July 21 - CONSTRUCTION IS 99.99% OVER

It has been another crazy week of changes. In the last 7 days we have only been able to get two truck loads of sod due to tremendous rains at the sod farm, putting us slightly behind our grassing schedule. Good news this afternoon though, tomorrow we are supposed to get 4-5 truck loads of sod, which should be enough for us to sod green and bunker complexes on at least 4 holes. Its going to be sod slinging mayhem the next couple of days to get ready for sprigging on Thursday and Friday.

Yet over the past week or so, we have managed to do a lot of the busy work that gets side tracked by the "gotta get done now" work. Part of the process has been installing more landscaping between 3 and 4. Here is a pic of how it gets delivered. We have to pick it off the truck, separate it into plant types and sizes, then mobilize it out to the field. This truck is just 1 of 3 full truck loads that got planted between holes 3 and 4.


Here is a bunch of pics showing the progress of planting between 3 and 4.






Here is the new putting green next to #1 tee. The green's mix has been added and the irrigation has been installed. All that is left is to grass it. The tentative plan is to grass the remaining greens (1-5, clubhouse, chipping, the new range putting green, and the new nursery) next Thursday.


On the greens that have already been grassed, a constant "rouging" of celebration is being done. Here is piece that I picked off of #8 green today. With all of the grass flying around during planting, it's impossible to keep 100% segregation. In order to manage the celebration in the mini verde, I have a crew of guys walk each green every week. In addition, I personally walk every green every week looking for "out of place" celebration.


I have to say, now that #5 will play along the lake instead of Mooring Park's fence, its a magnificent hole.




The only eye sore that was left on hole 5 was the back of the driving range. The old weidelia lake bank looked horrible. I had the contractor recontour the bank and then had it sodded. Now it looks crisp and fresh, just like the rest of the project.




Now that the earth moving is over, this is a common site at the practice area...its bath time before being shipped back to the rental company.


I'm going to finish this blog with a hole by hole pic montage I took today, in the order of construction and grassing.

Hole 6;


look from behind the #6 green to the tee


hole 6 fairway, almost ready to play


Hole 7 tee view


#7 mid fairway to green


hole 8 tee view


hole 8 mid fairway...sorry, its a little blurry


Hole 9 tee view


#9 mid fairway


Hole 10 tee view


#10 mid fairway


Hole 11 tee view


#11 mid fairway


Hole #12 tee view


#12 fairway


Hole 13 tee view


#13 @ 1st fairway bunker


#13 green


Hole 14 tee view


#14 mid fairway


Hole 18 back tee view


Hole 18 red tee view


#18 mid fairway


Hole 15 back tee view


Hole 15 white tee view


Hole 15 red tee view


Hole 15 silver tee view


Hole 16 white tee view


Hole 16 red tee view


#16 mid fairway


Hole 17 tee view


#17 mid fairway


Hole 5 back tee view, don't worry...i'll move the palm


#5 mid fairway


Hole 4 back tee view


#4 mid fairway


Hole 3 back tee view...hold on to your socks, this baby's like 460 from back here!


#3 mid fairway


Hole 2 white tee view


#2 fairway view, as you can see bunkers are ready for new sand


#1 tee view, wetting the soil for final grading

#1 mid fairway, final grading taking place


One last pic to show. If you had any doubt about our beneficial environmental impact with this project, check this out. This crane couldn't even wait until the guys planting the new aquatics were done before he went hunting! The wading bird population on and around the course has exploded with all of the new lake enhancements and aquatic vegetation. It's nothing to see ducklings, egrets, cranes, belted kingfishers flying around the course. I even saw an osprey the other day hunting our lakes.