March Nor' Easters

Within the past week, two blizzards have rocked the New England area. Last Thursday, Winter Storm Quinn brought heavy snowfall and fierce winds that did a number on the area and Concord Country Club was no exception. On top of the roughly half-foot of heavy snow that accumulated on the golf course, many tree limbs and branches have broken off causing the need for extensive clean-up. Additionally, due to the weight of the snow and the strong gusts of wind, one of the ornamental trees behind the 11th green was snapped in half. Yesterday, the golf course received upwards to another two feet of snow from Winter Storm Sylvia.
These examples of unpredictable New England weather just provide our course staff with a few more tasks in preparation of the 2018 golf season.

 

Benches, Tee Markers and Tee Caddies

Winter time at Concord CC provides our staff with a chance to construct or refurbish golf course fixtures. Our staff is currently working on refinishing the benches being placed on the course. The benches are being sanded down and coated with a protective varnish, while also being bracketed for stability. Along with the upgraded benches, new tee markers will be seen on the course come spring time. The previous solid colored tee marker balls will be replaced with new wooden tee markers, designed and constructed in-house. Made from stained meranti wood and sealed with the Concord Country Club logo, these new tee markers will undoubtedly add visual appeal to the tee areas. Another improvement golfers will notice on the tees is the addition of wooden tee caddies. New tee caddies, also made from meranti, will replace the older tee disposal units on the par 3's and complement the improved tee markers. When setting out to begin the 2018 season, new and improved benches, tee markers and tee caddies will subtly improve the aesthetics of the course, especially as golfers prepare to take their drives.

Tree Work on #5

Each off-season at Concord Country Club, we devote time and effort to improving certain aspects of the golf course. One of the more significant enhancements is the redesign of the fifth hole, as laid out by golf course architect Andrew Green. Although we are not able to get the project fully underway until the spring, the first steps have been taken to improve the playability of this hole. Trees have been removed on the right side of the golf hole, providing an area for the expansion of the fairway. Also on the right side of #5, a fairway bunker will be constructed approximately 140 yards out, creating a strategic play for golfers looking to take an aggressive line in order to provide themselves with a short approach shot to the green.  Another part of this redesign will be the addition of a back tee with the original design specs of Donald Ross; the new tee will add length to the golf hole and give golfers a unique view of the green. This expansion will improve the play of the fifth hole, while also staying true to Ross' plans.

Bunker and Forward Tee Course Additions

McDonald and Sons Inc. has been hard at work renovating several areas of the course, so far they have been adding bunkers on the first hole. This includes a bunker on the left side of the fairway, giving the longer hitters another thing to consider on their tee shots. They are also working on installing a green-side bunker in the previous location of the large pine tree adjacent to the approach. McDonald and Sons Inc. will be continuing to make additions to the course such as installing stand alone tee boxes on holes 3,4, 13, 17. There will also be plateau tees incorporated into the fairways on 1, 2, 11, 14, 16. These forward tees will provide golfers with the option of playing a shorter course.  This is the same contractor who completed the work on the 8th green / 9th tee last season, driving range tee and all the chipping areas in 2013; and the bunker renovation in 2012.  We are very excited to see their finished product on the course.

Range Divider Restoration

During the off-season, the staff has been renovating course objects to freshen up looks, as well as improve their integrity. An example of this is the work our crew did on the wooden range dividers. By sanding them down and applying a fresh coat of paint, these dividers will look very sightly at the driving range while our members work on reestablishing their swings for another season.

Hill Clean-up Behind 11 Green

As we await the beginning of the 2017 season our team has been working on improving certain areas of the course. One location that we have improved upon is behind the 11th green. The crew touched up the hillside by removing rocks and stumps, improving soil conditions and planting fescue. Previously, this area consisted of weeds and scrub brush and was unplayable for golfers. This subtle enhancement will allow for a playable shot for those who find themselves just over the green.

Divot Bottle Stand

The winter makes for a great time to work on projects that add functionality and aesthetics to the course. Pictured is a cedar divot mix stand that is able to hold up to twenty-four mix containers. Our members do an excellent job of filling divots throughout their rounds and this rack will provide golfers with a chance to reload when they arrive to the 10th tee. Thank you to all members for helping keep the course in brilliant shape!

Winter Update

All of this great weather has allowed the staff to clear brush and under story growth along several holes lined with woody trees.  On the left of 16, the clearing opens up a nice sight line to the landing area.  The area will be treated for weeds in the spring and over-seeded with fescue grass.

Entrance Project - Main Line

During the reconstruction of the front entrance of the club we have had to relocate part of our irrigation system in order to accommodate the new design.  The mainline of the irrigation previously ran along the edge of the 9th tee and behind the 8th green.  Our staff cut and capped the mainline earlier this winter and now that the construction crew has prepared the site we were able to relocate the mainline.  The new section of mainline will run in the same general area, only further away from the green expansion and new tee complex.  

Entrance Project Progress

The main entrance of the property looks very different as contractors have finished tree removal and began site work including moving soil, re-grading slopes and installing drainage.  The project is in full swing as we await the demolition of the entrance house.

Entrance Project - Preparation

Preparation on the entrance project is underway.  Over the next few months we will continue to see changes and progress entering the country club.  Before the arrival of heavy equipment our staff has removed reusable irrigation parts to be reinstalled following the 9th tee construction and expansion behind the 8th green.  We have also removed the split rail fence as you enter the club in an effort to recycle as much as possible.

This is just the first step in the entrance project.  Soon heavy equipment will arrive and begin tree removals and site work.  When completed the entrance to the club will look drastically different, but we are excited to see this area improved upon.

Fore The Golfer: Frost Delays and Turfgrass Health

4 Valley Reconstruction

This past week the club had an outside contractor come in to address some problems with the valley in front of the green on the forth hole.  There were several factors which made this area not very playable and also caused balls that caromed off the hillside to roll all the way into the woods.  The primary factors being poor soil, abundant tree roots, and insufficient drainage and irrigation.

The area was excavated and a great deal of fill and top soil was brought in order to adjust the pitch of the valley.  We also extended the drainage to the edge of the woods and relocated irrigation.  The entire area has been hydro-seeded with a rough mix.  We anticipate with extra care in the future this area should have a good stand of turf which will allow golfers to have a fair chance at a difficult shot up onto the green.

5 Green Improvement

Some of you may have noticed that there is an area of the 5th green, at the base of the hill on the left of the green, that often has problems making it through hard winters healthy.  Our staff worked today on mitigating this issue in the future.  We believe the primary problem of this area is that there is poor soil and also there is a bowl that collects water and freezes during the winter.

We hope we fixed these issues by replacing 6 plus inches of soil and by lowering the collar and bank to allow water to roll off of the green, rather than collect on it.  This area will most likely stay roped off for the remainder of the season, but we anticipate that it will make it through winter better than previous years, and be ready early next season.



In the picture above the high bank makes it difficult for water to drain off of the green.  Below the turf has been replaced and the collar and bank have been lowered allowing water to move off of the green during thaws in the winter and during heavy rains.

12 Green Expansion

Today our crew worked on improving the green expansion on the front right of the 12th green.  This area was previously expanded, however do to poor soil quality and a high amount of traffic the turf was very thinned out.

We improved the area by removing the existing turf and digging down approximately 8 inches to replace the rootzone mix with a better quality material.  Once the soil was replaced we laid sod from our green nursery and topdressed and rolled the turf.

When the new turf roots over the course of the fall we anticipate that it will be able to handle the stress of the summer in the future.

Irrigation - Main Line Repair

Over the weekend a section of main line irrigation, located near the walking bridge on 1, sprung a leak.  We were able to identify where the break was and isolate that section of irrigation.

Our crew worked hard along side an outside contractor to fix the repair in a timely manner.  We were forced to shut down the irrigation system in order to make the repair, fortunately the weather was favorable.  In total locating, exposing, repairing and back filling the break took our staff less than a day.  Now this section of main line shouldn't give us problems any time soon.

NEPGA Championship

It was 364 days in the making, but Rich Berberian’s encore performance lived up to the original, as he captured the 2015 New England PGA Section Championship by three shots over Jeff Martin, PGA of Norton Country Club, capping off a wire-to-wire victory which featured lead margins of three, one and finally three, the same winning margin from his 2014 victory at Golf Club of New England.  Berberian was in command from the start of the tournament, posting an opening round 6-under par 66 by Noon on Monday and never looked back over his final two rounds at Concord Country Club.

As he did a year ago, Berberian found himself locked in a dogfight early in the round, as his few mistakes were capitalized on by his fellow competitors.  After matching birdies at the par-5 first hole, Martin and Berberian stepped up to the challenging par-4 second hole where the golf tournament took an interesting turn.  Berberian ran his birdie putt by about two feet, and went to tap it in but missed.  He putted the next one and just missed again, finally tapping in for a double bogey six and a major unforced error thanks to this four-putt early on in the final round of the tournament.  Martin salvaged a bogey, and like that Berberian’s lead was gone.  A costly bogey on the par-4 fourth by Berberian gave Martin another opportunity which he capitalized on with a par, and just like that he was leading the championship and that much closer to his elusive first Section Championship. 

Audubon Certification

Over the past few years Concord Country Club has been working along side Audubon International to become a certified member of their Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for golf courses.  This process includes a site assessment, action plan, and documenting and improving stewardship in several important areas.  These areas are wildlife and habitat management, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation, water quality management, and outreach and education.

It is our goal to continue to meet and exceed the recommendations set forth by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.  We will continue to improve upon our relationship with our environment by documenting our practices and by taking on projects that makes us a destination for wildlife and the community.

ACSP Website

Scorecard Boxes

New Scorecard boxes constructed by the staff this week.  They are a new and welcomed addition to the course; made of the same material as the cooler boxes which were constructed last winter.  You will find them located on the 2nd and 10th tees.

More Snow...

Over the past month most of Massachusetts has seen record snowfall.  With just a few more inches Boston will have set the record for the most snow in a single season, and all in just about 1 months time.

Our crew has been very busy clearing the driveways and walkways, while also moving piles of snow in anticipation of more snow.  When not outside we have been working out refurbishing benches and other equipment.  Also this is a great time of year to clean and organize the shop and finalize office work.