Heavy rain has dogged the crew for the last few weeks - over 3" fell last weekend. Even with all that, the course looks great overall and opening is on schedule for Friday, 9/4. One benefit of the rain is that the new drainage has been given a stress test and remaining problem areas can be addressed before the course opens. For example, the fairway on #3, one of the lowest areas on the course, still didn't drain as expected so some additional work was done.
Another problem area - right of the 5th green - received an extra drain and larger pipe. First, the water was removed with a pump.
The intense rain brought down some of the sand in the new Better Billy bunkers although there was no soil contamination.
Repairing the damage was done quickly.
Repairing the fairway bunkers on the 9th:
On a couple of the greens the sprigging didn't take perfectly...
so after some turf surgery...
the area was covered with sod and mowed:
Much of the off-fairway understory has been cleared and has been seeded or mulched. Prepping the ground waas done by this ferocious-looking device, the Perfecta II:
The Perfecta at work:
And the cleared ground after:
The putting surfaces and surrounds have been given heavy doses of top dressing as seen here on #13.
Mowing the 5th green:
At the turnaround, the mower creates small piles of sand left from the top dressing. After the mowing, it's removed with a blower.
Fairways - here the 4th - are filled in and being mowed every day or two.
The 6th receiving an early morning mow. Note the new panoramic view behind, thanks to the careful pruning and tree removal.
Payback for earlier tree removal led to planting these Chickasaw Plum trees behind the 1st tee.
The small house next to the pro shop entrance has been enlarged with meeting rooms and a halfway house. A little landscaping will follow.
