2012 Fall aerification Damage -Updated

So you've seen the basic process that we adhere to 2 times each year during our aerification of the greens.  This process has proven to be excellent for us over the last several years and other than some minor tweaks to a few things here and there everything runs smoothly...until Fall 2012.  The large Sweeper machine that we use to clean the greens of the cores dug deeply into #3 green.  This has not happened to us during any of the previously aerifications.  We have been able to get the area fairly smooth and we will continue to work on it and plug it as needed.  We are still trying to determine why this happened this time.

  Here are a few pictures.

*when it happened again on #5 green(less severe) we parked the machine and picked up the cores by hand

I always take a bunch of pictures, but when I saw the machine buried into the green I felt too sick to grab my camera. 



This was taken the first time we laid back all of the pieces into the ground.




The following day

 


  


10 days after the damage occurred


 

15 days later




17 days later



18 days




21 days





2012 FALL aerification

Another aerification is now behind us and our focus has quickly shifted from survival (summer/stress month strategy) back to playability.  The holes have already started to heal in and it has only been 1 week.  This is very promising and with the 10 day forecast looking to be in our favor somewhat, they should heal in as scheduled.  Here are the step by step pictures of what we actually do on those two days. (I used some pics from this past Spring because some things were easier to see in those)





A simple explanation of the aerification cycle





The board is made out and ready to go when everyone arrives--the entire day is planned




Deep Drill company comes in and starts around daybreak.





Close-up of the Drill machine.





Then we aerify right after the drill crew finishes each green.







Our sweeper cleaning up the cores left by the Drillers and the Aerifiers




Then several guys strap on backpack blowers and blow the little bit of material that was left behind







Then we use water hoses to open up the holes so that we can get fertilizer and sand into them more effectively





Everything has been cleaned up and now it's time to add fertilizers that will fall into the holes





Filling the topdresser with sand out on the course rather than making many many trips back to sand pile



After covering the green with sand we drag this brush around to evenly disperse the sand

After dragging the sand around to smooth it out a few more times and using hand brooms to move the sand around and fill in EVERY hole completely; we will begin rolling the greens to get them smoothed back out.

Hawks

The Hawks that have made VCC their home over the last few years have had another set of babies hatch.  The two newest juveniles are funny to watch and will get a little too close sometimes trying to figure you out.  I've had one golfer tell me that one of them pulled his ball out of a fairway bunker and placed it in the rough next to the trap.  Here a few photos of the younger siblings.



In tree on #18





On branch on back lesson tee

SOME OLDER PHOTOS



#1 Tee





on the fence at the Golf Maintenance Building





Beside #8 green





Trash collector

Each morning our course set-up guys go out and move tee markers, add ball washer fluid, move hole locations, and empty the trash from the cans around the course.  Previously they carried a trash can and put it up front with them or put it in the bed of the work cart and trash spilled everywhere in the back of the cart.  I asked Skip (our golf course mechanic) if he could come up with a way to solve this.  Below is what he came up with.  The can slips over the bed and after the set-up guys are done each morning if can be slipped off and the cart can be used for normal duties.  Good job Skip!

The Greenbrier Classic and Lester George

The golf course architect that Vestavia CC has partnered with to develop a master plan for VCC is Lester George.  Lester did a major renovation at the Greenbrier in 2006 and this weekend the PGA is there for the Greenbrier Classic.   It is a classic architectural golf course and there are several very famous holes at the Greenbrier that Lester is looking to somewhat replicate on our course.

Also, go check out Lester George's website (http://www.georgegolfdesign.com/) or try The Greenbrier Classic's site (http://www.greenbrierclassic.com/) for info on that tournament and/or golf course.

Member pictures

A VCC member e-mailed me these photos yesterday.  Great view of a storm rolling in on Saturday afternoon.

EDIT: These were actually from a storm that crossed over the club in June 2009.  I misread the email when I initially posted these.  I did go back and look to see if I could pinpoint the date. June 12, 13, & 14th were the ONLY rain events we had that month/year.  Those were also the dates for the Member-Guest tournament that year.

Removing dead trees

We recently had our tree contractor out to start removing several dead trees around the property.  While we have lost many trees over the years due to tornadoes, lightning, tropical storms, drought, and even a few that spontaneously combusted, our replanting efforts have ensured us that we wouldn't become a barren wasteland.  Currently, we are working towards a master plan for the golf course and other areas of the golf course so our tree planting work has been put on pause.  When our master planning is completed we will know exactly where we can plant additional trees that will suit the current golf course as well as any changes that may occur well into the future.

Here are a few from the work that was done this week.  They still have a lot more to cut next week too.


This tree near the fairway bunker on #16 was removed this week.




This tree removed itself a few months ago.




Very large dead tree was dangerous especially with the cart path underneath.  You can see the climber about to start taking it down limb by limb to minimize the damage to the turf.




Another view of that same tree on #16




One of the 3 trees that have caught on fire on a nice bright summer day.  We're still not positive how these fires start.



Here are some from storms over the past few years.




#1 Fairway looking across #10 fairway towards the back of #16 green (Hurricane Katrina)





About 1 month before tornado outbreak that tore through Alabama in 2011.  This tree fell behind #2 green and missed the green by just a few feet.



#2 fairway looking towards irrigation lake (Hurricane Katrina)




#2 fairway-small tornado that came though a few weeks before big outbreak that went through Tuscaloosa




Looking from #8 green towards #9 tee (Hurricane Katrina)




One of my favorites.  It ripped the turf up like one of those wraps you put under the Christmas tree (Katrina again)




#12 fairway




#13 teebox










#17/#18 - looking from I and II tee on #18 towards #17 fairway bunkers





#17 inside dogleg



#13 left of cartpath