Bunker Project Update Week 8

Bunker Project Update

As we finish week 8 of construction the end is in sight!!  All of the bunkers have now had gravel installed and have been sprayed with the polymer.  The last step is to get sand in the final 11 bunkers and finish some sod wok on 18.  If the weather holds up we should be done with the bunkers by opening day on April 13^th.  The project went very smoothly, especially since the contractor dedicated a ton of labor resources allowing us to stay ahead of schedule.  Working with John LaFoy has been awesome.  His diligent work prior to construction allowed us to accurately estimate and budget the materials we would need so we wouldn’t be socked with cost overruns.  The new look at JRCC has helped to rejuvenate the property and allows us to put our best foot forward for the membership and any guests that play our course.

Moving forward there will still be a lot of work, and some inconvenience, as we grow in the newly sodded areas and fine tune our bunker raking program.  In order to keep the new sod alive we will be doing a lot of watering which will soften the turf areas around the bunkers in addition to keeping the sand wetter than we would like.  Approaches won’t be as firm as usual and carts will need to be cautious around the new bunkers.

On the grow-in portion of the project we will be letting the sod grow and not doing any edging of the bunkers for a few months.  They will look a little shaggier than what we are used to, but we want to get the turf established and knit in before we do any mechanical removal of turf that could damage the liner.  Also, there will be some weeds in the grass, especially during the green up.  Herbicide does a lot of damage to Bermuda when it is trying to green up.  Once it is well established, we will spray out the weeds.  I am sure not all of the sod will survive that we laid this winter so any pieces that don’t green up will be re-sodded.

The project has eliminated the old bunker liner, fixed bunkers that were previously holding water, provided a new consistent playing medium that will not wash out during heavy rain events, and given the property a whole new look.  JRCC continues to invest in its property for the long term enjoyment of their membership.

Bunker Update Week 6

Bunker Update Week 6

After almost 6 weeks of work on the bunkers things are really start to come together.  We have 6 holes completed for a total of 20 bunkers.

On our second phase we have 24 bunkers that have been shaped already, leaving only holes 1, 17, and 18 to remove the old sand and shape the new bunkers.

We are planning on spraying the polymer on Monday or Tuesday of next week.  We should have around 15 more bunkers ready to spray and will only need sand to be completed.  Keeping our fingers crossed for no rain to keep us moving!!

Bunker Update Week 5

Bunker Update Week 5

As we finish our 5^th week of bunker reconstruction I am extremely happy with the progress we have made.  We have 16 bunkers that are completely finished!  Four more that only need sand added to complete the first set of holes.  This would include 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13 and the practice bunker.  The second phase is full steam ahead with 24 more bunkers under way.  As of the end of the day on Monday the 18^th there are only 1 more of those bunkers to rough shape.  The crew has installed gravel and drainage in 6 bunkers so far and should be done sodding around the second phase this week.  Very exciting!!

Bunker Update Week 4

Bunker Update Week 4

As we approach the end of the fourth week of the bunker renovation project bunkers are starting to be completed!  We started adding sand to the new bunkers on Thursday beginning with number 13.

By the end of the week all of the bunkers on 13 will be complete as well as a few others.

The new look is very exciting and will freshen up the look at James River moving forward toward our centennial celebration!  The membership is welcome to play out of the new bunkers, but please take a mandatory drop from the sodded areas.

We will be finished spraying the polymer in the first 20 bunkers this weekend, please stay out of any bunker that has a beware sign in front of it.  The polymer is very sticky and not good for you or your clothes until it dries, and we do not want to compromise the liner by disturbing it while it is curing.

The next phase of bunkers includes numbers 2, 12, and 14-16.  We will be removing the old material and shaping the next set of bunkers using the same procedure as phase 1.  Keep your fingers crossed for dry weather so we can stay on schedule!!

Bunker update week 3

Bunker update week 3

The weather has held off this week and we have gotten a ton done on the project!!  As of Thursday afternoon we have completely sodded around 5 bunkers.

We have 20 bunkers that are currently under construction.  All of them have been shaped and edged, and by the end of the week they should all have drainage and gravel in them.  Next week we will be sodding around the rest of those 20 bunkers.  We will also be spraying the Better Billy Bunker polymer on the first batch as well as starting to install the sand.  The construction will move toward 11 fairway and 15 greenside bunkers.

Bunker project week 2 Feb 17-24

Bunker project week 2  

Feb 17-24

The second week of the project went well considering we were only able to work 4 days due to all the rain we had.  The Architect was out on Monday afternoon and approved 17 bunker for drainage.  He painted the lines to delineate where the sand will be and the crew dug out the edges to install drain pipe and gravel.  Two inches of gravel go in first then ultimately sod around the bunker and 5-6 inches of sand to bring the bottom of the bunker up to the edge line.  We got the drainage done on the left side bunker on 13 the second week.  To date we have cleaned out 19 bunkers, filled in one bunker and edged 5 bunkers.  The beginning of week three look like great weather, we should be able to drain many more bunkers and get in a truck of sod to tie in the edges.

Bunker Project Week 1 Summary Feb 11-17.

Bunker Project Week 1 

Contractor worked 40 hours.

Only 4 days due to rain or wet conditions

Cleaned out 17 Bunkers.  All of 6, 7, 11, 13, practice bunker, green side on 8, fairway bunkers on 10.

Rough shaped 11 bunkers.  All of 7,11,13, Fairway bunkers on 10, practice bunker.

LaFoy will be here on Tuesday or Wednesday to approve shaping and place paint line for sand edge on shaped bunkers.

Rough Sod estimate on first 11 bunkers is 13,500 sq ft.

Once shaping is approved, we will begin edging and draining the bunkers.  Should happen this week.

We have taken delivery of 123 Tons of gravel so far.

Fill dirt at the shop has been excellent.  Area by old rain shelter did not yield good material.

February 12, 2019 Bunker Project Video

February 12, 2019

The bunker project is officially underway, only one day behind schedule.  Rain kept us off the course on Monday, but Tuesday we got the crew started.  We started near the shop to facilitate less damage to the course while transporting material to the dumps site.  Sand, sod and old drain lines are being removed until it dries out enough to start hauling soil back in to shape the new edges.

January 24, 2019

The week started out really cold with temperatures in the teens, then highs in the 60’s followed by heavy rains.  Two out of the first four days we worked in the shop on some cleaning and organizing.  We started painting the concrete floor to help keep the dust down and to brighten up the interior.  The new paint combined with some upgraded LED lights has made a huge improvement to the previously dark interior.

Once we got some paint on the floor and walls, we pulled out some old tables and a tool peg board and put up some new shelving so that everything has a home.  Every cloud has a silver lining!

We did manage to get some outside work done on Wednesday including spraying around some green complexes for winter weeds.

January 17, 2019

Even though we picked up over an inch and a half of rain over the weekend it has been a very productive week here at JRCC for the golf and grounds maintenance staff.  Last week we picked up most of the leaves from the turf and areas, this week we have been focusing on the beds.  Very clean look to the property now.

Deep tine aeration has continued with work being done on number 12 and number 14. We are approximately halfway done with the tee marker project and they are looking great out on the course.  One of the sunken catch basins on 13 got some attention this week in the form of repairing a broken drain line that was causing the soil to erode and then the ground to sink above it.  There are a number of other basins that need attention and we will continue working on them as time permits.

It looks like rain on Sunday followed by extreme cold temperatures Monday morning.  Keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t have an ice storm!!  Get out and play some golf before the bad weather arrives!!

January 11, 2019

It’s been a great week for golf maintenance, lack of rain and nice weather has allowed us to remove the leaves from even the wet holes!  Tuesday and Wednesday warmer temps brought out the golfers and the course looked awesome.  Greens were cut, bunkers raked, cups changed, it was an absolute pleasure to be out on the course.  Bunker renovation plans continue as we approach the start date.  Below are a before and after pictures simulating the new edges.  So exciting!!

Happy New Year

This week we have been trying to finish up the rest of the leaves on the course as weather permits.  The deep tine aerator completed number 11 and started working on number 1 between rain events.  Unfortunately, conditions remain saturated heading into the weekend.  Greens were mowed on Friday and should be great when the rain subsides.  On the bright side we have had a chance to get started on painting tee markers and ball washers.  We have brought in a single marker from each set of 2 on a number of holes.  This way the teeing ground is still marked by the other marker.  This process will continue until we get them finished up.