Hurricane Sandy

Huuricane Sandy left its mark on Concord.  Throughout the course we lost about a dozen trees and have debris all over.  The course will be closed today for cleanup and we hope to reopen tomorrow.  This picture is to the left of the 2nd fairway.

Bunker Renovation Update

The renovation project has been proceeding nicely these last few weeks.  Currently the renovation crew is on the 16th hole, having already completed almost the entire front nine.  The bunkers look great and the playability is excellent.  We are looking forward to having the back nine bunkers be repaired as they have had more issues with playability and drainage than the front nine. 

Pictured below is the completed bunker to the right of the 5th green.

Bunker Renovation

The bunker renovation project got underway today.  Mcdonald and Sons, based out of Maryland, are the contractors that will be spearheading the renovation project.  They have over 25 years of experience, in which time they have worked on top courses throughout the country and developed a reputation for excellence. 

The renovation will consist of removing existing sand, regrading subsurface, fixing drainage and re-edging each bunker.  A.A. Will high density sand, found at clubs such as Kittasett Club and Charter Oaks CC, will be added when the subsurface and drainage are corrected.  Reshaping and resoding of bunker faces will be done as needed.  Upon completion we are looking forward to having some of the best bunkers in New England for years to come.

Irrigation Wiring

The picture shows the irrigation satellite on the 9th being re-wired for new electric valves.  The valves will be utilized for mister irrigation on the 8th greenside bunkers.

Drainage Basins

On 14 fairway the staff leveled several drainage basins which were too low and mowing had become difficult.   The surrounding turf was removed and the basins were raised to grade making mowing easier.  Five basins in all were completed.

Aerification Complete

Today the staff wrapped up the finishing touches on aerification. The picture shows the fairways being topdressed before dragging the sand in.  The greens and approaches are almost healed in and should be in great shape by the weekend.

Aerification Update

All of the greens and approaches have been aerified,  topdressed, brushed and rolled.  The back 9 tees have been aerified and cleaned, and will be topdressed tomorrow.  All 18 holes will be open tomorrow.

Back Nine

Yesterday, the staff finished greens and approach aerification on the front 9.  Today the back 9 will be closed.  We hope to have the majority of the greens completed by this afternoon.  We will be rolling and brushing the greens on the front today, the back tomorrow.  With good weather we hope the greens will be healed in in a few weeks.

Front 9 Aerification

The putting green in front 9 will be closed today for a aerification.   The staff will aerify greens and approaches; with seeding and topdressing to follow. 

Aerification

An update on aerification:  Greens, approaches and tees will be aerified the week of September 10th.  The process should take a few days if the weather cooperates.  Fairway aerification and topdressing will begin the following Monday.  The course will have nine holes closed each day in order to expedite the process.

Irrigation

On Sunday we had an irrigation break on the 8th hole.  As you can see there is a lot going on in this picture.  The break has been isolated and will be repaired today.  The repair will simplify the amount of fittings to hopefully prevent this from happening again. 

Vandalism

When you're on the course you may notice on the first, second and third green some unusual marks.  This damage is from a bicycle.  These marks will need a little TLC over the next few days but should recover.  It is unfortunate but certainly not uncommon on golf courses this day in age. 

The course is in great shape heading into the last few weeks of summer.  We are prepping for our big fall member guest and then aerification.  My apologies for not posting in a while.  The site is going to get updated and posts will continue weekly. 

Dry-Ject

To the left is a picture of the 5th green. A company came today and dry-jected the green before we aerified. The dry-ject process involves forcing a high pressure water blast fracturing an aerification hole. The holes are then filled sand to a depth of several inches below traditional aerfication. The process helps increase water infiltration and adds sand deeper into the profile.

Greens Aerification

Greens and approaches have been aerified and topdressed over the last two days. We will begin the process of aerifying tees and fairways next week. The staff will continue to topdress fairways after aerification. I am hopeful with good weather, proper water and fertility; the holes should heal in a few weeks.

Moving Day

With the maintenance building nearing completion we were able to start our move today. All the members of the grounds staff pitched in with moving equipment and materials, assembling shelves and organizing rooms. A good deal of equipment was moved today and we are planning on moving the remainder over the next week or two.

Hydroseeding at GMC Building

Areas around our new maintenance building were hydro seeded today. A native blend of fescue grasses was applied to the hillsides as shown in the picture. The grass plants will help stabilize the banks. The landscaping around the buildings will be completed in the next few weeks.

Cutting greens

Today we cut greens for the first time in 2012. The course will open on Wednesday at 12pm for the 2012 season. If winter should return over the next few weeks; the course will be closed for a few days until conditions can improve. Looking forward to seeing everyone on the course in the next few months!

Covers Removed Today

With the forecast in concord to hit 70 degrees; the staff removed all the covers from the greens and tees. The turf underneath looks great and will have a nice head start in the spring. If the colder temps return, we will put the covers back on in the evenings for an extra layer of protection.

Stump Grinding

The tree removal along the front entrance has been completed. Today the stump grinding began on the larger sugar maples. The grindings will be removed and the holes will be filled in with soil and seeded. The stumps located in the planting beds will be mulched in preparation for new plantings this spring.