Fall/Winter Work Has Begun.

Every Year when the seasonal staff gets laid off we as a grounds staff sit back and evaluate the season. We also formulate a list of to-do projects for the fall to get the course ready for winter and to better our operation for the following season in all aspects.  The irrigation system is something we are continually trying to make better as we often struggle with it during the point in the season when we shouldn't have to worry about it.  In the above photo, we  have placed a irrigation sprinkler in our nursery green that previously did not have any irrigation.  In the past, when the green needed water, we had to run 2-3 lengths of 50 foot hose and set up a portable sprinkler.  Now we just need to turn on a valve and let the sprinkler run.  This small project cost nothing and will pay dividends as far a staff efficiency goes in the future.

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Growing In A Divot!

The above photo shows many new seedlings starting to grown in a properly filled in divot.  The mix provided in the carts as well as in the divot buckets on the course contains thousands and thousands of tiny, almost invisible seeds.  The bentgrass growing in the picture need the correct level of moisture and temperature in order to germinate and start to grow.  Often times we will run the irrigation heads on the golf course tees and fairways at night just to wet the divots that may be growing on the course.  Many times we do not need to water besides keeping the divots going with adequate water.  The next time you respectfully lay down some divot mix, understand that this step is only half of the process in getting the divot to fill in completely.  Again, as mentioned before, if a big solid divot is taken, it is always best to replace a big divot and step it down as opposed to filling in the divot with mix.  A thin divot will likely not survive and will dry out too quickly before it starts to grow.  Also, the divot mix is only intended for the short cut fairways and tees, not the rough or the intermediate rough.

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Aeration, Dethatching, Healing...All In The Name Of Quality Turf!!

The above photos show the processes involved with providing the kind of conditions we have here at Bellevue.  The necessary evils of aerating and verticutting will go a long way in providing a great golf course next season. We are currently in the process of verticutting fairways and aerating tees.  The fairway are done during periods of dry weather only and we will typically only get 1-2 fairways done a day.  We will complete around 4 tees a day.  The bottom picture shows the greens 1 week after aeration with 5/8" coring tines.  The holes are 60% healed over already thanks to a well timed fertilizer application and some rainfall from mother nature.

Ladies Tee On #9 Re-Done.

In the ongoing battle of addressing the most uneven tees on the golf course, we have recently tackled the project of leveling the ladies tee on #9.  This tee was severely crowned in the middle providing a very uneven teeing surface, accounting for the numerous golf balls that land in the pond in front of the tee:).  The above photos show the progression of the process of leveling the 9th ladies tee by the grounds staff.  We removed the existing sod, worked the soil and leveled it with a laser transit and re-installed the same sod.

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Warm And Dry...= Supplemental Irrigation For Us!

As the above photos show, when it gets dry and hot, we have no choice but to run "mobile" sprinklers around the course to supplement the insufficient coverage of our irrigation system.  The irrigation system covers only most of the short cut areas, so any rough area in play needs to be watered by our staff manually which takes up an extra 2 people during hot periods.

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Another Problem Drainage Area Fixed!

The eye sore that existed on 11 approach is now fixed.  As is visible from the second picture down from the top, the drain was there but at some point in the past was not put in the low spot of the area.  We were left with a wet spot that never drained and we eventually lost all the grass in the area.  We found the drain pipe that ran through the area and simply tapped into it.  The area will never be an issue again!

How Do We Water All The Flowers On The Property!?

This Spring, we came up with a pretty neat way to solve the issue we have here with little to no irrigation system for our flowers on the property.  As apparent as it is, we have an extensive amount of flowers to take care of and water all over the course and around the clubhouse and pool.  We utilized a large 300 gallon fertilizer tank and a small weedwacker engine pump to deliver the proper H20 to all of the flowers.  This is a huge improvement from the jugs of water we have used in the past.  It also allows us to deliver liquid fertilizer to the flowers on an as needed basis.

Mike O'Neill, GCS