Today was the first day of the fresh cut grass smell! Fairways were mowed for the first time this spring.
This machine has fascinated me for the past couple days, seeing it in action. The material is sifted into three different particle sizes before being led to a container that is hauled away when full. This process is impressive in that we are able to accomplish the dredging without using acres of land to lay out geotextile bags like we've done in the past. We are setup on a small footprint and it's a very clean process as well. I am certainly glad I was able meet the owners of this business because our options were very limited in terms of how we'd accomplish this project.
At least 90% of the material removed from the lake looks like this. It's mostly leaf litter and organic material. Below, you can see how it accumulates into the steel container. It almost looks like mulch although it would not be a suitable product for that. As the project continues, I am going to be doing extensive water testing to be sure we aren't stirring up any nutrients that may have settled in the sediment over the years that might be detrimental to our turf once the irrigation system is back in use. It would also be interesting to send a sample of this material off for a nutrient analysis.
They are also getting their fair share of golf balls! You would be amazed at how many golf balls are being sucked up during this project!
On #8, we are preparing for our first load of sod that will cover this area that was raised up next to #8 green. Below, there will be a 10-25' strip of grass on the outer edge of the cart path on #8.
Concrete was poured today to enlarge the stone pavilion surfacing at the croquet pavilion. This will allow the Stikers more room for tables and chairs.
In other news, our H2B Visa workers are planning to be back on March 18th. Hopefully this schedule works out to give us a couple weeks to get the golf course ready before we open on April 10th. Right now, there is a lot to do for a small team of people. More help will be welcomed!