Lagoons on # 8 of the Nicklaus Course

Small Lagoon on Nicklaus #7

Lagoon Repairs to Begin on Nicklaus  Course #7

     Many of you have seen the unsightly liners that are showing on the lagoons on the Nicklaus course.  In December, we hired two independent consulting firms and engineers to look at the problem.  Both were consistent in saying the problem is in the top three feet of the liner that has been damaged from the UV rays and holes.  The liner has deteriorated over time and has become semi-permeable causing erosion and water leakage within the top three feet of the liner.  We have hired one of these firms to begin the necessary repairs needed.

     We will be draining the small lagoon on #8 on the right side into the lagoon on the left during the next two weeks.  Work will begin on February 11^th, installing a new barrier and removing the damaged liner.  New sod will be put down to the water’s edge so that no liner will show.  Work should be completed on the small lagoon in one week and then they will begin work on the large lagoon on the left.  There will be minimal impact to golfers as most of the work will be taking place on the lagoon side. 

     Thank you for your patience during this process and we look forward to having both lagoons on #8 completed by March 8.

Dye Maintenance Has New Assignment Board!

New Digital Assignment Board at Dye Course

Over the past several weeks, the Dye Course staff has been utilizing a 60” flat panel LCD TV to view a custom Microsoft  Excel spread sheet that gives staff pertinent information related to the tasks that they are to perform.  Items like direction of cut, specific holes to be mowed, and any other special instructions are posted to the screen utilizing the Excel program.  There are multiple worksheets within the work book that allows the Assistant Superintendents to track all activity of the crew by day to day operations and then all of those pages are totaled to a summary sheet allowing us to track the total number of hours that any given task would have required during that particular month.  The workbook also calculates and records items, such as weather data, green speeds, and other miscellaneous tasks that make managing the course more efficient.

Bumpy Cart Paths on the Dye Course

New Shell Sand Added to Dye Course Cart Trails

Over the past two weeks during the Dye Course January closure, the staff has been busy putting down a fresh coat of shell sand over all of the cart trails.  The new layer is approximately 2-3” thick and at this point it is a little bumpy when driven on with carts.  Over the next few weeks with a little rain and some continued grading and raking, it will smooth back out to provide a better surface for the upcoming season.

Street Light Repairs

Beginning Monday, January 21, 2013,  Palmetto Electric Cooperative will have crews around Colleton River preparing areas for the repair of a series of lights that are not working.  In order to repair these lights, they must bore, or dig holes to prepare to re-wire these lights.  This light repair project may take up to 6 weeks to complete.  During this time, we ask that you stay away from any flagged or roped off areas for your safety.  They will do everything in their power to keep damage to landscaped areas to a minimum during this time.

Greens Covers

No. 1 Green

Covering our Greens on the Nicklaus Course

Due to the colder temperatures at night, we will be covering the #1 and #10 Greens on the Nicklaus Course.  Number One Green has experienced some typical winter thinning on the back collar from lack of sunlight.  By doing this, it will keep soil temperatures warmer and allow the grass to respond faster from the cold snaps.  There should be no inconvenience for play as the covers will be put on in the late afternoon and removed promptly in the morning before play begins.

Ballmark Repairing

Ballmark Repairing

The unseasonably warm weather so far this year has been great for golf!  Unfortunately, we are starting to see more ballmarks on the greens as a result of the increased play.  As a general rule, a ball mark repaired within 10 minutes will heal with a smooth surface within two to three days.  An unrepaired ball mark may take as long as three weeks to heal, but the result will be an unsightly, uneven putting surface.  To make matters worse, the greens are growing at a slower rate this time of year, and an unrepaired or improperly repaired ballmark can take more than a month to heal itself.

Beginner or pro, it is every golfer’s responsibility to fix their own marks.  If you’re truly a steward of the game, you’ll fix any others you see while your partners are putting.  Please take the time to repair your ballmarks so that the greens will be great for everyone else playing the course.  There’s really not much to it, but here are a few guidelines you should follow when making these repairs.

*The right way to fix a ball mark…

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Step 1:
Use a pronged ball mark
repair tool, knife,
key or tee.

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Step 2:
Insert the repair tool at the
edges of the mark; not the
middle of the depression.

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Step 3:
Bring the edges together
with a gentle twisting motion,
but don’t lift the center. Try not to
tear the grass.

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Step 4:
Smooth the surface with
a club or your foot. Repeat
steps until the surface is one
you would want to putt over.

*Ballmark instructions courtesy of GCSAA