New Job Board

Recently we purchased a TV and some computer software to use for setting up the jobs our staff is required to carry out each day.  The computer software helps to neatly organize and display the daily tasks so that the crew can easily identify what they are required to do.  Here is a look at the screen the on a daily morning of work.

With this program we can also track hours for each specific job, as well as document different items on a daily, monthly or annual basis.  Our staff is excited about the change and update of technology, as they can also use this smart TV capabilities to watch shows before work in the morning and during their lunch hour!

Dredging the Creek Again!

During leaf season this fall we have had a lot of debris accumulating upstream of the forebay on hole #13.   Earlier this week we took advantage of the dry conditions and started to dredge out material deposited from the rains the past few weeks.  We have seen a much larger rainfall than normal this fall, and this has contributed to the increased silt and debris being washed down stream.  It appears that the forebay is doing its job of preventing silt to reach the lake.  No doubt there is a little silt that still passes over the dam on heavy downpours, but if we keep the creek channel cleaned out we see great results in trapping the unwanted debris!

This is what the Forebay looks like after a heavy rain!

You can see how mulch silt and debris settles out upstream!  

Look closely and you can see how shallow the water is because of all the leaves and debris!

22 trailer loads later one side was complete!  We will finish the other side once it dries up again from Wednesdays 2 inch downpour!

Planting Holly Trees on Overlook Holes #3 and #4

Over the last week, our crew has been working hard to install 50 new holly trees behind #3 Overlook green, and also to the left of #4 Overlook green.  These holly trees were planted to provide a barrier between the cul-de-sac and the golf hole, as well as develop a natural fence to secure the Club property line and to prevent people from trespassing.  Another feature that the hollies provide is added "depth" to the 3rd green when a golfer is hitting their second shot.  There are currently some space in between the hollies, but the plants will grow together over the next few seasons.  When the plants are mature, we will keep them pruned neatly to form a long running hedge which blocks the golf course from the street and neighborhood.  Please take a look at the pictures below to see the process:

Azaleas in front of #17 Tee

If you will remember last year we did a project with the help of a donation from the LGA and planted azaleas in front of the large retaining walls on in front of #17 tee box.  After a very cold winter, almost all the azaleas died and did not leaf out this spring.  So after cleaning out the dead plants and reassessing what plants would live in this environment, we decided to re-plant a different variety of azaleas this fall.  The cultivar selected this year are George Tabor azaleas, along with some Formosa azaleas.  This azaleas are the most common and are most notably found around Augusta National each spring during the Masters.  Last year we planted mostly Encore azaleas which bloom all year long.  Unfortunately the Encores did not handle the early freeze and died.  Let's hope this time we get the plants through the winter and have a lot of beautiful colors next spring!

New Trees #6

Last week our staff was busy planting many things around the Club property, and one of those plantings happened to be some Maple trees on hole #6.  This has been an idea the Grounds committee has kicked around for the last year or so, and also falls in line with the Master Plan that was developed years ago for future improvements around the golf course.  These trees were strategically placed to add difficulty when a tee shot misses the fairway to the right.  Because the trees are different varieties of Maples, they will help to add some beautiful red and yellow color to the fall landscape.  Next year we will plan to mow the rough on the right side of the fairway much shorter, which will hopefully make it easier to find your ball and advance it.  The trees will play more and more of a problem as the years go by and they grow bigger and bigger!

New Overlook Pump Motor

Over the last few weeks, we have experienced a lot of problems with our irrigation pump station on Overlook.  After troubleshooting the entire system, it was determined that one of the two motors which run the pump was not functioning properly.

This is a picture of both pump motors.  The motor on the right is the bad motor, left is the good motor.  Take note the piece of metal coming out from the top of the bad motor.

That piece of metal was the top of the drive shaft for the pump.  The pump motor slides over the shaft and attaches at the top.  The pump is located down deep in the wet well, which is fed from the lake.  This drive shaft is 25 feet long, and is used to spin the pump head in the well which pulls water from the lake to water the golf course.

A crane is necessary to lift the 400 pound motor off the drive shaft carefully.  In this picture the new motor is being dropped into the pump station through the hatch in the roof.  

This hatch was installed when the pump station was built for times exactly like this!

 Waiting on the motor to be lowered down onto the drive shaft.

Lining it up perfectly.

Now the new motor is running great and the pump station is back to 100%.  Luckily this motor did not fail until the end of the summer when the weather is cooler and rain more common.  Hopefully we will not have to do this process again any time soon!

First Frost this Morning!

We had our first recorded frost this morning!  While it was not a very heavy frost, we definitely had some frost develop on the rough in some low lying areas as the sun came up early this morning.  Let's hope this does not knock off any of our lush green color for The Mountain Classic next Friday!