#1 Tee

#18 Tee



A Big Sigh of Relief

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am happy to report that the Concrete Cart Path Project is complete.  The spine jarring rides over unpaved limestone have come to an end. I want to thank all of our members and guests for their patience and understanding throughout this journey.   Jayme and our staff are the unsung heroes of this project.  The amount of soil and sod required to present a finished product is astounding.  They have worked "sun up to sun down" to maintain the integrity of the golf course.  This project was a joint effort of the Golf and Greens Committees, with added insight from Gordy Lewis, our Golf Course Architect.  Playability, accessibility, maintainability and aesthetics were all considered before the final routing was approved.  For example, the paths on #4, #7 and #14 were removed for playability.  The cart path on #5 was moved closer to the green for accessibility and the path on #12 fairway provides a conduit for shotguns, maintenance and liquid fertility deliveries.  Finally, the concrete paths provide a surface that will be maintainable and aesthetically pleasing for years to come.  We still have a few remaining asphalt paths, the worst of these areas received an "overlay", as seen in the picture below.  Two of the major improvements, centered around raising the catch basin at #14 tee and softening the walk-up to the restroom at #15 tee.  Pictures do not do them justice,  the difference is dramatic. 

 

Our focus now is the presentation of the course for the Labor Day Shotgun.  We have a full field of Stonebridge and Visari members/guests.  We like to shine when we entertain guests!









#12 Fairway Crossing

#14 Tee

Asphalt overlay #8

#15 Restroom



#17 Green

Fungicide application w/UV protection





 

 



 

 

 

Course News

 

The golf course has seen its ups and downs this summer.  A record amount of rain in June and July followed by a couple of weeks of hot and humid conditions in August have led to prime conditions for stress on owr closely mowed areas.  Most notably #15 and #17 greens.  These weaker areas will receive special attention throughout the growing season to bring them up to par with the rest of the greens.  The goal is to have consistency in our soil structure within the entire green complex.  These pictures represent sections that require additional organic matter to improve water holding capacity.  This is accomplished with additional fertilizer, soil amendments and wetting agents.  We also have specific areas that retain too much moisture.  We will combat this with enhanced aerification to increase oxygen levels and penatrents to move water through the soil. 

As the Cart Path Project comes to a close(I Hope), we will focus on returning the golf course to expected conditions.  Our team has spent countless hours moving dirt and laying sod, they will be happy to start mowing grass and trimming bushes.  I want to thank Erik and his staff for all his help in re-routing traffic during this project.  Our members and guests have been understanding and gracious while out on the course.  Thank you for your patience, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

#15 green

New Concrete Path

#3 Greenside

 Slowly but Surely

 

 

 



Asphalt removal by Bobcat

 

 



Unfortunately, we have encountered numerous delays in the Cart Path Project.  From concrete scheduling to inclement weather, we are well behind my expected progress.  My staff has worked hard to maintain access for our members and guests.  It will be a "bumpy" ride as we continue to form and pour concrete with the golf course open for play.  The golf course itself is responding nicely to the aggressive cultural practices implemented during our closure.  A few low lying areas remain wet due to the heavy rains we received over the last two months.  The rain totals for the months of June and July are just shy of 40 inches with 4 inches of that coming in a two hour span during the early morning hours of July 27th.  This rain event caused our lakes to crest and the golf course to flood.  We had standing water for a week following this downpour.  These abnormal rains allowed us to identify previously unnoticed drainage issues.  Rectifying these drainage problems will be an ongoing initiative.  Our recent aerification and topdressing allowed us to dry out the course sufficiently for our Saturday opening.  I am proud of the effort put forth by our staff, the course is quite playable, but far from perfect.  The totality of the presentation weighs heavily on me, I will be persistent in pushing our contractor to finish this project in a timely manner.  Enjoy the rest of your Summer, come Season, Augusta will try to measure up to Stonebridge.

#16 Fairway