New Irrigation Line Complete

Last week we were able to complete our supplemental irrigation line to improve irrigation coverage to the renovated area on hole 13. The area did not previously have solid irrigation coverage, because the left side of the hole was inhabited by primarily trees and bare ground. The newly renovated area is growing on very sandy soil and is still subject to cart traffic and root intrusion. With all of these drying factors at play, the installation of this new line will ensure that the work done to improve the hole is successful in the future. We replaced sod where it was possible to pull solid pieces, but in many areas along the path, the root intrusion made harvesting sod impossible. In these areas, the dirt on the trench line will be given time to settle, and sod will be purchased to cover these areas in the late winter / early spring months. As a reminder, the cart rule on holes 13 and 14 will remain Path Only during the winter months. 

 Below are some pictures of the process of adding our new irrigation line to 13.

Measurements, plans, marking the existing line and shutting down water begin the project

The existing irrigation is hand dug to confirm pipe size and prepare for tie ins

Tie ins to the irrigation line are set before trenching begins

It's always nice when the trencher can easily blaze the trail

Nice and easy.......right?

But sometimes you need the back ho

And in cases like this, the stump grinder acts as the trencher

Pipe and swing joints are installed

Wires are set properly in trench and connected to satellite box

Irrigation heads are installed and wired up

The trench is then back filled and the edges are cleaned up

Water is turned back on and........Success!

You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Why is the rough so thick?

With the weather this year we were able to achieve some of the healthiest Bermudagrass conditions we have seen here at GCC in quite a while. During the summer the rough was growing so vigorously that we made a slight adjustment to the height of cut (quarter inch) to be able to keep up with the rough. Given the recent history of winter kill, we have decided to leave the rough at this slightly higher height so that we can capitalize on the successful growing season and ensure that the Bermuda will transition well this coming spring.Damon and I have both played the course in the past week and feel that some of the challenges finding golf balls are related to leaf litter and the low angle of the sun at this time of year. In the spring we will be mowing the rough shorter than we have in the past to give ourselves room for adjustment in the event that we run into an extremely hot summer again next year. We do not believe that the rough will be this thick every year, but feel that we have an opportunity to take advantage of the growing season we had by leaving the height where it currently sits. As the cold has a greater impact on the rough throughout the winter, and we continue to circle the course with the mowers to mulch leaves, we suspect the rough will not seem as thick as it currently does. We will also continue to monitor the situation by playing the course ourselves to maintain the perspective of a golfer. We will continue to strive to balance healthy turf conditions with fair playing conditions.

What happened on Holes 3 and 4? 

On Sunday there were multiple fires set on Holes 3 and 4. The fire department and police responded and believe that the fires were intentionally set. The areas affected by the fires are all in the rough, and we do not anticipate any significant turf loss. To clean the ash we will run a mower over the area, and allow upcoming rains to knock the ash down. We intend to be patient in this process. A brush or more aggressive method might make the area appear cleaner, faster, but could also damage the dormant turf. Outside of being a bit aesthetically displeasing, the areas should not have a negative affect on play ability. If anyone has any information regarding the fires or previous vandalism to #4 green, please contact the Chesapeake Police Department.

Why is there so much digging and trenching going on on Hole 13?

We are very pleased with the results of our renovation to the left side of hole 13, but our work is not done. In order to ensure that all of the work we did this summer is successful in future, we are installing a supplemental irrigation line along the cart path to improve irrigation coverage to the renovated 

area. Once we have the line installed and the newly sodded area makes it through its first winter, we will be able to open the hole to cart traffic again. As you can see in the picture of the trench line to the right, this area is very sandy. Sandy soil in conjunction with cart traffic and tree root intrusion certainly warrant the installation of this line.

Thick tree roots along the cart path will require a back ho to dig the line and are evidence of one the contributing factors to years of poor turf health on #13

Why did we aerate the greens so late? Will they continue to grow in?


Unfortunately we had to push back our aeration date twice this year due to extreme weather events. Even though there was a risk that the greens would not fully recover in time for winter, we understand how crucial this process is to the long term health of our greens, and felt that the risk was justified. We have been fertilizing aggressively to capitalize on the last bit of growing season we have available. We believe that the greens are currently not perfect, but still very playable. While the rate of growth has slowed on our greens, we can still anticipate at least marginal improvement as long as conditions remain consistent with the annual norms here in Chesapeake.

Former Golf Course Superintendent Ben Pritchett was aerating greens 3 times a year, and this picture gives a great illustration of why. Many of our greens have a pre-existing issue with a buried layer of organic material. This dense mat of muck can restrict root growth. Many of the areas that thinned out during the extreme heat of this summer had a significantly more dense layer than pictured above. The continued incorporation of sand through this layer is essential to the health of our greens.

The greens are still a little bumpy in spots, but we feel they still provide an acceptable playing surface until they fully heal.