Four for 4

Its been a long month for all of us. My thoughts and prayers go out to all that are struggling during this time. I know many of you have missed being out on the course and I wanted to take a minute to share some pictures and update you on whats been going on.
We've had our hands full working as a four man crew since the shelter in place order went into effect four weeks ago. Bill Sheer, Josh Tavelli and Armando Ramirez have done an amazing job keeping the golf course in shape and ready to go. I cannot thank them enough. We were all pretty stoked when the goats showed up a few weeks ago. While the goats did their thing in the natural grass areas, we were busy keeping up with mowing, making our regular product applications and getting to as many essential tasks as possible. Greens were aerated with a 5/8" solid tine and sanded heavy.  Tees, approaches and fairways were seeded with our fine fescue seed mix. Organic fertilizers were spread across all 35 acres of fine cut turf. 350 tons of sand was applied to approaches and fairways.  A weeks worth of tree work was completed on holes 4, 5, 6 & 7. All mowing equipment was sharpened, adjusted and serviced. A huge effort to be sure.

With the course closed to play we were able to get the goats in a few new spots. This area on 11 was close to 2' tall!

The view from the stone tee on 13 is on of my favorites for sure.  Especially after the goats have gone through.




























The bees arrived a few weeks ago. The property has really taken on an urban farm feel with the bees, the goats and the sent of organic fertilizers in the air.

We don't always mow stripes but when we do, it looks kinda cool. With all of the different types of grasses we have in fairways, spring makes for some varied growth rates. Mowing these areas in different directions helps to clean up any excess growth we see this time of year.  After a month or so of the stripeshow, we'll go back to the more traditional look of half & half.

Thankfully we were able to bring the full time staff back to work this past Monday the 20th. They will work a reduced (50%) and modified schedule until further notice. Seasonal and part time staff will not be coming back until further notice. Things will be different out here, as they are everywhere. We'll need to get used to some new practices and procedures. With more than 50% reduction of labor on the course, there will be many tasks we cannot complete. We will focus our efforts on down the middle conditioning and items deemed essential.

A huge THANK YOU to the membership, the Board of Directors and the Club's management team for their support during this difficult time. Its truly amazing to have such a group of individuals come together and take care of the staff the way you have. We can't wait to see you out enjoying the golf course again. Fingers are crossed. The sooner the better.

PGA Tour Set Up, Bunker consistency and Fall Maintenance

PGA Tour Set Up

























I had the great pleasure of helping out on the maintenance crew at Silverado last week for the PGA Tour's Safeway Open. Working for former Sonoma Golf Club Superintendent Mat Dunmeyer is always a treat and last week was no different. I especially enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones from all around the turf industry. My job assignment for the week was Back 9 bunker crew and I wanted to share an "inside the ropes" view of PGA Tour bunker preparations.
The vast majority of course preparations are spent in the weeks and months leading up to the event. Once tournament week arrives, the course is expected to be prepped and ready so the crew can get out and perform routine course set up without skipping a beat. When we arrived early in the week it was obvious the staff at Silverado had done well to meet their goals. The course was in fantastic condition and more than ready. This was especially true in the bunkers. Edges were crisp. Sand depths perfect. Ready for the big show. Then, leave it to Mother Nature and her ability to change even the best of plans. Rain fell Tuesday and while totals were low, it was enough to wet the bunkers and change conditions somewhat. Thankfully the rain let up early in the week leading to sun and perfect Napa weather. By the weekend, winds had picked up resulting in very dry bunker conditions and lots of debris clean up. My point here is...
The bunkers were prepared perfectly throughout the week and yet still, perfect consistency day to day and bunker to bunker was an impossibility. The preparation of bunkers was consistent each morning. The bunkers looked and played beautifully but conditions differed. A snapshot of reality for the tour and for day to day set up at every golf course. Please take a look at the below article from the USGA on bunker consistency.

Bunker Consistency - FIVE reasons why bunkers are not consistent - by the USGA

Despite the best efforts of any agronomic team, maintaining perfectly consistent playing conditions in every bunker is not possible.

Although golf course maintenance teams may spend more labor hours attending to bunkers than greens, golfers will still find that bunkers are inconsistent. Maintaining totally consistent playing conditions in bunkers is not achievable, nor is it necessarily desirable. Here are five reasons why the playing conditions in bunkers will never be perfectly consistent:

1.    Sand depth – The depth of sand on the bunker floor has a profound impact on playability. If the sand is too shallow, bunkers may be wet and firm. However, too much sand yields soft conditions that increase the probability of buried lies. Inconsistencies in bunker sand depth develop on a daily basis from events such as normal play, raking and wind exposure. The recommended depth for bunker sand is 4-6 inches but varies depending on factors such as the physical characteristics of the sand and the properties of the underlying material.

2.    Sun exposure – Bunkers that receive more sunlight will dry faster and play softer than those that receive less sunlight. For example, east- and southeast-facing bunkers dry faster in the morning than bunkers oriented to the west or the north, causing them to play softer.

3.    Wind exposure – Bunkers facing the predominant wind direction will dry faster and play softer than bunkers that are shielded from the wind or face the opposite direction.

4.    Play volume – Bunkers that receive more play will be softer and less consistent than bunkers with very little play. Why? Golf shots, foot traffic and raking disturb bunker sand and soften conditions.

5.    Irrigation – Many golfers wonder if irrigation systems can be designed to avoid adding water to bunkers. Unfortunately, such a design is impractical due to the shape and strategic location of many bunkers. Uniformly irrigating irregularly shaped playing surfaces such as greens, green surrounds and even fairways often places adjacent bunkers in the line of fire of sprinklers. If bunker sand is shallow, contains fine materials such as fine sand, silt and clay, or has been contaminated with organic matter, bunkers will retain moisture. Wet sand plays firmer than dry sand, so bunkers that receive more irrigation and retain more moisture will likely play firmer than those that are well drained and out of the way of irrigation. In the Southwest, where there is little rain and high water demand during summer, bunkers are often wet and firm due to frequent irrigation.

The bottom line is that golf is an outdoor game with inherent variability. For example, no two lies in the rough are exactly the same and, like it or not, the wind blows on some days while other days are calm. Sometimes the wind even blows from one direction in the morning and the opposite direction in the afternoon. Golfers are encouraged to embrace variability in the bunkers and throughout the golf course as a welcome challenge. Remember the wise words of the late Payne Stewart, "A bad attitude is worse than a bad swing." For additional information on bunker consistency, please review the Green Section Collection, “Managing Bunkers,” or contact a USGA agronomist.

 Fall Maintenance 

This fall our maintenance routine has changed from years past. A sure sign that the work we have accomplished over the years has paid off. Greens were aerated with a solid tine and given a medium amount of sand topdressing. Fairways and approaches were slit-seeded with blend of Fine Fescue seed. Tees were aerated with a deep tine. No cores pulled. Less surface disruption and less impact on play. This work was complete in just over a week despite a few equipment breakdowns and being a bit short on staff. As always we do everything we can to minimize disruption to the membership while performing these important "preventative maintenance" tasks. With the first rains of the season falling last week the greens are growing at a good pace and we should be back in shape come this time next week. 

My hat is off to the staff in the Turf Department for their efforts this season. Their work over the year and especially the last few weeks will ensure a strong finish to 2018 and will no doubt set us up for a fantastic 2019. We hope you enjoy the golf course this fall and we appreciate all the support in doing what is right for the health of the golf course. 

Challenges

The last month or so has been a bit of a whirlwind. Spring aeration is behind us completed in and around significant late season rains. Playing catch up with mowing and course detail (YES we are cutting the natural grasses and hillsides).  Ticking the last of our seasonal projects off the list. Bringing on new seasonal staff and prepping for the first of many Member events. There is always so much to do this time of year that we simply cannot get to it all at once.

While we've had a productive start to 2018, not all things go as planed. The course came out of aeration shining thanks to some heavy rains and the staff pushing hard for the Challenge Cup with Bel-Air Country Club last week. All things were looking great coming off the weekend as we start prep for the MacKenzie in two weeks and then... Murphy's law rears its ugly head.

While topdressing greens this Monday our sand spreader blew a hydraulic hose leaking oil on the 12th green. The good: The oil spilled was not hot and did not burn the turf. The Bad: Grass does not like oil as it can smother the leaf blade resulting in death of turf. The area affected will be evaluated over the coming days with hopes that the grass will grow out. If needed we will re-sod next week. Unfortunately, these things happen.

We are always challenged when trees are close to areas of turf. This is especially true when close to greens. Roots from trees spread throughout the soil competing with turf for water and nutrients. When just a few feet off a green the challenge can be significant resulting in turf loss. As part of our spring/fall maintenance we send out the root pruner to address these areas but with a working depth of 6 to 8" sometimes that's just not enough. This week we used our trencher to root prune two of our most problematic areas. Left of 1 green (pictured here) and left of 15 green.

These pictures tell the story well. Lots of trees roots large and small severed with hopes of giving
the turf a fighting chance. Side note: pretty cool to see the column of sand from the Drill & Fill just to the right of the radio. Three years later and the channels are still there doing their thing!

We are challenged with maintaining turf and managing wear and tear on a small property. The average urban golf course is 120 acres. Claremont, at just 84 golf course acres is small and compact. Golf carts were not in the picture when the course was laid out in the early 1900's. The new cart fleet was outfitted with a GPS system for the safety of members, guests and the golf course.

This picture above is a screenshot of just one day worth of cart traffic (in yellow). The areas in red are zoned off as carts are not allowed on greens or surrounds, on tees, in natural grass areas or in the creek. Yes, we've had to pull carts out of the creek. Combine this much cart traffic with course maintenance traffic and we can and will see significant wear and tear in our highly travelled areas. When using carts this summer, please keep this in mind by avoiding dry areas and areas of worn or stressed turf. Do your best to keep carts in the fairways. Drive on green grass. I encourage members to take a caddie and enjoy a fine walk around an amazing property. We are lucky to have a caddie program and should do all we can to support it.

And... That's a wrap!

After fourteen months of construction we put a wrap on things last week with the installation of new sod on the 1st fairway. With the sod down our focus turns to grow-in of the new turf. The first tee is open finally and I must say it's been quite the exiting time here at the club with the new facilities being met with overwhelming positivity. As is to be expected with anything new, an adjustment in routine when playing the course is necessary. Please keep the following in mind when playing golf this winter:

• The first tee is open for play but the sod on 1 / 18 fairway is not. Please keep all traffic off new sod. If your ball comes to rest in the newly sodded area inside the ropes, please carefully retrieve your ball on foot then drop and resume play from outside the area.
• The entire new area of sod including the 1^st tee and 18 green surround MAY be closed at some point this winter due to wet conditions. Please be respectful and keep off closed areas when asked.
• Golf carts are not permitted on the 1^st tee or any of the tees. Pull carts are always discouraged from crossing tee tops as well. Please use the cartpaths as much as possible when in the area.
• When playing 18 – as your ball reaches the green or surround please pull your golf cart left to the shared path between holes 9 & 18. Continue up the path and in-between the warm up tees  to the cart parking directly behind the green. Once finished on 18 it’s a quick drive up the path to the cart barn where the golf staff will greet you at the end of your round. The picture below shows a cart parked in the ideal location when finishing out on 18. 
• Walkers on 18 should also move toward the back of the green and finish their round at the cart path behind 18. Please do not walk up the grass slope toward the first tee. Walk off the back of the green toward the tennis courts and then up the path. Please use the cart return area to drop off clubs, pull carts and any other items prior to returning to the golf shop or cafe via the stairs to the left of the cart barn. 

  Kikuyugrass Removal

      With new sod heading our way we made the call to remove all turf on the slope right of 16 green. This area had become infested with the vile weed Kikuyugrass. This particular weed is invasive and difficult to control spreading aggressively on south facing slopes. In this particular area the contamination had reached the green. We chose to remove the entire apron leading up to 18 tee as the Kikuyu creates an inconsistent playing surface and had spread up the slope to 18. We will experiment with various control methods over the next few years in attempt to keep out the Kikuyu. The area will remain roped off until spring. Please carefully remove your ball from the new sod and drop in the drop zone. 

    

  With the New Year approaching I want to thank all of those that have made 2017 such a success.The staff in the Turf Department has accomplished great things on the course while the distraction of construction pulled at us daily. Led by Assistants Bill Scheer and Ismael Valadez and Equipment Manager Armando Ramirez, we had an amazing year for golf course conditions. Firm, fast and fun continues to be our target and I feel we met this in spades much of the year. Thanks so much to GM Steve Shaw, the Board of Directors and Green Committee for the continued support of our direction on the golf course. We do things a bit different here as we are allowed to present the golf course in a very natural fashion resulting in a rough, rustic look around the edges. I am so thankful to have the support from the membership as our approach would not fly at just any Club. We all know that Claremont is not just any Club but a unique place full of charm and quirk. It really is a special place that I feel so fortunate to be a part of. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all Claremont Members and families and best wishes for a prosperous 2018!

Course Construction Update

 Phase 1 of course construction came to an end with the final roll of sod installed last week. The new

1st tee, 18 green surround and bunker, warm up tees and 9 green surround areas were all re-shaped and new irrigation and drainage installed. The tee surfaces were sand capped. All turf areas were sodded with a blend of Fine Fescues and Perennial Ryegrass.  The finish product is a wonderful improvement for the club and we are proud of the work completed with Jim Urbina and the crew from Earthsculptures. Phase 2 will consist of re-shaping the 1st fairway, installing new irrigation and finally new sod. Work here should take about two weeks and will begin November 27th. Sod is scheduled for installation sometime the week December 11. As always when working this time of year we depend on Mother Nature's cooperation and any rain during this time will slow progress. We've come a long way in the last 12 months!

Let the fun begin

It's been a busy eleven months here at Claremont. Temporary facilities set up. Demolition of the
100+ year old golf shop. Excavation, grading, storm drain, concrete pour after concrete pour. Framing, fire line installation, roofing, windows... you get the picture. Oh, and we have a golf course and grounds to maintain as well. It's been hectic but fun, rewarding and draining. Now the fun really begins as we get to work on putting the golf course back together.
Course construction will be split up into two phases with phase one consisting of rebuilding the 1st tee, 18 green surround, warm up tee and cart path tie-in to 10. Phase two work of rebuilding the 1st fairway will begin sometime in November following the move in to the new Golf Shop and the breakdown of all temporary facilities.

Roger Downing of Earthsculptures and Golf Course Architect Jim Urbina were onsite for less than a week when things behind 18 green began to take shape. For the first time in almost a year the area is looking more like a golf course than a construction site. There are many reasons I feel absolutely lucky to work here. On this golf course. The opportunity to work with these professionals is near the top of that list as they are some of the best in the business. Great people doing great work. Claremont is in good hands with these two.

Much change will take place in the coming weeks. The full crew from Earthsculptures is set to arrive September 11 to begin irrigation and drainage installation. Hundreds of tons of sand will be imported to cap the 1st tee, the warm up tees and the surrounding areas. Finish shaping, bunker install, cart path install and sod... all in the matter of a few weeks. If all goes according to plan, which it always does, we will lay sod in mid-October on phase 1 of course construction. Keep an eye on the blog for updates as we move along.

As we progress, course construction may be more of an impact to you when playing the course. Please check in with the golf shop staff when you come out to play. Hole 18 will play to a temporary green at times and the 10th tee will be closed from time to time as well. These decisions will be made based on safety for workers in the area. Thanks for your patience. The new facility and course features will be amazing and a major improvement for the club.

Midway Point

For most Superintendents around the country July marks the midway point of the growing season. As we reach this point we assess turf health, the health of our staffs and ourselves with the thought of making the proper adjustments as we head full steam into 8 long weeks of summer stress, disease and dry spot. Its sort of like halftime at the Super Bowl as the adjustments made will set us up for a successful second half.

My half time assessment...

       
Lean and mean, firm and fast... The course is healthy and ready for the second half. The staff, while shy of our usual numbers is doing well. Next week we will begin the process of summer aeration and sanding. A successful few weeks will set us up for a strong finish for 2017.

Summer Aeration

July 17th - Greens DryJect Aeration, Fairway Sanding
July 18th - Front 9 Greens and Putting Green 1/4" core aeration and sanding
July 19th - Back 9 Greens 1/4" core aeration and sanding
July 17th to 24th - Tees, approaches and fairways solid tine aeration
July 17th to 24th - Tees and approaches sanding

These cultural practices are a major piece of a program that has resulted in the improvements seen on the course over the last few years. This is especially true for the DryJect aeration as depicted in the slide seen here. We expect a few weeks of disruption and we thank you in advance for your patience and understanding while we perform these important tasks.

New Course Accessories

We've recently upgraded course accessories and with that, changed how we provide sand and seed mix for our membership.

The new wooden benches, garbage cans, divot mix containers and sand & seed fill stations provide a clean, natural look in keeping with our wooden flag sticks and bunker rakes. Please note that divot mix containers are now located on carts and at the 1st and 10th tees only. Every third tee you will find a sand and seed fill station that you can use to fill your carry tube or cart tube. These items are extremely well built and will serve the club for years to come.



Enjoy your time on the course this summer. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you may have.


                                                                  

                                                                                                         

Golf Course Things and Stuff

The golf course has taken fine shape as we approach summer and our first heat wave of the season this weekend. We have many things going on out there and I wanted to take a minute to update you on some of whats happening.

Natural Grass Areas
The new natural grass areas have grown-in and are no longer to be played as ground under repair. Ground under repair will be marked with signage or white paint. The picture above of the natural grass between holes 4 and 5 shows the area still roped off but this is only to keep carts out. These areas are sensitive to cart traffic and provide a natural habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators and small animals. Please do not drive carts in any of the "long" grass on the golf course. If the grass is over 2.5 inches carts should be kept out. As of this week, all hillsides and natural grass areas have been cut and/or mowed for what was hopefully the last time of the season. These areas will turn color soon and slow their growth to provide a nice visual contrast from the green turf found down the middle of the fairway to the golden brown of the California native grasslands. I look forward to this transition each year as the contrast of color and texture can result in some of the most visually stunning views around the property.

Bunkers (hazards)
I seem to get the question every spring about bunkers (hazards) and their consistency, or lack there of. Each spring we go through the hazards to add sand in areas that were contaminated or where sand was removed during winter. With the heavy rains this past winter our work here has been more than in years past. The hazards where new sand has been added will take time to settle in and firm up. This can create variability from hazard to hazard as some will play firm and other soft. The expectation for the hazards to play consistent is unrealistic even when all the sand is the same. Many factors go into this. The location of the hazard, surrounded by trees or out in the open. Angled toward the sun or away from. How much water does the surrounding turf require to maintain health? More water for the turf means more water in the bunker. Size and shape of the hazard... you get the idea. What will be consistent is our set up and maintenance routines for these hazards. Many hours each week are focused on preparation and maintenance of the hazards. Members can help improve consistency in hazards by making an effort to return them to previous form following play. Unfortunately we see this all to often...

The Small Stuff
We are working hard to catch up on many of the small things and stuff around the golf course. While we are very happy with course conditions down the middle, we know that some of the detail could be better and we are working on it. Things like pruning low branches on trees, edging cart paths, repairing of DG cart paths, pulling and/or treating weeds and many other detail items have had to take a back seat this spring. Why you ask? Long winter and short on staff. With the wet winter that lasted into April, we've had to focus our efforts on getting the greens, tees, fairways, roughs and yes, hazards back into shape. We've had to do so with just two additional seasonal workers when, in years past we would have had 5 to 7 seasonal workers at this point. The lack of applicants willing to come out and work has dwindled over the years. This season has been terrible even with a significant increase in pay being offered. The labor issue is real and is something affecting all clubs, not just Claremont. All this being said, our existing staff has worked well to make up the difference and I thank them greatly for their efforts!

Ballmarks
Unrepaired ballmarks on greens continues to be an issue. Truth is, the fact that their are more ballmarks is a good thing. More of you are hitting the greens it seems! Please remember to find and repair your ballmark. As the greens firm up, the chance that that your ball will land on the green and end up over is real. Don't forget to look for the mark and make the repair as it will help to provide an improved experience for other members and guests. It will also lighten the work load for greenkeepers allowing them to focus on other tasks.

Thanks so much for following the blog over years. We are over 70,000 page views as of last month! That's pretty cool. There is so much information shared in these blog pages, in the newsletter and on the website. Even so, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have. We are always happy to help...


Enjoy your time on the course this summer!

Josh Clevenger, Golf Course Superintendent

Getting on with a Routine

The last week of sun and temperatures in the 80's has been a nice change to say the least. Especially following a relentless winter season that produced over 44 inches of rain and many stormy days that had us far from routine. As of last weekend the irrigation system was up and running for the first time since October 2016 and our first big member event was held. The Turf Department is officially ready to get on with 2017!

In this post I'd like to share with you our regular routine for maintenance that will take us through the golf season here at Claremont.

Daily Maintenance Routines

Greens - The following is our plan on greens for the season. This routine should result in healthy, smooth and firm greens throughout each week with minimal fluctuation in green speeds. Our target speed for greens is 10 to 10.5 feet for daily play.

• Mowed at .125 inches; 4 to 5 times per week based on growth
• Rolled 6 to 7 times per week
• Verticut and topdressed with sand every 2 weeks
• Spiking or venting aeration (minimal disturbance) every 4 to 6 weeks
• Checked for moisture daily and hand watered as needed
• Night time irrigation of 20 to 40 min. every 5 to 10 days as needed 

Tees, Fairways and Approaches - These areas are maintained in a similar fashion with the goal of providing a healthy, dense and firm surface for golf. Tees will be irrigated to a level that will minimize hand watering while fairways and approaches will be irrigated with just enough water to ensure growth and recovery from golfer traffic. Approaches and fairways will be hand watered as needed to ensure a firm surface. 

• Mowed at .475 inches; 3 to 4 times per week
• Solid tine aeration every 4 weeks
• Treatments of wetting agents and acids to insure good water penetration and mitigate salt build up
• Topdressed with sand every spring and fall - 40 tons per acre is the goal this season

Roughs - Areas of rough are maintained to higher degree closer to the field of play. Green surrounds and roughs adjacent to fairways are fertilized and inter-seeded to promote a consistent stand of turf. The further away from the center of fairways you find yourself, the more natural and "rough" the playing conditions will be. We will irrigate the rough as needed allowing areas adjacent to natural grasses to brown out and blend into the natural environment.

• Mowed at 2.25 inches; 2 to 3 times per week
• Aerated with a solid tine 2 to 3 times per year
• Walking rotary mowers used around greens on areas difficult to mow with ride-on equipment

Bunkers (Hazards) - The bunkers here at Claremont are beautiful and penal all at once. While we spend many, many hours of maintenance each week in these hazards, expecting consistency here is unrealistic. Our practices however will remain consistent throughout the season and will result in very playable and aesthetically pleasing hazards. 

• Bunker detail performed each Monday to include: edging / trimming short grass, pulling weeds, removing debris, checking sand depth and adjusting
• Bunkers floors raked daily - Tuesday to Sunday
• Bunker faces smooth raked once per week 
• Bunkers deep raked via mechanical rake and hand rake 2 times per month
• Fescue eyebrows "chopped" each spring and fall 

Natural Grass / Hillsides / Creek Banks - These areas will be maintained in a similar fashion throughout the season - minimally. We do not fertilize or irrigate these areas. We will mow and/or trim these areas at a height of 4" coming out of spring until growth has all but stopped. This will allow seed heads to emerge and will provide a wonderful contrast from maintained turf to the wispy, golden and natural grasslands found across California in the summer. Certain areas deemed "in-play" will receive an extra mow or two in early summer just so we don't loose to many golf balls.

We are looking forward to a fantastic golf season here in the Oakland Hills! As you may know, we're in the middle of a fairly significant project that has and will continue to take up much of my time and energy until complete. Please know we will continue our focus of improving the member and guest experience on the golf course while we wait with great anticipation of the finished product. What a great way to end your day on the course it will be! 

Thanks and we'll see you on the Course!

Josh Clevenger, Golf Course Superintendent

Fall Update

Winter doesn't officially begin until December 21 but with recent cold temps and significant rains over the last 6 weeks, things seem to be early this season. Since the beginning of October we received 6.7 inches of rain, the course has greened up nicely and playing conditions have evolved from firm and fast to soft and lush. The Turf Department hopes you enjoy and embrace the natural evolution of the golf course throughout the seasons. The course is playing quite different than is has for the last six months or so. Greens and fairways are more receptive, roughs and natural grass areas longer and more penal. This to me, is one of the many great things about the game we love. The field of play is different each day and its up to the player to adjust his or her game. Good stuff for sure. Please have a look below at some of the things we've been working on.

Bunker Projects

Each off season we focus some time toward rebuilding areas of the bunkers that have changed since the renovation. The golf course changes every day and this is especially true with bunkers as sand is displaced with each shot hit and every time we enter and exit. Sand washes out during storms, bunkers are contaminated with soil and grasses grow into the bunker. We picked the first bunker off the to-do list last week at 5 green.

The rake in the above picture provides good perspective on green to bunker transition. The below picture shows well our process and its pretty simple. Dig down through the built up bunker sand along the edge of the bunker and find the native soil. Remove the sod. Excavate sand along the edge of the bunker and into the green / collar. Replace the sod. The guys have gotten pretty good at this over the last few years and this one turned out great.

Finished product above with grades restored makes for an easy entry / exit to the bunker. We hope this will be true for golfers and golf balls alike.

Natural Grass Areas

We've begun work on transitioning more areas of maintained turf to natural grasses per our grassing plan by Architect Jim Urbina. In years past we've used a Fine Fescue blend in many of these areas with some success and failure. This season we've gone to a blend of true California Native grasses that we think will work better in our soils while providing what we are looking both aesthetically and play-ability wise. These areas will go without water and mowing in summer and we hope to only to mow them a few times each spring.

The process here begins by treating grassy and broad-leaf weeds with selective herbicides. Once these products take effect, the areas are mowed short and cleaned up with the goal of exposing the soil. The final step is the application of seed and hydro-mulch. The grasses can then naturally grow-in over winter as we get rain. Please remember to keep carts out of these areas at all times.

Golf Shop Project

Work around the golf shop has kept us on our toes to say the least. In the above picture, just between the excavator and the Ladies locker room was the irrigation mainline and communication wire that serviced the pool and front of the club. These utilities were removed in time for crews to continue grading and we intend  re-locate as soon as rough grades are complete. Managing traffic around the temp facilities during wet conditions has been a challenge requiring extra attention with wood chip pathways, ropes, stakes and directional markings and such. All things considered it's been a smooth start to construction.

The temporary 1st tee was graded and sodded a few weeks ago and is taking shape. If you look at the tee and think "It doesn't look flat" that's because it's not. None of our tees are flat, they are all graded at 2 to 3% in one direction or another for surface drainage. The goal on this tee was to level off a small area that can function as a tee but also blend into the surrounding contour. The guys did a good job here and we hope to open the tee some time in the next few weeks.

We've had lots going on this fall, all while continuing to prep the course for daily play and keep up with detail and clean up. A big thanks to the Team In the Turf Department for their work this fall.
We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Come on out and and enjoy the club during the Holiday season. Its such a special place that really comes alive this time of year! Thanks and we'll see you on the course.

Temporary Facilities Set up

After three weeks of deliveries, staging, set up and electrical work, the temporary Golf Shop facilities are up and running. Dennis Lodes was nice enough to come out with his drone camera to take some overhead pictures and video. The shots turned out so cool that we plan to make this part of our routine throughout the project. Should be a nice way to document the progress. Enjoy!

I am a Greenkeeper

This video was made by one of our seasonal Greenkeepers and it's so cool I had to share here.
So much time, planning and effort goes into maintaining the golf course that it's really difficult to explain. This is a really neat look at just some of the things we are doing out there. Some great pics and video courtesy of Jose De La Rosa. This video is dedicated to the great staff of Greenkeepers at the Claremont Country Club and all great Greenkeepers around the world.

Thanks Jose for putting this together and thank you for your service to our country!

Josh Clevenger, Golf Course Superintendent

The Sandman Cometh

The sandman was back to apply 600 tons of sand to the fairways on Monday. A total of 1200 tons have been applied this season (40 tons per acre). This total is half of what was applied for many years. The years of heavy sand applications resulted in a sand base on fairways of 6 to 8". The fairways were essentially "sand capped" over the course of 15 years and now we have adjusted the program to maintain that sand base. Resulting conditions have improved year around. I hear stories from many long time members about losing shoes in the fairways back in the day. No longer the case! In season, we are able to provide firm and fast conditions in fairways thanks to the sand base. It doesn't take much to dry things out here and when playing firm the character of the course is accentuated big time.

We've reached the mid point of the season and so far so good. About this time each year, I find myself looking through files of pictures titled "winter" or "rain" more and more often. It's been almost 4 months since we've had any precipitation. Rainbows and water falling from the sky would be a welcome sight but in all reality, we've got a long way to go. Football season is just a few weeks away though...