Tee construction and irrigation at Hampshire Greens

One of the final winter projects that was wrapped up in March at Hampshire Greens was the construction of two new tee boxes on holes #8 and #14.  Par 3 tees get beat up with divots throughout the season, especially the bentgrass ones at this course.  The new tees will provide increased teeing area to distribute divots, as well as adding an additional challenge to our golfers playing the back tees there.

Here is an update from Golf Course Superintendent Teddy Blauvelt, who has done a great job with MCG since 2007 at this property.
____________________________________________________________


Many people ask, “What does maintenance do in the winter when it’s cold.” My answer is “projects.” Projects are labeled so because they are outside the realm of everyday golf course maintenance work. They are not completed during the golfing season for two main reasons. The first is because the scope of work would severely interfere with the golfer and their round. The second, is well, there is plenty of traditional everyday work to fill each day for the maintenance staff.

March is a busy month which includes getting these winter projects wrapped up, but also later in the month to get ready for the golfing season with routine maintenance. Some winter projects include: Bunker renovations, tee constriction, irrigation installs and upgrades, drainage projects etc… Today we will focus on two projects being completed at Hampshire Greens this winter. Tee additions, to the par three 14th and 8th holes, and an irrigation addition to the right side of 13th hole.

The tee additions, why? Both holes have limited tee space in comparison to the length of tee shot. The addition of championship tee tops will lengthen the holes, relieve traffic stress, help with divot recovery, and create an aesthetically pleasing yet challenging golf shot.

The 14th will be about 155 yds and consistently hold the black, championship tee markers.

We utilized the hillside behind the current 14th tee to simply cut and fill, then shape the new tee top.

The new 8th will be about 205 yds and will be used in rotation with the current championship tee to hold the black markers. 

We needed to add a LOT of soil to build the tee. We used soil from 2 mounds on the seventh hole to build the tee. We did this to alleviate a cart traffic problem created from these mounds on the left side of the hole. We also needed to lower the current blue tee top on the 8th in order for the new tee top to have clear sight to the green. This will also increase area of the blue tee, a win win. Almost a, “3 birds 1 stone deal!” 

Along side the right side rough of the 13th fwy we installed a third irrigation line and sprinkler heads. Currently, the sub-par irrigation system has two rows of irrigation heads. One runs down the left side intermediate/fwy. The second runs down the right/middle of the fwy. This leads to very poor irrigation coverage to the right side of the fwy, especially in the tee shot landing area. By adding a third row of heads we will create a superior playing surface on the right side fwy, relieve labor hours from hand watering, and provide a more efficient way to water.

I hope this helps answer any questions about some of what maintenance does during the "off-season."

Teddy Blauvelt

Golf Course Superintendent

Hampshire Greens Golf Course

It's that time again! (Aeration)

The most important cultural practice that is performed at our facilities is core aeration, and I could literally wear out the keyboard discussing the benefits of this process!  The process of aeration and recovery is very stressful both physically and mentally for our staff, because we take such pride if maintaining great conditions for you!  But this temporary disruption to our playing surfaces is what helps the turf remain healthy throughout the year and is very important!  So what exactly is so great about removing all these plugs of soil from your beautiful golf course?

• Improved root growth
• Improved gas exchange (oxygen to the root zone and actual air movement underground!)
• Decreased thatch and organic matter that can hold excess water (bad for root development and increases disease pressure and insect problems)
• Incorporation of pure sand in greens to keep these important channels open (tremendous root growth in these holes!) as well as firm the playing surface
• Alleviates compaction caused by foot and vehicle traffic
• Improved water infiltration
• Improved microbial activity (healthy microbes help the soil environment function better)
• And the list goes on!

Superintendents LOVE this root development in aeration holes!

So when exactly will our courses be aerating? 
Find our aeration schedule HERE.  

On the date of aeration, the areas mentioned (front 9/back 9) will be closed for the day.  We have selected aeration dates that work best for the specific needs of each course based on types of grass, staffing levels, equipment sharing, and environmental conditions, as well as trying to work around major events and outings that are already scheduled.

Golf Technology: Best Golf Apps For Your Smartphone

There is absolutely no escaping it – technology is becoming more and more prevalent in your everyday life. And although I prefer that my golfing partner leave that new, fancy-dancy smartphone in his bag, I certainly understand that sometimes it is absolutely necessary for him to have it. Golf apps for iPhone, iPad and Android are becoming abundant and more and more convenient as well. There are golf apps for everything: GPS, swing analysis to compare your swing to a pro’s swing, golf games, golf magazines, club fitting, rules and etiquette, and the list goes on and on. So how do you choose which ones you get and which ones are best for you? Although it comes down to personal preference, I am going to take the next couple of blog posts and give you some of my favorite golf apps that I recently downloaded on my new iPhone 5!


1. iPing Putting App (FREE): The iPING app analyzes and displays your consistency onscreen using three criteria: stroke type (determined by how much the putter face rotates during the forward stroke); impact angle (the putter’s face angle at impact, relative to address); and tempo (a measure of the duration of the backswing relative to the forward swing). The app works by computing consistency over a series of five putts where your stroke type, impact angle and tempo are measured, displayed and stored for every putt in that session. Your consistency scores are averaged over time to build a Putting Handicap (PHcp). As you improve your consistency, you’ll see your PHcp come down. And one more really cool feature to the app is that you can compare your stats to those of PING staffers on the PGA Tour!

Note: This app requires the use of a physical device (the exclusive PING cradle) to attach your iPhone 4, 4S, 5, or iPod touch (4th Gen) to your putter shaft. Cradles are sized for each device.

2. V1 Golf ($4.99): Just like the other apps that focus on swing analysis, the golfer will take video footage of their swing, then use the app to analyze. This app allows slow-motion play back for the best look! The uniqueness of this app is the ability to compare your swing to over fifty swings from professionals in the PGA, LPGA and the Champions Tour. See who your swing resembles! Again, your videos are saved in your "locker" for later viewing. The app is available for Android, iPhone, and iPad. A very cool app that is sure to help you understand your swing a little bit better!

3. USGA Rules of Golf ($3.99): If you play a lot of golf, and carry an iPhone, this app is an absolute must have! Ditch the old fashioned hardcopy of the rules and download the very same rules (plus a lot more), courtesy of the USGA. This app features the official 2012 Rules of Golf, Decisions on the Rules of Golf, and Rules of Amateur Status. It gives you quick and easy access to all of the official rules and decisions, making it the ideal reference guide when you run into trouble or disputes while playing the course. There is a great new word and phrase search built in to help you find the answer to rules question fast. And if for some reason you can’t find the answer to a question that you’re looking for, you can email the USGA directly for expert advice!

4. Titleist (FREE): This is your one-stop app for everything Titleist. From the Titleist social stream and Interactive Golf Ball Selection Experience to the My Game Stat Tracking Tools, Swing Comparison and a Golf Shop Locator, it’s got you covered. The latest release is loaded with features and exclusive content to help you explore the world of Titleist.

- Interactive Golf Ball Selection: Take this first step in finding the best Titleist golf ball for your game. Use the on-course evaluation scorecard to guide you through the fitting process.
- Swing Comparison: Record your swing and compare it to a Titleist Brand Ambassador's or create a library of your own swings to view side-by-side. Features include full-speed or slow-motion playback, swing-sync and echo-motion effects.
- My Game: Post scores, track stats and take your game to the next level.
- Titleist Social Stream: Stay connected with all Titleist social channels to get the latest news and updates. Customize your social stream and select the feeds you want to follow.
- Golf Shop and Fitter Locator: Find an authorized Titleist golf shop or certified fitter in your area. All MCG courses are authorized Titleist golf shops!
- And much, much more! It’s free to download so I recommend checking it out today!

5. Nike Golf 360 (FREE):The fact that Nike Golf 360 is free is not the best part of this new app, but that surely enhances it appeal. Beyond that is its utility for improving your golf game by focusing on your game itself, your swing and your body. Scorecards for more than 13,000 courses can be downloaded for the purposes of keeping score and recording statistics. The stats can be kept and tracked over several rounds to help gauge progress (or regress) or simply to show the areas of one’s game that needs work. In addition, it enables the user to upload videos of his or her swing that can be analyzed by what Nike calls its Swoosh Staff of PGA of America professionals, movement professionals and clubfitters. And, finally, it comes with golf specific workout videos and training tips!

Snowy benefits

As we anticipate another minor snow today after a bone-chilling arctic blast this week, I wanted to mention a few reasons why some snow can be GOOD for golf courses!

First of all, snow DOES NOT MEAN

• that maintenance staff are out sledding all day
• that maintenance staff are sleeping in and taking time off
• that maintenance staff are having hockey tournaments on the frozen ponds

We are busy as always, finally at a time of year where we can "cut back" to working a 40 hour week.  So in addition to being able to complete indoor projects such as refurbishing course accessories, doing equipment repairs & maintenance, painting and re-organizing shop areas for improved work flow, etc, SNOW has some really great benefits for the turfgrass system as well!

Insulation - A fresh blanket of snow will help insulate the grass from freeze injury from very cold temperatures as well as protect the turf from desiccation caused by whipping winds and low humidity that are common during the winter.   The resulting potential turf loss associated with these weather extremes is called winterkill.  A very deep freeze can also injure root systems of trees and shrubs.

Recharge ground water - as snow melts, it can provide a great way to recharge ground water in the soil so there are deep water reserves for next spring and summer.

Give the turf a break! - As much as we love all you dedicated winter golfers, the reprieve from foot traffic for the period of time there is snow cover is very beneficial.  When the turf is not actively growing, there is no way it can grow out of (recover from) traffic injury.  And while foot traffic is very much reduced this time of year, there are still plenty of days between December and February where temperatures will at least hit the 50 degree mark.  The cart traffic around the course, and foot traffic around the greens and tees, causes the turf to be really beaten down with no chance for recovery until grass starts growing more readily towards the end of March or early April.

So bring on a little snow, and we'll look forward to seeing you back out here once it melts!

*** AS A REMINDER ***

When there is snow on the ground, we do NOT permit sledding, cross-country skiing, or any other activities including walking on the courses for your SAFETY.  

Little Bennett Pump Station Upgrade

Did you have any idea an irrigation pumping system was so complex?  

Little Bennett has just upgraded from an antiquated, energy-wasting system to a new state of the art control system that will provide dramatically improved and safer performance, use less electricity, and give the superintendent the ability to see what is happening at the pump station from anywhere there is internet access!

Golfers may occasionally wonder what it takes to irrigate a golf course.  An 18-hole golf course can cover anywhere from 100-300 acres of land and requires miles and miles of pipe to deliver water.  At least 2 to 4 pumps are required to keep pressure and move water across the golf course.  These pumps can provide up to 2500 gallons per minute(GPM).  Main pumps are powered by 50-75 hp motors and most courses utilize a small pump called either a jockey or pressure maintenance pump.  These smaller pumps are powered by 5-25 hp motors.  The small pumps are there to maintain pressure on the irrigation lines and for low flow operations.  An example of low flow would be 1 or 2 irrigation heads running or multiple hoses being used.  Pump station output is usually 10 times the horsepower of all your motors combined in GPM. 

Little Bennett runs two 75hp main pumps and one 25hp jockey pump.  The pumps are 20 feet long and are located in a wet well inside the pump house.  The pumps draw water for the golf course from the irrigation pond on hole #10.  The station requires 460 volt 3-phase incoming power.  The system was designed with a pressure tank and regulating valve to deliver 1800 GPM at 125 psi.  There's a panel that controls motor/pump starts and stops and is run by a programmable logic controller(PLC).  The PLC controls the station by inputs that regulate when pumps turn on and off based on pressure and flow.  The tank is designed to build pressure on the upstream(between the pumps and the valve) side.  When pressure drops on the downstream(between the valve and outflow pipe to the golf course) side of the regulating valve(e.g., heads running on the golf course), the valve opens and allows pressure to equalize.  When pressure in the tank becomes equal to outflow pressure the valve opens completely and allows water to flow freely.  The PLC calls for a pump to turn on and it comes on at full speed for however long it takes to build pressure back up and sustain flow.  This is what is called a fixed-speed system and this is very energy inefficient. 

old pump station control cabinet with PLC

old pressure tank

We decided that it was time to upgrade our control capability and take advantage of new technology.  The jockey pump and regulating valve were worn out and not functioning well and there was concern of interior deterioration of the pressure tank.  We've had to adjust our effective output down to 1000 GPM to prevent the system from shutting down.  The pump station was faulting more often than it would run successfully due to high and low pressure situations and component failure inside the cabinet.  The control cabinet was also becoming obsolete and components were either very expensive or impossible to find. 

The best time of year to do any work to a pump station is late fall/early winter when the need for irrigation is minimal.  We knew that we would have no capability to pump water for at least 7 days once work was started.  Contractors were selected for this specialized work and work began the week after Thanksgiving.

The work to be done included demolishing the cabinet, valve, and tank.  It also included removing and replacing the jockey pump and motor.  A new control cabinet would be put in place and a new manifold and section of pipe would replace the tank and valve.  The new cabinet would contain two variable frequency drives(VFD) that control the motors and pumps.  The VFD regulates the amount of power supplied to the motor and only allows the pumps to turn at the speed required to deliver the amount of water that is needed.  This is very energy efficient.  Radio receivers would be installed at the pump house and maintenance shop so that we could view real time pump performance.  This would also allow the greens staff to view the pump station PLC screen at any time and from anywhere using remote log-in to the irrigation computer.  In the future the radio communication will allow us to integrate the pump with the irrigation control computer for truly optimized pump performance.

Here are the main project phases in pictures:

Demolition of the old tank

Demolition of valve and control cabinet

Ready for manifold

New manifold going in

Manifold attached and skid primed

Carefully moving the new control cabinet in the door

New cabinet in place on the skid

Crane setting up to remove old jockey pump and motor

Pump coming out through opening in the roof

New pump going in

New pump installed and skid freshly painted

new, state-of-the-art, control cabinet PLC interface

Installation of radio receiver at maintenance building

With the work now completed, we expect to have a much more efficient pumping system.  We should realize a significant reduction in energy usage and associated cost.  Since we have a better functioning station, we should be able to effectively run at a higher GPM than in the past.  This will shorten the amount of time that it takes to run irrigation programs.  High and low pressure faults will mostly be eliminated with the new control system.  Dangerous pressure swings will also be eliminated and that should lower the number of pipe breaks we face every year.  This is a crucial infrastructure upgrade that benefits the golf course but is not something our golfers would normally see!

Matt Burton

Golf Course Superintendent

Little Bennett Golf Course