Fall/ Winter Update

All the superintendents in the area that I know are thankful that we've now had some rain and we can begin to relax.  When I say relax, I don't mean that we start to take it easy at work, but rather we can leave most of our work problems at work because we aren't worrying about irrigation and turf stress.  The last two winters have actually been busier then ever at Cinnabar with end of the year improvement projects.

This week we wrapped up the renovation to the fairway bunkers on the left side of 9 Canyon and the right side of 9 Mountain.  We were able to remove the hump in the cinnabar tee of the 3 mountain so you can't blame your slice on that anymore.  And finally we removed the bentgrass from the approach on 4 lake.  The approach had been contaminated with bentgrass and being that bentgrass is a high thatch producer, the bentgrass acted as a sponge.  We removed the sod, added some drains and then cored the entire area twice before re-sodding with perennial ryegrass.  By next summer the hole should play much firmer.

While these projects were going on, the managers and some youthful staff members (read stronger) went to get the club Christmas tree the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.  This is  my favorite time of year and cutting the tree down is something I really look forward to.  We get our tree from Patchen tree farms at the top of the summit and it was fun spending time with the other departments.  While our tree is shorter than years past, it is just as beautiful.

Going into winter we have a handful of bunkers we'd like to enhance and upgrade sections of the irrigation system.  More to come later.

...Or now.  I almost forgot that the range has grass again.  What a difference.

The DR Tee Begins

4 in 1 bucket (top blade used to cut sod)

After much anticipation, the maintenance staff at Cinnabar Hills has begun to re-level the range tee. Today is probably the most time consuming part of the whole project and that involves removing the sod from the existing tee.  To cut the sod extremely quick, we used a 4 in 1 bucket on our Bocat with the blades open and just skimmed underneath the sod.  It looked like Almaden Country Club and the pig damage they have been experiencing.   The four foot width of the 4 in 1 bucket beats the 18" width of our ryan sod cutter.  

With the sod removed, we will till the soil and begin the rough grade tomorrow.  As soon as the rough grade is complete, the drainage will be installed and irrigation sprinklers will be set. 

Not having done many projects this year, this is a lot of fun to end the year with.  Stay tuned for updates and check the Cinnabar Hills Golf Club website for when the range will be closed and open.  

Got Laid

I am talking about the sod of course.  What did you think I was talking about?  We received the correct sod early Friday  morning and had it laid by 11 am.  The tees look great and more importantly, they are level.  I hope to have the tees open in 4 - 6 weeks depending on how well the sod takes hold.  While they are growing in, we will be preparing the tees on 2 lake, 9 lake, 2 canyon and 3 canyon for sod on the 15th of September.

4 Lake Update

I had to pull the trigger and re-sod #4 lake green on Thursday morning. While there were still some green plants mixed in, some of the green plants were starting to turn yellow at the crown. The sod came from our nursery green and matches well with what is currently on the green. The upcoming rain showers over the weekend should help it root very fast. Don't worry about walking on it or putting over it as we took a deep cut of sod (2").

What the *#!*

If you have seen 4 lake in the last 5 days, you will know exactly what the title means. If you haven't seen it, I unfortunately have pictures.

I don't know what material caused this, but I do know that it was not gas or diesel. If it were gas or diesel, the area would be completely dead. I know it happened Tuesday during the day because we watered the greens heavy that night explaining the runoff look. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter how it happened, but rather what we are doing about it. Currently and fortunately there is a lot of green grass in the brown area so I think we should be fine in a matter of a week or so. If the area digresses, we will then have to sod which I am not hoping for.