Drainage on #4 Fairway

We just completed some much needed drainage work on four fairway.  This was an area that is routinely wet even after we have several dry days.  The root of the problem can be seen in the picture below.  Old clay drain tile runs throughout the course and has breaks in various areas.  This tile weeps near the top of four fairway causing it to remain wet.  We added about 100 feet of new drain tile to take it to an existing drain box.  The process took us about a day and a half.  We plan to fix the same type of problem in 9 fairway soon.

This is the old clay drain tile that was causing the constant wet area.

We hand dug about 100' for the new drain line.

New sod and drain line on 4.

Stump Grinding

We were able to get all 45 or so stumps ground this last week with a rental from Vermeer.  The grinder was a SC652 that was a beast.  All stumps were done in about a day and a half.  We purchased the stump grinder rental at the 2015 HAGCSA Scholarship and Research Tournament back in June.  Not only was it a great deal for us, but we were able to contribute to local scholarships and research at Kansas State University and the University of Missouri.

We had to take down a few remaining stumps.  Most were not quite this big

Here is the stump grinder at work up by the clubhouse.

We'll spend the rest of the week picking up the debris, and will soon back fill with topsoil and sod.

Native Area Burning

We were able to get most of our natives burned with the assistance of the Kansas City Parks burn crew.  The areas on 12, 17, 14, and 15 where we battled weeds last year are all completed.  We still have some smaller areas to finish, but have gotten off to a great start.  This is the first time in 8 years we've been able to get the burn accomplished.

Area between 17 tees and fairway.

Another view of the area in front of 17 tees and the right side of 12.

Area between 14 tees and 15 green.

This area that is between 12 and 17 is a ball magnet.

New Senior Tees

We have added an additional set of tee markers to accommodate the wide range of golfers we have at Swope Memorial.  These tees are intended for seniors and people new to the game of golf.  They will play a little bit longer then our current red tees, but not near as far as the white tees.  All holes should be much easier to get on the green in regulation and therefore hopefully provide a more enjoyable round of golf.

Course Staying Wet

                            

Here is an example of just how wet the course continues to be.  We had to resort to push mowing sections of 9 fairway.

Aerifying and Fertilizing Tees

Recently we have aerified and fertilized a few of our tees to help give them a boost as they really start growing.  Above is the very small blue tee on the par 3 6th.  This tee is way to small for the amount of play it takes, and struggles every year.  We did the same process on 3 blue, 7 blue, 11 white, and 16 blue.  There are a few others that we will have to patch with new sod next week.

Greens All Healed Up From Aerification

Greens aerification was completed last Tuesday and they are about 90% healed up after 10 days.  We topdressed with sand on Wednesday to fill in areas where sand had settled down into the holes.  After rolling them again Thursday and then mowing them today, they seem to be almost back to normal.  We are ready now to lower our height of cut just a little bit to get back to where we normally are.  My guess is in the next few days they will be rolling as good as pre-aerification.  

We will also be allowing carts back into the fairways on Saturday, April 10.  After a mild winter with no extended snow cover, our zoysia looks like it has come out pretty well.  I know it is frustrating to stay on the path for the winter, but we will now reap the rewards of the great fairways we are lucky to have at Swope.