The following post was prepared by Kirk Hudson, Second
Assistant Superintendent. Kirk joined
the Glen Oaks team last fall. Kirk
graduated in the spring of 2013 from ISU with a degree in Turf grass
Management. Throughout his time at Iowa State Kirk worked at Veenker Memorial, as
well as completing internships at Copper Creek and Wakonda Club. He did a great
job assisting with the irrigation installation and construction of the newly
renovated south tee box along with the rest of the Glen Oaks grounds staff.
New Driving Range Tee
box installation
The construction of our new expanded tee box on the south
end of the driving range began last September. The new design added nearly
18,000 square feet of tee surface by consolidating and enlarging the area into
one tee surface totaling nearly one acre.
The first step in the construction process was to remove the
existing sod from the site and harvest as much of the existing sand based
growth medium as possible to be reused for the new tee.
Figure 1: Laser
grading the tee box surface
Once the tee box had been shaped and leveled we began
installing the irrigation system. All of the exsisting irrigation heads,
valves, and couplers were removed from the site before construction began. Our full
time staff worked together on designing the new irrigation system that would
provide efficient coverage for the tee box. Head spacing, quick coupler
location, angle/arc of the sprinklers, and overall coverage were some of the
inputs we incorporated into our design. Each part of the system was pre
measured, marked, and flagged before the trenching began. Once the earth moving
and trenches were complete the irrigation system was quickly assembled. The
pipes, sprinkler heads, quick couplers, and wiring were all installed within a
couple long days of work.
Figure 2: Irrigation
pipe and sprinkler heads are laid out to allow for quick assembly
Figure 3: Each head
was wired in to connect with our satellite boxes and automated computer
irrigation system
Figure 4: New satellite
boxes are installed and wired to accommodate for the new sprinkler heads
Once the irrigation system was installed, the trenches were
then backfilled and tamped to ensure limited movement of any of the pipes or
sprinkler heads. The next step was to install the sub-surface drainage system.
New trenches were cut and drainage tile was installed throughout the entire tee
box. Each trench was backfilled with pea gravel to allow for excess water
movement out and away from the tee.
Figure 5: Charging up the new irrigation system
Once all the sub-surface construction was complete we
covered the tee box with a four inch layer of sand. The sand cap allows for
quick drainage of excess water, less compaction, and a good growth medium for
the seedlings. Finally it was time to seed the new tee box. A blend of
bentgrass cultivars were selected to provide the tee box with a uniform
appearance, the ability to withstand stress and disease, and the ability to
repair itself from the constant damage incorporated with a driving range tee
use.
Figure6: The crew worked late into the night laying tile
and backfilling the trenches for the drainage system
Figure7: Sand cap is leveled and ready to be seeded
Figure 8: Starter fertilizer and seed being applied to the
tee box
Figure 9: A grow cover is used to cover the entire tee box
to aid in seedling growth and protection during the winter
Figure10: Looking under the cover in late fall to see the
very small creeping bentgrass seeds germinating
Figure 11: Taking another look under the cover before any
snowfall and finding a good stand of creeping bentgrass growing
Three large grow covers were used to cover the entire tee
box for the winter months. These covers provide protection for the seedlings
and help to minimize winter desiccation. When the grow covers are removed in
the spring, the new stand of creeping bentgrass will not be mature enough for
use just yet. The new tee will undergo a
grow-in period while nutrients, water, and cultural practices, such as mowing,
will be provided to the plants allowing them to develop and mature. During the
grow-in period the bentgrass plants will develop root systems and grow both
vertically and laterally to increase the density of the turfgrass stand.
In summary we were able to convert three of our driving range tees into one large tee box. This expansion added an additional 18,000 sq. ft. of hitting surface by re-grading and leveling almost an acre of land on the South tee. The new tee construction also allowed us to upgrade the irrigation system and seed in new cultivars of bentgrass that are more suitable for driving range use. These upgrades will provide the members with an overall higher quality hitting surface by extending recovery time. We are excited about the improvements to the driving range and hope the membership enjoys it.
In summary we were able to convert three of our driving range tees into one large tee box. This expansion added an additional 18,000 sq. ft. of hitting surface by re-grading and leveling almost an acre of land on the South tee. The new tee construction also allowed us to upgrade the irrigation system and seed in new cultivars of bentgrass that are more suitable for driving range use. These upgrades will provide the members with an overall higher quality hitting surface by extending recovery time. We are excited about the improvements to the driving range and hope the membership enjoys it.
