Wednesday

After 1.5" of rain yesterday, our drainage on #1 got tested out!  It's pretty impressive how dry the fairway was after so much rain!  Keep in mind, this is step one in process of addressing drainage.  There are areas that we may have to address further by coring out the native soil and replacing the rootzone with sand.  This process is know as sand capping.

The site that once occupied 4 buildings dedicated to employee housing is now just a small consolidated pile of rubble!  It's so fun seeing the progress!

Happy Thankgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!  There is so much to be thankful for at Highlands CC and we're excited about the upcoming winter that will be full of golf course improvements.  The course is closed on Thanksgiving Day but will open Friday and through the weekend before closing for the season after Sunday.

Trimming on #12

On the 12th hole, we started some major pruning on the right side of the hole, specifically above the rock.  The goal is the make the right side bunker visible from the tee.  I think it would be a really cool look to be able to open that up visually and even be able to see the hole location.  Stay tuned!

7-Day Forecast

 

Friday

Pruning Rhododendron is something that ongoing in the mountains.  If we don't, they'll consume the golf course quickly!  This pruning is taking place above #9 green.

We are down to 1 remaining employee lodge, which will be coming down early next week.

Finally, drainage installation is ongoing on the 6th hole.  

USGA Green Section Record

 CLICK HERE!

Click above for a link to the latest edition of the Green Section Record.

Tim Moraghan Consulting Report

CLICK HERE! 

Click above to see the report written by Tim Moraghan, a consulting agronomist I brought it this past October.

Wednesday

Drainage is well underway on the 6th hole.  I knew from the start that this would be the most challenging hole because of rock.  While you can't tell below, we've already come in contact with rock about 6"-8" below the surface in this ditch.  This is the lowest point of the entire HCC property and the most rocky.  This is why is stays so damp on this fairway.  There is no where for ground water to go but up.

We are making good use of the extra soil from #1 around the 11th tee box.  Come spring, this area will have a different look to it... and hopefully a lot drier!

On my course walk this afternoon, I noticed an abnormally large amount of trout hanging out at the mouth of #10 pond, for this time of year.  I know they appreciate the cooler water temperatures but we do need some rain.  The drought cuts back on water flow, which the trout don't appreciate.  

Tuesday

2 of the 4 old employee housing structures are just about gone.  It's amazing what takes 6 months to a year to build, can be hauled off in less than a day!

I mentioned before that all of the spoils from the drainage ditches are being hauled to #11 tee complex, where we're using the material to raise the level of the ground to improve the drainage around the 2 tee.

The drainage on #1 is officially complete.  It's now onto #6!  The first hole is back open for business and the 6th hole is now closed.

Monday

The East Campus Plan is in full swing.  Today, the demo started on the former employee lodges.  You can see the plan below of what is to come.  A much needed expansion of golf course maintenance will occupy the site of the old lodges.

Drainage work is continuing.  This gives you a little insight into how the process works.  A trencher cuts a nice clean ditch about 16" deep.  After the 2" pipe is installed, the ditch is filled with a coarse utility sand that allows water to move through easily.  

Franklin High School Presentation

Last Friday, our Landscape Tech, John Branson, was invited to Franklin High School’s horticulture class to talk about his position and opportunities that young adults could have in the in the business.  I’m really proud of John for taking advantage of this because opportunities like this may benefit the Club in the short and long term.  It’s also a great example of a job that local graduates could have if they pursue higher education but don’t want to move away from the area.  This coming February, several of us, including John, will be participating in a career fair at the Highlands School.  With so many local golf courses, there are a lot of opportunities for students to pursue a career in this field.  Well done, John and thank you for the great job you’ve done representing Highlands CC!

Friday

Today marked the final day of work for our H2B visa staff.  We honored them with a big lunch as our way of thanking them for the sacrifices they make to come to HCC and add to our team in a big way!  We couldn't do without these seven gentlemen!

 

A day or two is all that is left to finish #1 drainage.  You can see these guys are working while frost is on the ground.  Driving and walking on frosted turf will cause it to turn brown.  The blades of grass die but the crown of the plant is remains protected.  When the weather warms in the spring, new shoots will emerge and the fairway will recover.  For now, time is money and we can't afford to work half days due to frost.  It's my goal to get this team in and out of here as fast as possible.  When the native soil freezes, this will be an impossible job.  We are racing against Mother Nature!

Above is the pile of spoils from the drainage ditches on the 1st fairway.  Note all the different soil types that coexist in a 2 acre fairway!

All the leaves are officially down and now that the course is cleaned up, it's time to clean up the creeks and streams.  Some leaf little in these areas is good for salamanders and other species but too much ultimately leads to sedimentation of our ponds and lake.  This is why I prefer to remove a bulk of the leaves.

Thursday

Approaches are be aerified with 3/4" hollow tines.  Once the course closes in a few weeks, we'll be applying a nice layer of sand over the turf.

After one application of sand to the practice tee, we pull a drag brush over the surface, which works the sand into the canopy.  Once this is finished, we'll be applying more sand and repeating the process.  You know there is enough sand applied when it can no longer be worked into the surface.

More drain lines are being trenched on the 1st fairway.

Practice Tee

30 tons of sand was applied to the practice tee which fills aeration holes and levels the tee. 

Drainage on #1

You can see by the photos that we're moving right along on the drainage on the first hole. A few lines have been trenched and already have the pipe, sand installed and the turf back on top.  If these guys work full days without be slowed down because of poor weather or frozen conditions, they can install about 800 linear feet per day.  The drain lines are on 8-foot centers and run a majority of the fairway.  As time goes on, I'll have better photographs for you to see.