamping.

Here is a look at the finished basin on #1.  Once the sod grows in this Spring it will be hard to tell anything every happened, and the drain should work much better.  We also installed metal drain lids on top of all the new basins.  These metal lids will last much longer and also will not wash away during a heavy downpour!  These small touches around the golf course will help make a big improvement!  

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

As I sit and watch another thunderstorm barrel towards Marietta Country Club, I am starting to get a feeling it will never stop raining!  The wet conditions on the golf course seem like they have been this way for months, making it very hard to enjoy golf like it is supposed to be played.  Balls seem to plug with each shot, and having to clean the mud off the ball and find a dry spot to drop can be downright frustrating.  So how much rain have we got at MCC over the past 4 months to put us into this situation?  I would be glad to explain!

Rainfall totals:

November 2018     8.10 inches
December 2018     9.24 inches
January 2019         5.21 inches
February 2019       6.91 inches

Total                      29.46 inches


Almost 30 inches of rain over the last 4 months!  That is incredible, especially when you consider we received about 61 inches of rain total in the year 2018!  This has been one of the wettest winters ever in the Atlanta area, so it makes sense we would be tired of seeing it rain!  The wet conditions have caused some unsightly areas in the fairways around the golf course, but has not done any long term harm or damage.  We are seeing a lot of green grass starting to show up in these wet areas, giving good indication the grass is healthy and ready for the growing season.  Drainage will be a high priority for our staff this spring as we work on some damaged basins and low lying areas.  Once the conditions dry up we will start to work on these wet areas to make them more playable.  Fingers crossed the cold weather does not slow down our Spring green-up with has already started!!