14 green on a spectacular January day

The weather in January was really nice overall.  It was great to see players out taking advantage of the blue sky and sunshine on the course.  We have been receiving numerous compliments on the condition of the golf course.  The agronomy staff has been working hard to keep the course in great condition.  It makes our job much easier when the weather is cooperating.

Jerry adding sand to the bunker behind 14 green

One of the projects we spent quite a bit of time on in November and December was adding sand to bunkers.  The goal was to raise the sand level in bunkers that are notoriously below the water table during wet winters.  Hundreds of yards of sand were added to several bunkers.  We started with the green side bunker on hole 12, which was slightly reshaped prior to adding sand.  About a hundred yards of sand was added to that bunker alone.  Sand was also added to bunkers on holes  2, 3, 4, 7, 13, and 14. 

12 green side bunker work in progress

Another project we spent quite a bit of time on in December and January was brush and tree thinning in the area between 7 tees and 12 green.  The brush and trees were so thick that not much sunlight was hitting the tees on hole 7.  The tees are still pretty shaded, but there is definitely an improvement.  It's really hard if not impossible to grow quality turf in heavily shaded areas.

Pockets of sunshine hitting the tees on hole 7

We have been continuing to work on the new green on hole 7.  The current mowing height of the green is now 0.260" and is being slowly lowered every week or so.  We still have a ways to go, but we are getting closer.  The green has also been receiving regular sand top dressing to help smooth out imperfections in the putting surface.  The height of cut around the green is also slowly being lowered and will eventually be at approach height.  I know people are eager to play the new green, but we still don't have an opening date at this point.

Top dressing the new green on hole 7

Joe converted an old spray rig we had into a utility cart.  He did a nice job.  It will haul quite a bit of weight.  I think it looks pretty cool as well.  The next step for this cart is to add some lights so we can use it before the sun comes up.

Sprayer turned utility vehicle

We added some benches on the course recently in an effort to be more walker friendly.  We had some old benches from years ago that we were able to refurbish.  Thad and Chuck took on the project and did a great job as usual.  There are now 2 benches at the driving range.  There is also 1 bench each on holes 5, 10, and 16.

New benches at the driving range

View from the clubhouse putting green on a gorgeous December day

The last few months have flown by at Florence Golf Links.  The agronomy staff has been working hard on a variety of projects.  In September, tees and fairways were aerated in addition to routine golf course maintenance.

Thad harvesting cores on 13 fairway

In October, greens and approaches were aerated.  We had great weather for greens aeration.  The greens healed up from aeration faster than usual with the ideal weather.

Aerating and cleaning up 2 green

Love seeing the bright blue sky during greens aeration!  It was a short sleeve kind of day for sure.

Jerry top dressing 2 green after aeration and cleanup

Also in October, a new green was built on hole 7.  This was by far the biggest project of the year. 

New green on hole 7

Casa Verde Golf with assistance from our staff shaped and installed irrigation for the new green.  All the greens at Florence Golf Links have been constructed using native dune sand.  Typically, golf courses use USGA specs to build greens which includes internal drainage and specific particle sizes in order to ensure proper infiltration and water retention.  Adding a green using the native dune sand is a far easier process.  That said, it is still a ton of work.

Casa Verde scraping sod off the new green complex site

Sod had to be removed from the site of the new green complex prior to shaping.  Some of sod was used in other areas of the golf course.  Most was used to fill in a void where sand in the adjacent dune was blowing onto the golf course.

Rough shaping was performed using a dozer.  Final shaping was performed with a mechanical bunker rake and hand tools.

Casa Verde Golf shaping new green complex on hole 7

The golf course maintenance staff did an amazing job pitching in and helping out as needed on the project in addition to performing all the usual golf course maintenance tasks. 

Jerry in particular put in a huge amount of time and effort into the project.  He was on the project site for about two weeks straight performing a multitude of tasks.  Jerry works extremely hard and is very good at his job.

Jerry installing irrigation 

The green was sodded by our staff with Dominator Creeping Bentgrass.  Dominator is a blend of 007 and Tyee creeping bentgrass cultivars.  All sod for the 7 green project was purchased from Bos Sod.  We sodded the green and 1st portion of surrounds two days prior to greens aeration.  It was definitely a busy week.  The green was sodded on October 11th.

Florence Golf Links staff sodding the green

The weather was absolutely gorgeous the day we sodded the green.  It was all hands on deck working to get the job done.

Florence Golf Links staff sodding the green

With the weather being so nice, we were eager to get the new sod watered as soon as possible.

First irrigation of new green after sodding

The first order of business on the second day of sodding was to edge the bentgrass sod in order to make a smooth transition for the surrounds sod.  The first portion of surrounds was sodded on October 12th.

Bentgrass sod edged in preparation for surround sod

Green surrounds were sodded with a coastal sand based perennial ryegrass and kentucky bluegrass sod mix from Bos Sod.

Florence Golf Links staff installing green surrounds sod

After the sod was laid and watered, a water filled roller was using to smooth the surface.

Irrigation of green and 1st portion of surround sod

Emerald Lawns sodded the remaining green surrounds area over a two day period (October 23rd and 24th).  They laid the sod, and our staff tied in the transition areas to ensure a smooth transition. 

Emerald Lawns installing remaining green surrounds sod

No irrigation was required after the surrounds sod was installed.  The rain was taking care of that for us.

New green complex after sod installation

The first mowing of the new green took place on October 29th.  The first top dressing took place on November 20th.

New green after 1st mowing (nowhere near playing height yet)

We have been mowing the green surrounds as needed.  We have started to drop the height of the low mow portion of the green surrounds slowly.  Eventually the low mow portion will be mowed at approach height.

View from behind 7 new green looking toward the tees

At this point the green has been top dressed 5 times.  We are slowly bringing the mowing height down.  It is currently being mowed at 0.375" which is a little lower than our collar height.  It is progressing well.  We don't have a target date for opening the new green.  Our goal is improve the smoothness with top dressing and slowly lower the cutting height down to greens height.

My daughter Lilly helping take soil samples

Last week, my daughter joined me for some soil sampling.  We took samples from 6 areas.  Four of which were greens, and one from a tee area, and one from a fairway.  In order to get a good sampling of the area being sampled, it is important to sample various locations within that area.  We used a soil probe and took about 15 samples from each green, tee, and fairway being sampled.  It also important to use a uniform sampling depth.  The sampling depth should be determined by root depth.  Our roots are at least four inches long, so we used a four inch sampling depth.  Once sampling was complete, we let the samples dry over the weekend and sent them off to the lab.  We should get the results back soon.  The results will help guide any pH adjustments or nutrient deficiencies that need to be addressed.

Wine barrel planter on hole 7

A couple of months ago, we added some wine barrel planters with flowers on the golf course.  They have really taken off and are looking good.  Next year, we hope to get a little earlier start with our flower planting.  We also have a little better idea of what flowers do well and what flowers don't do as well.  The flowers definitely added to the ambiance.

Wine barrel planter on hole 15

Once upon a time, I posted a driving range hitting technique that helps to maximize the amount of  available hitting space on the driving range tee.  I originally got this technique from David Phipps when he was superintendent at Stone Creek (I believe he got it from Dan Meersman).  Essentially, once you hit a shot, you place the next ball just on the turf at the back of the divot.  Repeat for the next shot.

The following video was made by Dan Meersman from Phily Cricket Club.  In the video Dan does a great job comparing the impact of three different driving range hitting techniques.  Please check it out and implement the preferred technique next time you use the driving range.

View from behind 14 green

The golf course is in great shape and playing well.  I have received numerous compliments on the condition of the golf course recently.  I am lucky to have a great agronomy team.  They have been working hard and it definitely shows.

New steps on #8 left greenside bunker

A couple of weeks ago we had a bit of rain and did not have to irrigate.  We had been waiting for such an opportunity to free up Jerry to complete the new steps on the hole 8 left greenside bunker.  Jerry does great work, and the steps on hole 8 are no exception.  The new steps make getting in and out of this bunker a much easier process.

Equipment upgrade!

Thanks to our new ownership, we were able to acquire the sprayer pictured above.  Our previous sprayer was getting pretty tired and had over 4,000 hours.  It served us well, but it was definitely time for something more reliable.  I have used it a few times and it does a great job.  It should serve us well for years to come.

Irrigation break near 5 approach

The irrigation system has been a challenge at times so far this irrigation season.  Jerry has been busy with the irrigation system to say the least.  This picture was taken about 2 hours after he was scheduled to leave for the day.  He has shown outstanding dedication to the golf course during his long tenure here.

New flags

The name of the golf course has changed from Sandpines Golf Links to Florence Golf Links.  There is quite a bit that goes on behind the scenes for a name change.  We have new flags, course signage, score cards, merchandise, website, email addresses, blog, and uniforms.  Those are just the things that come to mind, I am sure I forgot a few.  Florence Golf Links has 2 logos (the one on the flag above, and the one on the sign below). 

The clubhouse is also in the process of being painted.  I will add some pictures upon completion.

New hole signs

Come play a round of golf and see for yourself what is going at Florence Golf Links.  Hope to see you soon.

Hole 9 basking in the sun

One of our latest improvements was adding steps to the greenside bunker on hole 1. We have had some good feedback so far regarding the new steps. Hopefully, you will see them, but won't have to use them during your next round. 

New steps in hole 1 greenside bunker

Jerry designed and installed them. He did a great job. It should be a bit easier to get in and out of the bunker now.

Jerry installing the steps

Completed steps

In other news, we got a couple new pieces of equipment! The first is a Branson 4720H tractor. We haven't had it long, but it has been great so far. It has definitely helped our productivity to use a reliable tractor for loading sand.

The second piece of equipment is Toro Workman MDX utility vehicle. We use utility vehicles for a variety of tasks throughout the golf course. With more staff for the golf season, it is really important to have enough vehicles for them to be productive.  We did not have enough vehicles at times until this new one arrived.  It has been a great addition.

Our new tractor!

Our new utility vehicle!

Number 3 green soaking up the sun

The agronomy staff has been busy since my last post.  Sandpines had a nice stretch of warm sunny weather in early February.  At that time, we were able to mow fairways and most of the rough.  Typically this time of year, mowing is limited to greens, collars, tees, and approaches.  These mowing decisions are based on growth, conditions, and weather.  We were also able to make some foliar fertilizer applications on greens, tees, approaches, and fairways.

Chuck mowing number 12 fairway

Tee markers have recently been refurbished and are looking good.  It always makes a big difference when the freshly painted tee markers are put back out on the course.

The process of reel rebuilding and grinding is in progress.  One set of triplex reels have been completed.  The first set of fairway reels is currently in progress.

Freshly refurbished tee markers

Most recently, we started a bunker project that is transforming our bunker edges from the rough and natural look to more of a traditional smooth and groomed look.  The process is pretty time consuming and labor intensive.  So far it has taken 149 man hours to complete 15 bunkers.

Hole 1 green side bunker before the project

Hole 1 green side bunker after the project

First, the bunker edges are painted.  Next, the edges are cut and hauled away.  Then, sand is added as necessary.  Finally, sand is redistributed and raked.

Cutting the painted bunker edge

Removing the sod edge

Adding sand

Sand redistribution

We recently hired Joe Watson as our new mechanic.  Joe is a great guy and is fitting in well with the rest of the staff.  We are excited to have him.  If you happen to see him around, be sure and say hello.

Our new mechanic, Joe Watson