Turf Talk

Let's Talk Turf

Every autumn brings its own challenges, and this year was no different. There were times it appeared to be absolutely raining leaves and pine straw across most of the golf course. While battling this onslaught of debris, we still managed to find time to complete some bunker renovation.

The bunkers we chose to tackle first were some of the worst on the property. We started with all three of the bunkers near the green on hole 15. Then we moved on to the left bunker on 12, and the cavedin bunker on 14. The fairway bunker on the right of 13 and the left of 10 were also renovated. Due to erosion and other challenges, some of the traps had to be reshaped. The most dramatic reshaping was near the green on 14.

During the renovation process, we removed every bit of existing sand, silt, and debris from the bunkers. The existing drain lines were then tested, and if necessary, repaired. Next, a non-woven fabric bunker liner was installed. The liner’s intent is to keep the clay floor of the bunker separate from the sand. This keeps the sand cleaner, and it helps keep the drains from silting over and becoming ineffective. Finally new sand was hauled in. It takes about 8 inches of fresh sand in the bunker to maintain a packed depth of 6 inches.

The bunker renovations were paid for out of capital improvement funds from McConnell Golf. We did not use funding from our operational budget. More funding has been approved for 2023 and we will continue renovation work after the holiday season.

Funding has also been approved to complete some minor irrigation repair and renovation in 2023. Some funds were also allocated to purchase new verticutting reels for our greens mowers. We have plenty to look forward to in the upcoming year and we expect it to be a great one! We hope to see all of you out there enjoying your beautiful golf course!

Yours in Turf,

Buckley Brockmann Golf Course Superintendent