Happy New Year!

 

The Fried Egg

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If you're interested in all things golf, check out this podcast, The Fried Egg.  Andy Johnson and his team explore many facets of golf, including architecture.  By Clicking above, you'll be linked to a menu of his best poscast of 2021.

Monday

This deer was out for a walk on Monday morning on #10.

Below, a town water main break on #10 was our surprise on Christmas Day. On the bright side, I have a suspicion this water line was leaking for quite some time before it broke. Now that the pipe is repaired, we’ll see if the area around the Jones tee on #11 dries out. 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

On behalf of your Highlands CC Greenkeeping Team, Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Please feel free to keep up to date with our blog, although posts will be lighter next week, as a majority of the team is using much deserved vacation time between the Holidays.  However, we will continue to move along with the back-nine irrigation project and will post updates right here. Have a Merry and safe Holiday Season!

Highlands CC Agronomy Stats

The history of this website: 

This Blog was started in November of 2011...over 10 years ago!  It was developed as a way to reach the membership of Highlands CC, without having to bombard your inbox with constant emails.  It allows us to explain, in detail, the projects and tasks taking place on the HCC campus as well as bring attention to upcoming scheduled maintenance practices.  In addition, it became a site where I share interesting articles and photos that I think you will also enjoy relating to the golf course industry.  The best part is, you can read as much as you want, as frequently as you want or you can check in every couple weeks and flip through the photos. Simply put, this is your Superintendent's platform, a place where I can ramble on about all the things we do and hope you all get something out of it.

Golf course maintenance is a unique career. Early on, a lot of folks would ask, "what do you do all winter?"  The question is asked with the assumption that there isn't a whole lot going on between the months of November and April in Highlands NC.  The truth is, winter is far more action packed and even stressful at times, given the challenge of accomplishing all we have going on in a condensed time frame, all the while dealing with whatever mother nature throws our way! Those 4 months (or 16 weeks) can become 13 weeks if we get a substantial snowfall that sticks around for a few weeks. We are always on the clock.  The last thing I want, is for you to return in mid-April and we're not finished our winter projects. Compare this to the summer, which is also busy, but is more scheduled, routine practices. I always compare my job to that of an airline pilot.  Most of the hard work is done on take off and landing, but once you're in the air, the plane is on auto pilot. Granted, that's an over simplification, but you get the idea.

Since 2011, we've cover a lot of topics! While it started slow, it gained momentum and viewers. Above, I shared some of those stats with you. This particular post was written at 8:15am, and we've already has close to 80 views by this time, this morning.  This post is the 6,115th time I've updated the blog since 2011! That works out to an average of 611 posts per year, 51 posts per month or 1.6 posts per day!  That's commitment! In 2017, this Blog was awarded, "Best Overall Blog" by Golf Course Industry Magazine and recognized at the 2018 Golf Industry Show in Orlando, FL.  It is regularly promoted by GCSAA and Turfnet as a blog with immense content, not seen on most blogs.  

The blog has also had a number of benefits that I didn't initially realize.  It's been an excellent way to track and record weather data. More importantly, it serves as an unbelievable resource for record keeping, essentially an ongoing "scrapbook" of all the things we've accomplished down to the day. I often times find my self using the blog archive feature (on the right side of the page) to go back years to recall when a particular project took place, or simply to see how the golf course has evolved over the years.  I'll never forget back in 2011, when I mentioned to someone about starting a blog, their response. "Now Brian, if you do that, you know you have to be consistent with posts or no one will look at it," they said. That individual didn't realize who they were talking to at the time... persistence is my middle name! But the most important benefit of this blog to me, is that it became a hobby of mine.  I really enjoy writing and this allows me to continually practice, becoming a better writer. That said, I feel like it's been a win-win for all involved!

Please continue to keep up with everything that's occurring on campus and feel free to pass on the blog web address (or see the link on the Highlands CC website) to new members or those members that haven't accessed it before.  If you're passionate about your Donald Ross golf course, this is definitely worth keeping up with!    

9th Green at ANGC

 I just came across this historic photo of Augusta National. The 9th green is interesting! If you look closely, it’s being mowed. 

Wednesday

When I update my blog, I tend to highlight the more glamorous projects we are working on and the ones that will offer the most member benefit, come spring.  However, there is a lot of "stuff" we do that takes a lot of time over the winter and largely goes unnoticed.  They are projects that if we didn't do them, the lack of detail would most certainly be noticed. One example is plant and shrub pruning around the campus.  Our small landscape crew is working hard, all winter long pruning back Hydrangea shrubs.  You could never fully appreciate how many Hydrangeas there are on this campus until you're the one responsible for pruning them! The old Tardiva Hydrangea, for which all Hydrangeas originate, flower on new growth.  This means they need to be pruned before spring or else the flower show next season will be disappointing. Oak Leaf hydrangeas on the other hand, flower on older growth.

We received 5 pallets of rectangular granite today, that will be used to improve curbing along many of our cart paths.  #8 green surround, for example, will be curbed all the way up to #9 tees following the current drainage project.  This is a detail we started working on 2 years ago that will really improve conditions by eliminating cart traffic where it isn't necessary and improving aesthetics where golfers fail to keep all four cart tires on the path. As you've seen, the 6"-10" of turf next to a cart path can get thin and muddy because of cart wear. In the next couple years, my goal is to curb all tee and green cart path edges. It makes for such a nice, defined transition in these areas.

Drain pipe was delivered and installed today.  Tomorrow, the better part of the day will be used to haul more gravel to these drainage ditches. Come springtime, you will notice a dramatic improvement to this green surround.  

Did I mention the putting greens are GREEN!  We removed quite a bit of grass clippings from the greens this afternoon. See my earlier post about December greens mowing.

Greens Mowing in December

For the first time that I can recall during the last 21 years, we are mowing putting greens in December! The mornings have been cold but afternoons have been relatively mild, which has been encouraging the greens to put on a little top growth.  Some greens like #8, which sit in low pockets and are protected from wind and other elements, are still as green as they were in October.  The mild days have been very nice for getting work done on the golf course, but it isn't the best case scenario for our putting greens. This won't cause any harm to the greens but we are definitely keeping our eye on them for potential cool season diseases. I'm hoping the weather turns much cooler soon, so the greens can go dormant for the winter. Today, we are knock off the little bit of top growth by mowing them at 0.135" with our triplex.  As a reference point, our in-season mowing height of cut is 0.115".   

Statistics Behind the Hole-in-One

 Regardless of how many hole-in-ones you’ve had, this is pretty interesting. 

Foxes at Highlands CC

This past year, we with dealt with an animal that would occasionally burrow in the face of a bunker, usually on #4 or #5. It wouldn't do too much harm, but more of a nuisance. Using a game camera last night, we were able to capture the culprit(s) red handed!

It's hard to be upset at these guys, they look like they're having fun at it!

Tuesday

The satellite boxes on the back nine were removed today, and the old wires capped off.  Once we remove the concrete bases, the rest will be buried and covered with sod.

One of the best things about the new irrigation system is the fact that we lose the 10 green "satellite boxes" on the golf course.  Depending where they are, some stick out more than others.  The way this new system operates, they just aren't required. Our current system that's being replaced, has a communication cable (telephone wire, essentially) that connects my computer in my office to each of those green boxes on the golf course.  My central computer tells those boxes which sprinkler heads to turn on, the time, the duration and when to turn off. It is one-way communication. I can send out the signal but it won't confirm if everything ran according to plan.  The new system has individual head control, and a system that "talks" to individual sprinkler heads.  A huge added benefit is the new system is 2-way communication.  So, if a sprinkler head doesn't turn on one night for whatever reason, I'll know that by looking at a report on my cell phone or iPad. I'll be able to control the entire irrigation system, the pump station and weather station all from my iPhone, anywhere in world. The technology is pretty cool!

On #8, we are making tremendous progress.  A large delivery of drainage pipe is coming tomorrow that will allow us to keep plugging on this area.  Below, the yellow arrow is pointing at an old metal culvert that runs beneath #8 green.  This culvert pipe should have been removed during the 1998 greens reconstruction but for whatever reason, it was left in place.  The pipe is rusting though and that is what was causing the cavitation and small sink holes in the rough over the past few years.  To make matters worse, the pipe was abandoned but it still had a fair amount of water in it. That water would find its way to the surface. I'm happy that we'll be able to address this challenge once and for all! The exposed white, 2" pipe with wires is the irrigation line that runs the perimeter of the green.  It is buried 24" deep.  The culvert pipe below it, is over 5' deep!

The photo above doesn't do this project justice. This is a significant excavation project and a 6' deep hole.

Below, you can see Michael standing on the rusted culvert.

Above, the yellow arrows point to rusted holes in that metal culvert that caused the cavitation at the surface.  These holes on the surface were/are a major safety concern of mine because if you unknowingly step in the wrong spot, it would be very easy to roll an ankle or even worse.

On #15, the pond dredging and repairs have been made.  Tomorrow, we will paint the valve stem and inlet cover flat black to make it disappear. A native stone headwall was constructed where the culvert daylights next to Hummingbird Lane.  After the paint is complete and dry, the valve will be closed and the pond will begin to fill up with water! It's been a long time coming. I estimate it will take approximately 3 days to fully refill with water. The week of January 3rd, we'll more than likely be getting two truckloads of sod to cover these areas around #15 pond and call this project complete! Once again, your patience is and was appreciated while we weighed our options to correct this situation.

This pond is roughly 90,000 cubic feet in volume, or 3,300 cubic yards.  A cubic yard holds roughly 202 gallons of water, thus the pond holds 666,600 gallons of water.  That means, according to my estimate of 3 days to refill, the creek on #15 (mostly spring fed) carries 222,200 gallons of water per day. This is your useless trivia for the day.

 

Green-Tee Golf

Our irrigation contractor, Green Tee Golf, out of Augusta Georgia, is in the Christmas spirit.  This is their compound on #14!

Drone Photos

Welcome to Highlands CC, from 400ft above!

Work at the form progresses and you can see how the new 'potting cabin' will fit into the mix, in the upper left corner.

On #15, the stand pipe and culvert pipe are now in the ground.  You can see we are backfilling the ditches with 100% red clay.  This soil type sets up like cement and is best used in earthen dams like this one, because it won't let water through. This dam red clay is messy and sticky.  

Finally, on #12, an overhead shot on the progress.

Before and After #11

 Before and After:

This was hole #11 on Friday afternoon:

This is #11 on Monday morning:

Monday

The irrigation main line is well on it's way up #12 fairway.  #12 presents some challenges because there are plenty of obstacles that need to be avoided as we trench in the main line. This fairway has a lot sub-surface drainage and other features that most of our other fairways don't have.

Below, you can see the attention to detail in repairing the ditch areas after the pipe is installed.  This is #11.  If you look at my post from last Thursday or Friday, you can see the level of disruption that's been repaired.  

We've got one more week before Christmas and the plan is to hit it hard this week before the guys get a well deserved break next week.  This morning was chilly and frosty, so we started at the Farm, where all the raised beds are being revamped and the wood boards replaced.  When you return this spring, everything at the farm will be new.  We built this farm in 2012 and who would have guessed it would have turned out as popular as it did! Rita is busy planning for next year's bed layout and crops. You can see below, we are constructing the foundation for the log cabin coming sometime after the holidays.

Friday Update

IRRIGATION

There is nothing clean about installing a new irrigation system.  We are making great time now that we are beyond the 10th hole.  In fact, today alone, we finished installing mainline on the 11th hole.

After the ditch is dug, the pipe and wire are placed in the hole and then covered back up with soil.  The soil is filled back in the ditch, 10" at a time, where it is compacted with a plate tamp to insure none of our ditches settle down the road.  This is a critical detail when installing new irrigation systems.

#15 POND

Above, the new stand pipe and culvert are ready to go in the 12' deep ditch (below). The orange cap is the new valve that will allow us the ability to drain the pond without removing or damaging the stand pipe.  This stand pipe is about 8' tall.  Once it is installed in place, approximately one cubic yard of concrete is pumped into the base of the pipe, to keep it in place and prevent it from "floating."

Above you can see this black portion of material in the cross section of the ditch on #15.  Upon closer inspection, this is the remnants of a burn pile from a long, long time ago!  It was probably the ashes left from a fire where plant material was burned during the construction of that pond in the 1940's or 1950's.  That is my estimation on when that pond was initially built. Another interesting bit of knowledge: The gentleman on the excavator estimates that there is still 6 feet of sediment in the lower end of the pond!  This year, I was only advised to dredge the upper end of the pond, which is solid rock about 2-3 feet down.  It's hard to believe that pond captured that much sediment.  

Above, you get a good idea what the condition of the existing pipe in #15 pond was like.  This pipe is literally disintegrating in front of us.

#8 DRAINAGE

Drainage on #8 is progressing very nicely.  The spoils from the ditches are being hauled to the back of #18 (see below) where we are leveling and re-sodding the bluegrass just before the south side entrance to the tunnel.  This has turned out to be surprisingly good soil. I thought for sure this would be very rocky, if not solid rock, by the way ground water surfaces here during rainy periods.

Area behind 18 to be leveled, improved and re-sodded.

When we dug this ditch, we found this old terracotta drain tile system running parallel to our ditch.  This is pretty cool for a number of reasons.  The most intriguing is that it could be as old as the golf course itself. Before the days of perforated drain pipe, terracotta drain tile like this one, was the go-to material for improving drainage and water flow below the turf.

If the warm afternoons keep up, we will be forced to mow greens in another week.

OTHER PROJECTS

On #11, we are also doing some creek bank restoration work using boulders dug up from other projects on-site.