Golf Course Report
November 2018
November’s Report tends to be one of my favorites to
write. We have finally made it through
the summer and all the major projects.
The heat and humidity have or will be replaced by cooler drier air (we
hope). Our seasonal residents are filtering
in for their first look at the course and grounds. Most of our preparations were completed in
the days leading up to Men’s Opening Day and Ladies Opening Day. I would like to recognize the support of all
our members, especially the year rounders, for their patience and understanding
as we looked to make adjustments and improvements to the course during the
summer months.
Some final touches were completed in the last couple of
weeks. Our new winter annuals were
installed just prior to opening day and a fresh coat of Pine Straw was
applied. Each year we monitor the
success rate of each type of annual, this year we added a few new varieties in
areas that are typically hard to maintain.
We work with the growers throughout the year to find site specific
issues and plants that fit our needs.
The newly applied Pine Straw will help provide definition and contrast
to the golf course and surrounding grounds.
This product also provides the proper acidity levels, moisture retention
and weed barrier that will allow our bedding plants to thrive. The last bit of pruning and trimming around
the course will have the property in prim and proper shape as we head into
season.
I did state earlier that “we were through all the major
projects” however we have one more to complete.
The irrigation system that was installed during our last renovation has
some “kinks” that need to be ironed out.
Some of you may recall that 2 years after installation our fused fittings
began to fail. Our Irrigation Contractor
returned to Stonebridge to replace these joints with a mechanical coupler, the
manufacturer supplied the parts and our contractor covered the cost. These first generation couplers have not
performed well, leading to 2 to 4 leaks per week. The good news is, the manufacturer has
developed an upgraded coupler that has proven to hold up in the field. We actually have quite a few of them
throughout the course and have yet to have one fail. The plan is to replace all of the effected connections
with these 2nd generation couplers.
To accomplish this, our contractor will be supplying the labor to dig up
each joint and repair it correctly, again, at no cost to Stonebridge. Here is the catch; to be the most efficient
we need to tackle this project in December.
This allows the contractor to pull all of his available teams to our
property in an effort to not prolong our agony.
Their staff is adept at working around golfers and we are in agreement
that they will vacate the property before January. We are not alone; at least 4 other clubs have
recently gone through this conversion.
This necessary evil will be a short inconvenience for our club but a
welcome sight to our Irrigation Team.
Bob and Lorgio have done a wonderful job of maintaining our system and they
are looking forward to giving their shovels a bit of rest. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to
ask.
