Clubhouse Fire Pit Propane Tank Installation

With the vision of GM Jerome Louie and the supervision of Assistant Superintendent Matt Smith, the installation of a fire pit behind the clubhouse has begun.

Yesterday the propane tank was put in place and the excavation for the pavers and fire pit itself was completed.

On April 10th the placement of the pavers and fire pit will be done by ProGreen Landscapes of Delaware

We decided to take advantage of having the mini-excavator onsite to prep the area for the pavers and fire pit even though installation is not until April 10th.

Some pictures of what was accomplished.

Plenty of rock at Fieldstone while digging the hole for the propane tank

Placement of the tank. The white bag is an anode that is placed inside the hole and connected to the tank to prevent corrosion.

Tank in place.

Backfilled and ready for mulch and landscaping.

Barberry bushes removed

Ready for installation

Cultural Practices for Fairway Improvement

Starting April 10 a contractor will be coming to Fieldstone to verticut and aerify fairways. This is something that very much excites us as we know these important cultural practices will enhance the playing quality of the golf course moving forward.

The benefits of aeration are widely known and by doing so in the Spring a quicker recovery is expected. While we verticut greens often, the fairways have not had this done to them in quite some time. Possibly not for over 10 years. Therefore, the first few times this occurs it may be a bit messy with the amount of thatch and leaf removal that will occur. Over time, once the practice has occurred on a routine basis the messy portion of the process will lessen. In the meantime, the verticutting process will help firm up the fairways and improve overall plant health.

Here is the machine that will be used with photos and a video to familiarize with the process.

Fairway Verticutting

Upcoming Course Schedule

Would like to update everyone on the overall schedule for the next three weeks. While my last day at Fieldstone is March 31, projects and agronomic practices will continue smoothly under the guidance of Assistant Golf Course Superintendent Matt Smith.

All of the following items are weather dependent:

-Week of March 27 will be the construction of the Durabunker in front of #18 green
-Seasonal H2B staff from Mexico should start work on April 3 or 4. That week pre-emergent herbicide will be applied to ALL areas of the golf course.
-Week of April 10 will be aerification of greens, tees and fairways along with the verticutting of fairways. Additional information to follow shortly on these practices.

18 Greenside Bunker Cont.-by Matt Smith, Assistant Superintendent

Due to the in climate weather on Tuesday we were delayed in the demolishing of the green side bunker.
Today we resumed the project and have completed the demolition. With the lost day due to weather the completion of the new Durabunker will be delayed until later next week.

Tommorow we will begin the process of making a shelf for the new Durabunker wall to sit on.  Once we have established a solid shelf we can begin the building of the new wall. 

18 Greenside Bunker-by Matt Smith, Assistant Superintendent

Demolition has begun on the old stacked sod bunker in front of 18 green.

 The new DuraBunker should be completed in about a week (weather depending) and will offer a fresh look and new feel for those of you who I see playing out of it. 

 With this project in process we will be placing a temporary pin on 18 fairway.

Durabunker Construction at #18 Green

Next week, weather dependent, we will be transforming the front greenside bunker on #18 to a stack sod bunker using Durabunker. This is the same material we used on the large bunker in #18 fairway.

Our Assistant Superintendent, Matt Smith, will be in charge of this project and updating the blog on a daily basis during the construction process. Matt started at Fieldstone in June of 2015. He is a graduate of the Rutgers Professional Turfgrass Management Program and has previously worked at French Creek Golf Club in Elverson, PA.

He looks forward to communicating through the blog during this process.

Plan for Area Between #6 and #13 Greens

With the trees removed between #6 and #13 greens there is a large area void of vegetation. The goal is to grass with Fine Fescue. However, seeding this turf type in the Spring is very difficult. Here is a link to a research article on the subject: Spring Fescue Seeding. I have also reached out to local golf courses to determine if any have had success with spring seeding. Unfortunately, no one has.  

Therefore we will seed in late summer, most likely using a hydroseeder. In the meantime we have tilled all the wood chips into the soil.

We will establish groundcover in this location and keep it mowed to 6 inches for this year. Then we will remove the groundcover in late summer and seed the Fine Fescue.

Please note, it takes 2-3 years for the Fine Fescue to fully establish.