Cape Arundel Golf Club

Greens Repair

2011-05-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

A current project we are working on is repairing some damaged areas on the putting greens. Most of the damage was sustained during the renovation project of 2009-10. Several greens were repaired last fall, and the work is continuing this spring. The process involves removing grass and dirt from the damaged areas and re-sodding with new bentgrass. Last fall we used grass from the practice putting green at the clubhouse, and this year we are using sod grown in Berwick, Maine.

Members of the maintenance staff repairing the 4th green.

Assistant Superintendent Jon Nappi installing a roll of sod.

Rolls of sod awaiting installation on the 4th green.

We have worked on greens 1-4 this week.

Pump House and Irrigation

2010-01-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

January 2010

The last run of mainline irrigation pipe, being hooked up to the pump house.

Connecting the mainline pipe to the drop pipe coming out of the pump house.

The pump house foundation.

In progress pump house construction.

Pump Station Delivery

2010-01-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

After a short holiday break, work is once again progressing on the golf course. The pump station was delivered in early January, and Leibold irrigation is on site continuing to put pipe into the ground.

The pump station on the truck, and awaiting installation.

Lowering the pump station into position on the pump house foundation. The station has a total of 3 pumps: 2, 40 HP pumps to power the sprinklers, and 1, 7.5 HP pressure maintenance pump.

One of the pump shafts being lowered into position.

Pump motor 2 ready for installation.

Golf Course Feature Work

2009-11-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

The work on the golf course improvements is 95% complete. All rebuilt tees have been sodded, and all new bunkers have been built, drained, and sodded. The remaining work includes the bunker at the 10th green, which needs new drainage and the right, 13th greenside bunker that needs new sand. All main drain lines have been installed, and there is about 2,000 feet of lateral drain pipe left to be installed. Please enjoy the photos.

The rebuilt 12th tees.

The restored rear greenside bunker on 8.

The restored fairway bunkers on the 8th hole.

The restored bunker complex on the right side of the 7th hole.

Pond

2009-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

The excavation and shaping of the pond is complete. Sodding of the banks, cart path work, and pump house construction are ongoing.

A photo of the pond before construction, taken from the 6th tee.

The new pond, from the 6th tee, filled to the "low water level". The pond now has an overflow structure that allows us to adjust the water level within a 2 foot range.

The pond from the causeway to the 5th green.

Looking back from the 6th green to the tee. The bank has recently been sodded.

The pump house foundation.

2009-11-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Oct 22 Update

2009-10-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

The new 2nd front and mid tee.

The 2nd back tee leveled and ready for sod.

Installation of the wet well at the 6th pond. The wet well is where the water enters the irrigation system, to be pumped out onto the course.

A picture of the wet well intake pipe.

Week 3

2009-09-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Irrigation installation at the 5th tee.

A shot of the pond excavation, looking from 5 towards the 6th green.

The new fairway bunkers on the 11th hole, as seen from the back tee.

The newly sodded 16th tee.

September 11th Photos

2009-09-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

The 15th tee complex, including the new back tee.

Drainage installation in the 14th fairway.

A shot of the 15th fairway, XGD drainage system.

September 9th

2009-09-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

The above photo shows the 6th pond with most of the water drained out.

The 1st green after drainage installation.

Shaping of the new 17th forward tee.

Sept. 8 Photos

2009-09-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Drainage installation in the 1st green.

The 1st green as seen from the fairway.

Drainage installation in the 15th fairway.

Leveling and shaping of the 16th tee.

Construction Prep Work

2009-09-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

The pre-construction work has begun on the golf course. The two contractors, Leibold Irrigation and TDI Golf, have started to move in their equipment, and materials are beginning to arrive onsite. Leibold has set up their office trailer and irrigation part storage containers at the maintenance facility. As you play the course you may notice some paint lines in the rough, fairways and greens. The lines in the rough typically indicate pipe routing for the new irrigation system, while the green and fairway lines denote new mowing patterns.

This pictures show the future site of 2 irrigation controllers and a lightening siren. There are 8 controller sites on the golf course, and 5 lightening sirens.

The staging area for Leibold Irrigation, near the maintenance facility.

Unloading irrgation pipe between the 5th and 7th fairways. The pipe size ranges from 2" to 10".

More updates on the way!

More Bridge Photos

2009-05-31T06:29:00.000-07:00

This photo shows the 10th green side of the 14th bridge. The new 14th and 18th tees can be seen in the picture. The newly hydro- seeded areas are beginning to germinate and fill in.

A shot taken on the 14th fairway side of the bridge, showing the new 14 mid/forward tee. All cart traffic is now routed to the right side of the tee.

These last two pictures show the 11th fairway side of the bridge, with the new cart paths built into the hillside.

I will now be notifying members of new blog updates through the Cape Arundel's email blast system. Those who are interested can also sign up at Google Alerts (google.com/alerts) to receive email notification of blog updates.

New Tee Pictures

2009-05-08T05:04:00.000-07:00

Here some pictures of the rebuilt tees on either side of the 14/18 bridge.

This photo shows sod being rolled out on the 18th forward tee. We elected to use 30 inch wide, 50 feet long rolls of sod to promote faster rooting, and in turn faster opening of the tees.

A shot of the sod being rolled out on the 14th mid/front tee. Staff member Ray Platt (right) and Assistant Superintendent Jon Nappi prepare the tee surface for the sod.

Staff member Preston Gilbert cuts in the sod around the 14th back tee.

From left, Peter Rumery, Richard Welch, and Bob Marthia trim the sod around the 14th back tee.

Next update May 22nd. Thank You.

Quick Update

2009-05-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

The finish work around the bridge abutments is progressing nicely. Bruce Hepner was in the week of the 20th to rebuild a few tees and re-route the cart paths around the bridge entrances. I will post some photos of the work before the end of this week.

Please note that the greens aeration scheduled for this week has been postponed until next week. We will be punching small holes and applying minimal topdressing so I expect the recovery time to be minimal.

Opening Day

2009-04-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

We made through the winter and we've started another season. Greens, tees, and aprons have all been mowed at least once, and we hope to mow the fairways this weekend. The course is in good shape. If anything, it's a bit dry, and we actually had to water a few greens today; a rarity for April.

Here are a few pictures of the course.

The two new bridges as seen from the 17th fairway.

The 1st green looking down from the fairway.

Some of the wildlife of Cape Arundel, a Tom turkey and a female to the left of the 18th green.

Next blog update May 1st. See you on the course!

April 3rd Update

2009-04-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

The bridge structures are complete. Bruce Hepner, golf course architect, is due to arrive the week of April 20th to complete shaping and cart path routing in the areas around the bridge abutments. The snow is completely gone from the golf course and the turf appears to be in good shape. Things are beginning to green up and we are on target for an opening day of April 17th. If it would stop raining for more than a day, I would consider mowing the greens for the first time this season!

The remainder of the post will be dedicated to how the maintenance staff occupies its time during the "off-season". We maintain more than 130 pieces of equipment, and below is a sampling of some of the work this entails.

This pictures shows a group of fairway reels waiting to be assembled. We mow fairways with 2 tractors. Each tractor has 5 cutting units that do the actual grass cutting. We maintain a back-up set of units for each tractor, for a total of 20 cutting units. When one set of cutting units become dull, the back-up set is put into use, and the dull set is sharpened, minimizing downtime. Each unit is sharpened 3 to 4 times per season. The units have a lifespan of 4 seasons, at which point the reels become to small to re-sharpen and other parts of the unit wear out. When this occurs, the units are torn down, the individual parts are evaluated and replaced as needed, and then the unit is re-assembled.

A close-up of the parts that make-up a cutting unit. The red parts are original, they were cleaned and repainted by the staff. The black and yellow parts are new replacements of the originals.

Equipment technician Peter Rumery (right) and Ray Platt re-assemble a cutting unit.

A row of re-built cutting units ready to cut grass!

The next post will be on April 17th, our anticipated opening day.

Bridge Update

2009-03-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the latest bridge work.

This photo shows the view across to the 14th forward tee.

This bridge is almost complete, with just a few more screws to put into the deck.

Here is a view of the 11/13 bridge as seen from the 14th forward tee.

The view across the 11/13 bridge, looking towards the 10th green
and the clubhouse. This bridge is also nearing completion,
with only a few more planks to fasten down.

As you can see from the pictures, the snow is almost gone from the course. My staff and I are busy preparing for an anticipated mid-April opening.

The next post is scheduled for April 3rd. Also, please note that I've added a new column to the right side of the blog. I will use this space to post the dates of any upcoming maintenance activities on the golf course.

Thanks to all who have been following the blog.

Decking and Snow

2009-03-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

The installation of the bridge decking is progressing nicely. It is a slow process because each board and metal support must be pre-drilled and then fastened down with screws.

The bridge across to 14 with some of the decking installed.

The 14th bridge with the decking piled up at one end.

Throughout the winter we closely monitor the snow and ice conditions on the golf course. We look for ice build-up under the snow, particularly on the putting greens. Too much ice cover for an extended period of time can be harmful to the turf. These two pictures show members
of the maintenance staff removing snow from the 7th and 17th greens, in an effort to melt the ice that has built up underneath. We start with the most sensitive greens and work our way around the course.

From now until the summer golfing season begins, this blog will be updated every two weeks. We will use this space to keep you updated on activities within the maintenance department and out on the golf course.

Next update will be on Friday March 20th.
Thank You.

Second Bridge In!

2009-02-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

The second new bridge has been installed.

Here are some pictures.

The bridge is lowered onto a barge and pulled across

to the other side.

A view of the "big" crane and the bridge.

The new bridge as seen from the entrance road.

Workers installing the decking support rails.

This blog will be updated again Friday, March 6.

No Bridge Yet

2009-02-23T04:37:00.000-08:00

Due to a couple of winter storms last week,

the second bridge has not been installed yet.

We expect the installation to occur by

Wednesday of this week. Here are a few

pictures of the work up to date.

The 14/18 bridge seen from the 13th green approach.

The new bridge decking awaiting installation.

The view across the 14/18 bridge.

Assembly of the 2nd bridge.

Quick Update

2009-02-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

The second bridge is arriving in sections. As of today, 2 pieces have been unloaded near the 11th fairway, with the final piece due to arrive Saturday. Installation is scheduled for next week. The next update, with pictures, will be available online Sunday, February 22. Please check back to see the progress.

Bridge Installation

2009-02-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a run-down of the installation of the first bridge.

Crane 1 is positioned on the riverbank near the 14th forward tees.

Crane 2, and the bridge, are positioned on the opposite bank,
near the 10th green.

The bridge is hoisted into position, by crane 2, and placed on top of
a barge situated in the river.

A line is attached to the truck on the far bank, and a winch

on the truck begins pulling the bridge, and barge, across the gap.

The bridge is pulled across the gap.

Finally, cranes 1 and 2 pick up the bridge, the barge is pulled out of the way

and set into position. A very exciting day at

Cape Arundel to say the least!

All of us on the maintenance staff would like to thank

everyone who made this possible.

Brendan

Arrival Of The First New Bridge!

2009-02-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

Final grading of the new bridge abutment near the 14th hole

forward tee. The temperature was -17 at the time.

A picture showing the bridge abutment with

holes to accomodate irrigation pipes.

Looking across towards the 18th fairway.

The first section of the 14/18 bridge arrives in the parking lot.

Preparing to unload a bridge section near the 18th forward tee.

Last Take-Down

2009-02-05T04:49:00.000-08:00

The following pictures show the "old" wooden bridge removal process.

After the handrails are removed, Jon, Gary and Preston

begin taking up the deck

Bob and Gary remove the nails from the deck planks.

The nails are later collected and disposed of properly.

Ready for the new bridge! All that remains is footprints.

This photo shows the early preparation work for the installation of the new bridges.

Four equipment travel paths were staked-out on the course

to confine vehicle traffic, and any associated damage, to a limited area.

The Final Assembly

2009-02-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

Just a few photos of the last bridge building effort from Spring 2008. All of us on the staff agree that 3 weeks in the river is no way to start a golf season. We won't miss it...well, maybe a little.