2010 Fall Scramble

It is a beautiful day for the Fall Scramble at Sugar Creek!

These golfers try their luck on the third hole's risk vs. reward bonus. They may gain a 1/2 stroke advantage over the competition for shooting at the difficult far pin placement (Blue Flag).  Which one will it be, guys?

If you look close, there are 2 flags on the 3rd green! (Just for today).

It may be October 30th, but Mr. Hoffman is not ready to give up his shorts for winter gear:

 

#1 Red Tee Germination

The red tee on #1 started germinating and filling in this week. 

Many people have asked about the brown spots on the front of this tee.  They look like little piles of dirt deposited on the tee, and that is pretty close to what they are.  The spots are actually earthworm castings, a.k.a. worm poop.  They will not adversely affect the establishment of the tee, although they may smother small quarter-sized areas. Once the grass gets taller and starts to spread, they should become mostly invisible.  Worm castings are actually in most turf, we just rarely notice them except on extremely short turf or newly seeded areas. 

Drainage Project on #1

Last week, we tackled a few drainage projects on the course and by the clubhouse. We ran some drain lines to the right of #1 fairway in an attempt to fix a persistent soggy spot. After ruling out the usual culprits, irrigation leak or broken drain line, we found that in this whole area water seeps up from the ground around the rocks and bricks that are buried here. Adding perforated drain lines should give the water a clear route to the creek instead of bubbling up to the surface. We will probably have to wait until next year to judge the success of this project, but these additional lines should improve the situation.

1st Step - Sod Removal

Trenching in progress

This trench started filling with water very soon after digging

Laying the lines and replacing sod