Toro Sand Pro bunker pump...

Brian Boyer, Cinnabar Hills Golf Club, San Jose, CA:

"Having recorded 11.6" of rain since October (12.53" all of last season), we have finally been able to use our newest bunker pump attachment for the Toro SandPro. This is the first time I saw it in action on our course and I was amazed. The operator drove in the bunker and before I could get my camera ready, water was shooting out the nozzle.

While you see a huge jet of water here, you can o hook the pump to a discharge hose and guide the water to a drain. At this point, a little more water isn't going to hurt anything."

Visit Brian's blog at cinnabarhills.blogspot.com.

Bandon Gives the CC Set an Education

Michael Stachowicz, turf consultant to the National Park Service, National Mall, Washington, DC:

or, Bandon Dunes thumbs nose at opulent golf.

"On a recent trip to Bandon Dunes I was talking to an employee who mentioned that there are people who show up at the golf mecca on the Oregon coast who are disappointed. Why? Because it is hard (the ground and in the execution of the game). Because it is not lush or emerald green. Because there are no carts. Because there are less than desirable lies. Self reliance is needed to navigate the countryside.

It is a club that is comfortable in its own skin; it has nothing to prove. The buildings are well designed and modern with industrial materials, but certainly not fancy or pretentious. The well seasoned staff is its opulence, where service is exceptional without being smarmy (which is another whole article... how do you accomplish that?). The attentive staff that anticipate your needs without smothering you. And they love their resort... that is very evident. It is just a completely wonderful place to be.

It is golf without pretension. Firm and fast conditions that dare you to whine about an unfair lie... it is not very manly to blame your lot in golf (or life) on something or someone other than your own shot execution. And, make no mistake, it is a man's golf haven with good drinks, hearty food, outdoor fireplace, and cigar bar and all of these things are offered at very reasonable prices. They want you to have a good time. And they do this without trying hard... it is a golf resort unplugged, stripped down. Understated elegance.

In golf we spend too much time chasing a hotel management style which is expensive and has diminishing returns...

In golf we spend too much time chasing a hotel management style which is expensive and has diminishing returns. This is where your every need is attended to, like chocolates on your pillow at night. On the course it is hot towels, cold towels, swept cart paths, raked cart paths, flowers, signs, multiple yardage systems (at one point a course I worked at had yardage stakes, plates, marked sprinklers, range finders, colored flags, and was considering gps), and... you get the idea. Bandon is much closer to what golf is in the UK. And I am not making a comparison when it comes to the links aspect of the courses (an easy comparison for sure), I am talking about golf as a sport, not an activity.

A sport at a club is what Bandon is. Country Clubs are becoming places where golf is a game at a hotel/restaurant along with tennis and bridge. A sport requires some self reliance, some imagination. A game has a more defined and controlled aspect to it. No one would call hunting, hiking, climbing, kayaking, running games... these are sports. At country clubs, golf is becoming a game like bridge, where getting the right snacks, who you sit next to, and the correct room temperature are the most important things. Out in mother nature this type of approach is expensive.

It is the anti country club, anti hotel management, anti game, pro sport and it is wonderful...

"The emails I would be getting if my conditions were like this on any given day," said my playing partner who was a greenkeeper. And he wasn't the only one, a group of superintendents all playing Bandon had the same thing to say about their home courses.

Bunkers are not raked by any other means than the by the ones using them. Chances were greater than not that you were going to not have a very good lie in the bunkers... they became feared and you knew short of divine intervention that it was going to be three shots to get in the hole from there. The turf is barely fertilized leading to lighter green with a definite patina you would expect from a much older golfer course - one that is centuries old. This led to very little plant tissue under your ball making touch shots difficult, but allowing for all sorts of roll. The naturalized areas are not homogenous at all... they reflect the natural character and fauna of the area. There was no monostand of fescue greenkeepers are trying to figure out how to produce across the country. It is the anti country club, anti hotel management, anti game, pro sport and it is wonderful.

This was a challenge. This was meditative. This was fun. No worries other than shot execution. No club politics or agendas. This trip brought it all into focus for me...

This type of conditioning requires imagination and endurance both mentally and physically. Physically and mentally because of the walking, the wind, firm surfaces, and the variety of shots required. I quickly found out that I could not flop a shot from the fairways with a sand wedge, so I started putting from fifty yards out. I figured out the math in choosing a club based on how the wind felt. I learned how to not make a bad shot worse. I learned how to play the highest percentage shots for me and not some cartoon version of myself who plays a high reliable draw. It mattered which side of the green I missed it on. This was a challenge. This was meditative. This was fun. No worries other than shot execution. No club politics or agendas. This trip brought it all into focus for me.

Which is why it is inadvertently giving the middle finger to golfers, country club members, and golf course owners who don't get it. Who think they can buy prestige and when they miss the mark they look like posers. The cost of opulence isn't worth the return. Golf can be the best experience with minimal inputs and engaged staff. Good training and a rigorous vision from up above. Installing chandeliers in the clubhouse, or doing a rebuild, and/or spending money to eliminate every unfair shot on the course, Bandon proves, is a waste of money. Bandon is a success without spending in excess and at the same time focusing on what is important."

Visit Michael's blog at mstachowicz.wordpress.com/

Tech...

Neil Radatz, CGCS, Hawk's Landing Golf Club, Verona, WI:

"I have been using most forms of technology for the last few years, as in computers, ipad, smart phone. All of these are linked together through Google so that I can have access to my irrigation system and files at a moments notice.

I have a blog as well as Twitter account to keep you informed at least weekly, and almost daily during the golf season here at Hawks.

Taking time now to learn about all of the tech that we have access to will allow us to spend less time in the office and more time on the course.

I do not even now consider myself a expert in computers and continue to learn about this technology every day. I have recently set up another computer for our Assistant to have access to important files that he will use daily and have linked these into a Google Drive account that I use to upload record keeping files.

I have written a few programs to streamline our record keeping in the future and have the ability to keep everything organized neatly on a Drive account. I also have a web based printer that will allow use to print any of these files easily, even on the course.

Taking time now to learn about all of the tech that we have access to will allow us to spend less time in the office and more time on the course."

Visit Neil's blog at http://hawkslandinggreens.blogspot.com/.

The Diversion...

Sean McCue, Country Club at Castle Pines, Castle Rock, CO:

"Ever since the bunker renovation took place on the golf course back in 2007 we have fought washout issues with some of the flashed sand faces. This was to be expected and construction materials such as geotextile liners were utilized to help reduce the washouts, which they did for the most part.

Our most problematic bunker on the course from a washout standpoint was the left hand fairway bunker on the 18th hole. We knew durring construction this we be an issue and did all we could given our financial limitations at the time to divert water flow. What was done was not nearly enough and with recent talk about eliminating this bunker because of the labor drain to maintain it, we jumped into action.

In my opinion this is a critical bunker that defines the tee shot on the closing hole and without it a key architectural and strategic element would be lost.

During the renovation work we took great care to tie our re-grading into the existing contours and make the work appear to have never happened. This was a challenge due to the fact we brought in nearly 200 yards of soil for this bunker alone. The end result is one that beefed up the bunker faces and a creation of a mound and swale to divert surface sheet flow of water around the bunker and not through it.

Before left) and after creation of a mound and swale to divert surface sheet flow around the bunker and not through it.

This bunker now has both form and function from an agronomic and architectural point and maybe instilling a little fear in the golfer as this being something avoided at all cost."

Visit Sean's blog at cccpgcm.blogspot.com.

Winter work...

John Slade, Laurel Creek Country Club, Mount Laurel, NJ:

With hazard stakes located on 16 of our 18 holes, there are hundreds of these to be checked and made ready for next year.

"While things may not be quite as hectic in the winter as they are during the golf season, it doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of work to be done. To a large extent, the tasks we're working on now are geared towards having a successful 2013 season.

One of the important jobs we can address now is to resurface the hazard stakes. Originally, these stakes were pieces of 2" X 3" wood which had to be painted annually, and only lasted a few years, since they would eventually rot.

However, about 10 years ago we purchased some lengths of colored recycled plastic, which we then cut into stakes. While these are much more durable than wood, there is some fading of the surface layer from exposure to the sun.

But the great thing with plastic is that the color is throughout the stake, so there is a simple procedure to make them shine again. We run the stakes through a planer every couple of years, removing a very small amount of the faded, outside material. This reveals the shiny red material within, and best of all, there's no rotten stakes, or paint to deal with!"

Visit John's blog at laurelcreeksuper.blogspot.com.

Bunker Sand Renovation...

David Dore-Smith, Copperleaf Golf Club, Bonita Springs, FL:

A crew of 8 applies the sand throughout the course and streamlines the process.

"A contractor has recently been employed to install a new layer of sand in all of our bunkers.

The sand being used is from a local mine and is called 'G Angle'. Different from the sand that has been used in the past, this sand is crushed at the mine to create angular granules. Most Florida sand is round in shape and can create softer playing conditions within the bunkers due to its structure and ability to compact. The G Angle meets the USGA recommendations for bunker sand.

This new sand, due to its varying angles, resists compaction and so doesn't allow the ball to sink into the profile.

During this process, our own staff members have been hard at work preparing several bunkers for the new sand. Over 10 bunkers had all of the original sand removed due to contamination from organic material and drainage gravel.

A crew of 8 applies the sand throughout the course and streamlines the process.

Over 650 tons of the sand has been installed throughout the course and is now providing consistent playing conditions and a beautiful contrast between the sand and the green turfgrass surrounding it.

Please be aware that it will take some time for the sand to settle. Daily raking with our bunker raking machines and the use of irrigation water will help with this process."

Visit David's blog at copperleafgcm.com.

The Insulation of Snow...

Chris Tritabaugh, Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, MN:

Any golf course superintendent's turfgrass and golf course management philosophy relies heavily on observation. Mine is no different, in fact I would say observation is the most important aspect of my philosophy. At Hazeltine we are fortunate to have Toro Turfguard sensors in each of the putting surfaces. These sensors are buried in the surface of the green and give constant information on temperature, moisture content and salinity levels. All of this information is easily accessible from any internet connection and can be viewed at any time.

The photo below shows temperature readings from the sensor buried in the first green. The first day on the graph is Saturday, December 8th. On this day you can see the temp bottomed out in the morning, went up about one degree by 4pm, then fell again as the sun went down. On Sunday the 9th, the course received about 10 inches of snow. As the snow fell and insulated the ground you can see the temp steadily rise. This rise continued Monday until the temp eventually leveled off. Then in the next couple of days the temps remained very stable due to the insulation of the snow.

I will post these photos occasionally over the next few months so everyone can see how snow and air temps affect the soil temps of our greens during winter.

Visit Chris's blog at hngcturfgrass.blogspot.com.

You never know what you'll find...

Ben Rink, Champaign Country Club, Champaign, IL:

While cutting up a pine tree from between #15 and #16 fairways, we ran across a golf ball that had obviously been lost some years ago.

Based on the rings on the tree, we estimate it was lost sometime between 1988 and 1992! If you are missing a Hogan 1 with a logo on it, let me know (although we "damaged" it a bit with the chainsaw)!

You just never know what you'll find on a golf course..."

Visit Ben's blog at cccgolfcourseupdate.blogspot.com.