Get the Rock out of here

Over the past month, the Copperleaf Maintenance Department has been tirelessly working to remove buried rocks and other debris from beneath the turf surface on our tees and now fairways.

Our machine in action on Hole 7 using solid tines to find rocks

Rocks identified on Hole 17 Tee

Rocks being removed on Hole 12

There have always been several problematic areas throughout the course where the turf grass simply does not perform as well as the grass surrounding it. These areas are maintained the same way with regard to irrigation, fertilization and mowing, however, they show signs of stress and discoloration throughout the year.

Several years ago, a machine was contracted in an attempt to relieve the compaction in these areas to allow for increased water and fertilizer penetration and improve oxygen exchange in an attempt to provide a consistent and healthy playing surface. Unfortunately this machine discovered areas of buried rocks that would need to be physically removed to improve the area.

This machine is called "The Beast" and it struggled to penetrate into our fairway on Hole 6

The task of identifying and removing the rocks has been on the "to do list" for many years but due to the demand of completing other projects such as building rock walls as well as landscaping and irrigation projects, this task has always been postponed.

The rocks have always been under the surface since the course was built back in 1999/2000. Please remember that the construction work performed last year consisted of a "no till" grassing process where the new grass was installed into the existing fairway contours and teeing grounds. There were modifications made to the greens complexes only. A rock the size of a softball or even a basketball is not felt by the heavy equipment used to move the soil, however, it is noticed by our smaller specialty equipment used to improve soil conditions. Several rocks have been quite large and have simply been buried by 3 inches of soil making them impossible to see from above.

Although this is a tedious, time consuming, labor intensive process the effort will be well worth it. It should be no secret that buried rocks in the soil where you are trying to grow manicured turf makes it very challenging to provide the a quality playing surface.

Large rocks were found in the same location "The Beast" was used back in 2014 on Hole 6

Not surprisingly, it is difficult to grow quality grass in these conditions

Providing a consistent growing media for our turf grass roots to grow in will allow for a high quality and uniform playing surface for our members and guests to enjoy. Compaction will be reduced, water infiltration will increase and turf health will improve. When we begin the aerification process later in the year, the removal of these rocks will reduce the damage to our expensive machines and help to make the process more efficient. Looking at our tee surfaces today, you can clearly see the improvement to the turf quality making the project worthwhile.

I appreciate your patience during this process and please know that this will take several months and possibly into next summer to complete. I can't thank our staff members enough for been persistent during this hard work and repairing the damage to the turf areas where the rocks have been removed to a high standard.

This beauty was found on Hole 1 Gold Tee

Tireless work during golf play to rid the area of buried rocks on Hole 6

With any questions or comments, please email me at davidd@copperleafgc.com

Golf Course Renovation Update

The golf course renovation began on April 13 and has moved along at a rapid pace. The project began in March with the application of Round Up to eliminate the existing turf grass. The application was performed by an outside contractor using GPS technology and sophisticated equipment to accurately apply the product.

Round Up being applied to Hole 6

The application was extremely successful with the green grass soon turning to a straw-brown color as the herbicide took effect. The golf course remained open as the grass continued to die and provided some interesting comments from our golfers as they enjoyed the firm conditions, The greens remained alive until the closing day to provide a quality putting surface and a stark contrast to the surrounding turf grass.

Hole 2 Fairway treated with Round Up

The putting greens remained alive to provide an interesting contrast

Landirr, Inc, our construction contractor will be completing the golf course renovation in stages. It is simply not feasible to work on every hole of the golf course at the same time. The first holes that will be impacted are Holes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 18 and the practice greens. These holes are grouped together and makes it possible to move the heavy equipment from hole to hole. Once completed, the next holes to undergo construction will be 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Work commenced quickly on the practice area and Hole 18

If the weather continues to cooperate, all construction work will be completed at the beginning of August allowing sufficient time for the new turf grass to establish and mature. The golf course is scheduled to open in mid November.

For those members that call Copperleaf home for the summer, guided tours of the golf course will be held every two weeks to highlight the changes and help educate members on the construction process.

Over 50 people attended the golf course tour to get an education of the progress

I will continue to update progress of the renovation with photos and videos highlighting the changes to the golf course. It is exciting to see the Master Plan approved by the members being implemented and transform the golf course. Our architect, Kipp Schulties, has been on property weekly to oversee the construction progress and continues to fine tune his plan.

With questions or comments, please contact David Dore-Smith at davidd@copperleafgc.com

Round Up Application Update

Round Up Application Update    The golf course renovation starts March 16 with the application by professional contractors of the herbicide Round Up to all turf grass on the tees, fairways and rough.  Round Up is a herbicide that when properly applied has been shown in decades of studies by the EPA and other governmental safety agencies to not pose a health threat to humans or pets.  The Round Up will not be applied anywhere near existing plant material on the golf course or near residents' gardens.  Appropriate nozzles and surfactants will be utilized to eliminate any drift potential.  Within 7 days, the turf grass will turn brown as it begins to die.  However, the integrity of the turf grass will allow golf play up until when the golf course is closed April 13 for the beginning of the construction phase of the golf course renovation.  After the Round Up application, divots will not recover, so please remember to fill divots with sand so that those behind you can avoid landing in your divot hole.    This image, taken by the USGA at another Florida course, is an example of what Copperleaf will look like in April 2015     The golf course greens, the putting green and the chipping green will not have Round Up applied to them.  These greens are going to be completely excavated during the renovation.  They will remain green until the course closing on April 13.  Round Up will not be applied to the practice tee. The golf practice tee will not be changed during the 2015 renovation work; except to add two practice fairway bunkers, one on each side of the current practice tee. The golf course will be closed from April 13 until a projected course opening date of November 15, 2015.     The plan, weather permitting, is to apply the Round Up to the turf grass for two hours beginning at 6 am on Monday, March 16.  Tee times will begin at noon on March 16, allowing for the Round Up to be completely dry on the turf grass before play resumes.  If that plan changes because of unsuitable weather, then the Round Up application will be re-scheduled; members would be informed of that development as soon as that is known to be the case. A second application of Round Up will be made Monday, March 30, to guarantee the successful elimination of the original turf.

 

 

Golf Course Renovation Update

Golf Course Renovation Update

January 2015

David Dore-Smith, Class A Golf Course Superintendent

I have received many compliments from our golfing Members with regard to the current conditions of the golf course followed by the same question; "Why are we renovating?" The standard answer provided is that the course was scheduled to be renovated in 2020, but due to the overwhelming response of the membership vote in 2014 regarding the Master Plan, the renovation was accelerated to 2015.  From an agronomic point of view, we know that there are substantial issues under the surface of turf grass with regard to drainage, the overall elevation of the greens, inconsistencies within the bunkers, and degrading cart path surfaces that need to be corrected.

Hole 17 in January 2015

A new lake forms on Hole 2 Fairway during heavy rain events in the summer of 2014

The golf course renovation is fast approaching with construction starting on Monday, April 13. The course will remain closed until mid-November so please plan accordingly.

The contract has been signed with Landirr Inc, our construction company who has been in business for 30 years. They have performed all facets of golf course construction from irrigation and drainage work; bunker renovations; greens building; complete golf course renovation and new construction.

Most notably, they have performed all of the construction work at The Villages in Central Florida where they are based. The Villages consists of over 600 golf holes ranging from Executive courses to Championship courses including designs from Nancy Lopez and Arnold Palmer.

Kipp Schulties, our golf course Architect, is excited to work with Landirr Inc. and to make the necessary corrections to our golf course and provide some new challenges for all golfing members to enjoy. Primarily, our greens will be elevated by over 12 to 18 inches and our bunkers will be redesigned to improve both form and function. An exciting change from both a playability and maintenance perspective is the elimination of all Coquina cart paths.

Recently, Kipp was on property marking several trees scheduled to be relocated throughout the property. These trees have been tagged with orange ribbon and will have their roots pruned in February to prepare them for relocating in April. Many trees will be relocated between Holes 4 and 5 and between Holes 16 and 17 to provide improved separation between the Holes and protection to golfers. It will be important to get these trees in position early to ensure a successful transplant and develop a root system before Hurricane season commences in June. Stakes will be used to secure the trees in place.

These Palm trees on Hole 2 will be removed when the lake bank is modified and replaced back in a similar location

The week of March 16 is when the herbicide, Round Up, will be applied to all turf grass areas. A repeat application will be made 2 weeks later to ensure successful control of the existing turf grass. Spot treatments of Round Up will be applied throughout the construction period before the planting of the Celebration Bermuda grass. The application of Round Up will have a dramatic effect on the green turf grass we are currently enjoying by turning it straw brown.

All turf grass will turn straw in color and appear dormant as the Round Up application takes effect

Once the golf course is closed on April 13, and the grass has been eliminated, our usual summer practices of scalping the grass, verti-cutting and aerification will begin. These practices are completed to remove excess thatch and provide a suitable bed for the Celebration to make contact with the soil. It is critical to have this sprig to soil contact, similar to planting a seed. to ensure successful germination of the new grass.

Fortunately, the golf course irrigation system will remain operational throughout the project and will help to keep dust to a minimum. Members should expect to be impacted by debris similar to what is experienced every summer during our cultural practices such as aerification, verti-cutting and vacuuming of the turf grass. As always, it is suggested to remove outdoor furniture for the summer due to the threat of Hurricanes and to have your pool filter inspected weekly for contamination from debris.

You can expect to receive many updates throughout the construction period in an attempt to keep all members informed on the progress of the project. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email David Dore-Smith at davidd@copperleafgc.com