There is a lot to report on today...
Here are some shots of the dredging taking place on the 10th hole. This pond is interesting in that it is solid rock on the bottom. The rock is 4 to 5-foot deep in the middle and about 2-feet deep where it narrows behind the tennis courts. Getting the official permitting from the Army Corps of Engineers was a real challenge this year. Due to Hurricane Helene, their offices have been stretched thin and behind schedule on a number of fronts. If you look at the mountain of sediment on the fairway (about three photos below), three piles like this have been hauled away so far! For every cubic foot of material, there are about two hundred golf balls mixed in to that sediment.
The excavator being used has a boom on it that can reach 60 feet across the pond!
Despite the snow, ice and sub zero temperatures, we are still working on the golf course. We are blessed to have two tractors and a rented excavator with fully enclosed, heated cabs. Because of this, we're able to get the area around #13 green to #14 tees cleaned up and eventually ready for sod. this will be such a great look!
Above, significant pruning was completed down the right side of the 14th hole. There are a couple limbs left to trim before this project is considered complete. A substantial amount of material was cut and hauled away from this hole.
This afternoon, we finally got the cement slabs at the practice facility finished and ready to pour concrete. We are scheduled to pour next Monday, January 27th, provided the temperatures are above freezing. These slabs will increase the number of artificial hitting mats from 10 to 16.
Because of the extreme cold, this is the thickness of the ice on Club Lake. We are about at 3" thick. 4" is considered safe for ice fishing, skating, or other activities on foot. If we can get up to 7" to 9" thick, we'll be able to drive a car out onto the lake. Not that I plan to do that...