Irrigation project #14

We installed and performed most of the work on irrigation addition on hole #14 last week, and we will have that project wrapped up this week.  Originally that hole only had single row irrigation down the middle leaving both edges bare dirt in the heat of the summer.

Before picture

We installed a row down each edge of the native grass and connected to the center line, and now the entire whole will be irrigated.

Trenches left and right with connections going across

Overall we added 2500 ft of pipe, 32 heads, and an additional irrigation controller.

A second irrigation controller being installed and wired up

Pipe following the current grass line, you can see the thin rough from last summer

Irrigation done, on to #4 bunker

Staff did a great job the last week and half adding irrigation to 3 different areas on the golf course where our coverage was lacking due to spacing of irrigation heads.  These additions will really help during the heat of the summer.

Irrigation addition on #2

 With that project finished we are going to re-construct the front bunker on #4.

Over many years of bunker shots splashing sand up on the face of bunkers, they all need to be re-built.  That sand that is thrown out of the bunker on each shot gets into the turf and raises the elevation of the bunker face.  It happens to every golf course and no matter how hard you try to blow the sand out of the turf you just cant get all of it.  If you look around the course, all of our bunkers have a raised face on the side closest to the green. Right where all the shots area aimed.

 This hump is all the sand built up over the years and increases the depth of the bunker, along with making it harder to maintain turf.

 These faces can build up a tremendous amount of sand, which does not hold enough water or nutrients to maintain quality grass.  With this bunker on #4 there is about 10" of sand built up and you see what type of turf that leaves us.

 The sand will be removed back down to the original soil grade, the face of the bunker will be re-established, and new sod will be laid down.

Fall Winterization

This has been a very busy week winterizing all aspects of the golf course.  The weather had to suddenly change on us making it less enjoyable, but always a good feeling to have things set for cold weather. Most of the week saw lows around 15 and hi's in the upper 20's forcing us to move along just in time.

We started with removing the fountains in the pond, prepping the on course bathrooms for winter, winterizing the waterfall at the clubhouse, and then the waterfall and pumps along #1. After that we spent 3 days winterizing the complete irrigation system, which involves pressurized air passing through all the pipes and heads on the compete course to ensure everything is free of water.  After that pumpstations and irrigation satellites were cleaned for winter, and now we are ready for some colder weather.  We also managed to get in some good labor hours on leaf clean-up this week.

1 of the compressors used

Lines being blow out through a drain - swans are just decoys to keep geese away, hence they don't move

Blowing out heads with irrigation satellites

Heads being blown out

Next will be prepping the turf for winter with snow mold chemicals, continued leaf clean-up, and course set-up for winter play.  Stay tuned as we move through those processes.

Irrigation Controllers

Please be careful to not run into the irrigation satellites on the course with your carts. Especially the weeks it is over 100 degrees.  It takes a lot of time to re-build and re-program each of these, along with re-placement cost.

Golf cart meets irrigation satellite

Unfortunately the controller on #13 got ran over last week by a member playing golf and not focusing where he was driving.  Forcing staff to run heads manually and handwater for several days, while we re-built all the damaged components.  

Damaged controller coming out and new one going in

Water Supply Maintenance

Every golf course puts a lot of time and effort into maintaining their water supply.  If it is effluent water in the southwest, river or canal water in the Western U.S., or well water in the Midwest.  Golf course managers are very good stewards of the land and stewards of our water supply, and proper maintenance and usage of that natural resource is critical.  In our situation, it is a pumpstation down at the river that pumps water 800 ft in elevation up to our pond on #18 where it is distributed throughout the course by another pumpstation.    

So why is our pond so low right now:

The water has been constantly going down the last 2 weeks.  At first I figured it was the week of 103,104, and 101 degree temperatures and we were pumping extra water and using more during the day coupled with a higher evaporation, but it has continued to decrease in the last week also.  I pulled out my records of water usage from last year for the last 3 weeks and I have actually irrigated less than I did a year ago, so it doesn't make sense.  We don't have any type of flow meter to actually know how much water is coming up the pipe from the river but judging by the look of it I didn't think we were getting our normal water amount.  Studying the pumpstation at the river was showing a drastically higher pressure than normal - low pressure and low discharge would mean a leak, high pressure and low discharge would be a blockage in the pipe.  We have been trying to figure out what could be blocking it and the big issue of where do we start and how we do find it.  Is the pipe partially collapsed some place?  Pipe cameras or roto-rooter for over a half a mile is quit expensive.  Yesterday we decided to take the pipe apart at the pumpstation and try to flush the line.  It was loaded with all kinds of dirt, mud, silt, and sand that had been pumped in from the river.   We flushed it both up and down the hill 5 times, every time loaded with muck.   I would estimate it was about 60% plugged with silt and sediment.

Flush #2 - look at all sediment coming out

The amount of material that came out after the first flush

          This shows the importance of what we discussed 2 years ago with the membership, and that was to put in a filtration system for this pumpstation.  Not only plugging the pipe but bringing all the silt and sediment up to our pond, which is filling it in and taking up water holding capacity.  Plus pumping it out through our irrigation heads and causing damage to the plastic heads, it would be much better to just leave all that debris at the river. 

           The issue right now is that our water use each night is about the same volume that comes up the hill in that 24 hours.  So the re-fill will be slow unless we get some cooler days or rain.  I would like to think in 3 weeks we would have the dirt covered and be at a normal summer level. 

             It proves the importance of maintaining our water supply lines, and how easy it is to not think about it when everything is working fine, and then realize it when there is an issue.

 

Irrigation Project - Seeding

With everything wrapped up on the irrigation project on holes 6 and 7, the only thing left to do was to re-establish turf in the areas that were lacking irrigation in the years past.  We aerified the areas with short tines to rough up the surface, seeded with Kentucky Bluegrass, and dragged everything in.  We are getting some great germination and growth right now.

Germination

The key will be to keep the water on it for this initial warm spell and please keep cart traffic off the thin areas for the next several weeks.  If we can do that I feel we can have a fairly good stand of turf in these areas come summer.

Irrigation project update

Two weeks ago we started the second half of holes #6 and 7 with the irrigation addition.  We used the same process by rolling up sod, trenching 24" deep, and installing the pipe and wires.

Sod rolled up, trenching lines

This section had very few rocks so it made it a lot easier to work in.

This section had approximately 8,000 ft of pipe and trench, 12,000 ft of wire, and 50 heads of varying sizes being added.

Laying out pipe for installation

Running wires

Lots of wires to keep track of

After everything was installed, back filling and sodding was going to be a huge process.  We were very fortunate to have many members come out on varying days and volunteer their time to help us with the labor intensive process.

Back filling, with many volunteers helping

Compacting the soil is something that is is very important.  My philosophy is, all the dirt that comes out of the trench or hole should go back in.  We have many sunken irrigation trenches on the golf course from the original installation, so we were sure to have proper compaction of our trenches.

Step 1 was to back fill 75% and then wheel pack it with the tractor.

75% of soil back filled

The first 75% is then wheel packed with tractor tires

Remaining 25% is back filled

And then compacted with a jumping jack

Lots of hands on shoveling for final clean-up and prepping for sod

The soil is left 3" high in a mound and the sod is laid on top

 Followed by an asphalt roller for the final compaction and it lays the sod and soil down flat to match the surroundings.

Here is sod that was laid from phase 1 two weeks ago.

With backfilling and sodding down to a final punch list.  It is time to start pulling wires to all the heads that will be staying in the ground.

Vibratory plow

Pulling wires

The small trench made by wire puller is then wheel packed and disappears.

All the irrigation lines have now been filled with water and everything is working electrically with the satellite.

Timing was very important on this project and we were under the gun, as we were getting pushed by mother nature with spring winds and sunny days in the 60's, made for a need to irrigate the greens on these two holes, water the sod, and soon run irrigation on the rest of the turf on these two holes.  Everything turned out good and this week we should have the final clean-up and small punch list items done.

Irrigation Pressurization

We started up the irrigation motors the last two days to start filling the system.  Not exactly that we need to irrigate quite yet, but the forecast for the next 3 days is highs of 61, 63, and 68.  It is very important to fill the system slowly, especially with our old pipes that are very brittle.  If we just fire up the motors and let the water fly through the pipes we will have extreme water hammer causing breaks all over the place.

Irrigation pumpstation

Water coming out one of the drain lines (relief points)

We take about 4 days at a very low flow rate and gradually fill the system, with relief points for air and pushing everything up the golf course till we push all the air out at the highest point.  By having the system filled and ready then when we do need to irrigate we are prepared and don't have to wait the 4 days to get everything filled properly.

Rolling trenches

Smoothing out the irrigation trenches that we have been sodded so far.

Rented an asphalt roller to smooth out trenches

Man does this work slick.  Back fill and leave the sod about 3-4" high, roll over it and it matches the edges perfectly.

Irrigation update

The irrigation project / addition to holes 6 and 7 is moving along very nicely.  After a rocky start to the first half of the trenching, we got all the trenches cleaned out, the pipe, swingjoints, and heads installed, and all the wires ran.

Clean trench - ready for pipe

Rolling out wires

Keeping all the wires organized

We have completed the back fill and sodding of the first part.

Backfilling with a tractor bucket

                         Trenches back filled and ready for compaction

Compacting

Compacted trench

Sod going down, rolled up for 1.5 weeks and started to yellow a little

After the first phase was almost completed we went and opened up the second half.

The sod is rolled up, trenching is complete, and now it is time to start all the installation of pipe.

Sod being rolled up

Trenching

Phase 2 - 8,000 ft of pipe, 10,000 ft of wire, about 50 more heads 

A clean trench

Overview of the second half

The second part with pipe installation in progress

We also have base set for the new satellite that will control all of the new additions.

Base is ready wires and new satellite

Old pipe that is cut through by the trencher needs to be repaired

The old wires are being cut through and ignored because we will be re-wiring all heads on the two holes.  It is amazing that the wires are only about 2-3 inches deep.  This kept us from performing all the proper cultural practices that the turfgrass needs like aerification.

Shallow wires

Equipment being used