Colors Are A Changing

Fall colors have started to show up here and there, and if the vibrant colors a few trees on the golf course have shown is any indication of what to expect this fall it could be a terrific year for colors. I knew a little of why leaves change colors, and why certain years are better then others for brilliant hues, but I did not have all the details. I came across this description: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/misc/leaves/leaves.htm and it does a good job of keeping the science in layman's terms for all of us to understand.

I am hoping this fall lasts for a while and gives us plenty of time to play golf and get some projects completed. If it is anything like this spring though it won't be around long and we will go straight into winter. Yikes, let's hope not.

It has been over a month since the last post! Well the golf course is still here and doing well. Club championship weekend was wonderful, good times had by all I think. We had some "creative" pin locations which has given us some food for thought for future locations. Unfortunately we just had too many hard locations and not enough easier ones. And on top of that there were a couple that were just plain dumb.

Aerifying is almost complete. We have two fairways left on the front nine and then it will be done. So this week we will start up again on the smaller projects of tidying things up. Pretty soon it will be nothing but leaf control and getting things ready for winter. But enough of that, there is still plenty of great fall golf ahead.

For those that do not know, my wife Maia and I, along with Lucas of course, bought a house in Waconia recently. It took us 2 1/2 years to sell our home in Fairmont, that happened in early July. We closed here in Waconia at the end of August, and are looking forward to settling down and opening some boxes which have been closed for over 3 years.

Odds 'n Ends

Well the bunker work is finished and we are on to other projects around the course. I am sure some of you have noticed we are working on the cart path ends that are usually mud and dirt. We have mulched some areas and sodded others. The mulch is an interim to curbing and regrading the area, number 11 tee comes to mind for that. Some others are being sodded and we will strive to keep them grassed and not revert back to mud.

The out of bounds along 14 has caused a little confusion this year, so we have decided on this remedy (check the picture). We have removed all the little white stakes and painted an out-of-bounds line along the large steel posts the run the length of the hole. It is not the straightest line, nor is it right up against the field, but it is much clearer as to what line to follow and whether you are in or out. We will also let the grass just outside the line to the field grow long (no mow) to define the area better and also help with erosion coming off the field and on to the golf course. The buffer zone should prevent a lot of the soil from making into the rough and perhaps help with the big washes that move all kinds of debris across 14 and into the pond.

The steps on 16 and 9 are also on the docket for this fall. I am currently working with a couple of bids and deciding on materials to be used. It will end up being a nice rock/paver path from the cart path to the upper tee on 16, and a nice keystone step attached to the planter on number 9. I am looking forward to, as are many others, to retiring the green stairway on number 16.

Renovations Complete

Well, I would love to show you a picture of the completed work but I am having trouble with getting the pictures into the blog. Hopefully I will have it figured out by next time...

Anyway, the work is complete on #8 and #10. There are a few loose ends we need to tie up on our side of things but that should all be wrapped up this week. We have received nothing but great comments on the work that was done. #10 should be playable by the end of next week and #8 will probably be brought into play the Tuesday before the club championship. It usually takes a good two weeks to get the sod rooted down enough for traffic and no slipping on the bunker slopes. All the sand will be raked up to the edges before we bring them into play.

This years project consisted of #6, 8, & 10. Providing the funds are there to continue next year, we would be moving on to #7 (which would finish the front 9), 12, 13, and 18. That would about equal the amount spent on this years renovations. That would only leave #14, 15,16, & 17 left to finish off the bunker renovations. The one hole which really needs a close look is #14. The pond needs to be rebuilt, the fairway from 100 yds and in needs some serious work, and there is potential there to scrape down the fairway out as far as 250 yds so it is possible to see your second shot and what lies ahead.

Bunker Project Update

Well, with the rain coming down right now it looks as though the finishing sod will go down on Monday of next week. Number 10 was finished yesterday, and some of number 8 was finished up. The only thing remaining is a little drainage in one bunker and sand, then it's irrigation and sod. Hopefully this heavy rain does not ruin things too much so the cleanup/repairing is nothing major...

Sodding #10

After 1+" of rain on Friday morning, which put a standstill on the project, the weekend was nice for drying things out. While there was a lot of prep work to do because of the rain we received, the sod arrived and most of the work on #10 has been covered in green. The mounding on the left, and the new fairway bunker are finished off. There has also been quite a bit covered up by the green side bunker and cut-back slope. Work will continue on #8 for the next couple of days, the sodding on both holes will hopefully be complete by the end of the day on Thursday. All in all, we should be playing on the new features in 2-3 weeks...

Day 3 On Hole Number 10

The new cross bunker on the right side of the fairway has shaped up nicely. It is very nearly ready for sand and sod, the drainage is the only major thing that needs to be done. The left side is also coming around, the renovated green side bunker is a big change from the old one and the widening of the approach will make the whole hole much more playable.

To carry the new cross bunker here are the estimated yardages from each tee: Blue = 260-265, White = 250-255, Red = 233-238. Now obviously it is a downhill shot from the tee, so it should be a little easier then that ;)