A week in Review

So much has happened in the last week its hard to remember where we started. We went from looking like we might not accomplish anything to seeding our first hole. Monday began as a total wash as we received an inch and a half of rain. Unfortunately the unproductivety spilled over into Tuesday as the course was a muddy mess that morning. By early afternoon it had begun to dry up enough to start the finish work on the 6th Fairway and laying sod around the 6th green.

Wednesday came with sunshine and much to be accomplished. Abe worked on finishing the seed bed prep on the 6th hole, we began ripping, disking and raking the 8th hole and prepping the green surround for sod. We had 3 truck loads of sod delivered on Thursday and Friday which finished off the 7th and 6th green surrounds and wrapped the fairway bunkers on the 6th hole.

We also spent Thursday and Friday doing final seedbed prep for 6 Rough and Fairway. It felt really good to see everything come together. As if all that wasn't enough we also began pouring cart paths this week and cleaning up the weeds on holes 9 and 10 to get them ready to rip.

By Saturday we were finally ready to seed the 6th hole. It was very exciting and was a huge step. After calibrating the spreaders and one or two hiccups seed was down and ready for water. It was a dusty mess but after spinning the heads a few times everything tightened up and we were able to build up soil moisture. Now its just time to wait and let the seed do its job.

Beginning the Sod on 6 Green Surround 

Lightly tilling 9 to clean up dead grass 

Sod around 7 Green Surround 

6 Green surround and Bunker being wrapped 

Bunker Complex with a bonus pot bunker sitting on top

Good looking Par 5 

Ripping 8 Fairway 

Cleaning up rocks on 8 

Cart paths going in 

Seed going down 

Let the water fly 

Drivable Par 4

There is much going on at the course this week. We've begun laying sod around green surrounds, prepping fairways for seed, installing drainage in bunkers and cart paths should be going down this week. Pictures will be forthcoming of all this excitement very soon but I'd like to take a minute and present the 9th hole first.

The Par 4 9th hole is a drivable par 4 at just over 330 yards. Temptation, folly, and reward liter this hole. Longer golfers will be aiming for the green while there wiser partners will choose a hybrid or fairway wood. A perfect drive will give you the opportunity to roll onto the green but a little left or a little right and you might wind up with bogey rather than birdie. Bunkers with high banks line the right side of the fairway while the left side slopes dow severely and is guarded by pot bunkers making for awkward and unpredictable recovery shots.

As the grow in continues I will update these posts with pictures of these holes sodded and seeded.

Fairway with bunkers waiting to catching errant shots.

Front of the fairway looking towards the green. Just passed the bunker on the left it drops off severely 

Bunkers lining the right of the fairway

George is tamping down the greens so we can Key it in. Green drops off nearly 8' to the left and back.

Severe Drop off 

Back side of the green

Back of the green looking down the fairway 

Back left corner 

Left Side 

New Season New Course

As summer comes to an end so does my time at Talbot CC. I learned a lot through the Fairway renovation and overall had an enjoyable experience. Having cut my teeth on a Bermuda renovation I'm excited to put my Rutgers training to the test on a full Bentgrass renovation.

I have accepted the position of First Assistant at Harbourtowne Golf and Resort. Harbourtowne is undergoing a full renovation with Golf Course Architect Pete Dye and his son PB Dye. The course is currently closed for the renovations and hopes to open in Spring of 2018. I'm very excited to have the opportunity to be a part of such a spectacular design team and learn from them and my Superintendent Mike Miller.

Moving forward I hope to post pictures of each of the holes from shaping to seeding and grow in. I'm going to begin with the Par 3 7th because it is one of my favorite holes and has such great character.

The Par 3 7th is a Biarritz hole design, meaning the green has a large "valley" in the center of it separating the putting surfaces (to see The Greenbriars Biarritz hole click here and here). The hole plays along the water catering errant shots. To the left of the green are pot bunkers and a "valley" created by building the green on a plateau. I can't wait to get seed in the ground and start growing this hole in.

Par Three as seen from the Tips 

The green being shaped, seen from the front left corner.

Looking back towards the tee. 

Side shot of the Biarritz Green, seen from 8 Tee