Creating a Puttable Surface

  The Champion sprigs on the greens have taken root, and spread out quite well since their planting on June 23rd, and it is now time to begin the fine tuning.  The roots have added stability to the ground they are growing in, but rain and irrigation created a bit of a rough surface while that was happening.  Yesterday, we verti-cut, and topdressed the greens to encourage the plants to continue spreading laterally, but more importantly, to smooth them out and begin to create a puttable surface.  The verti-cut mower helps to redistribute the sand that collects around the plants and return it to the spaces in between sprigs that still need to fill in.  The addition of the topdressing sand aids in filling the voids, but it also protects the crown of the plants from being injured by lower mowing heights.  These processes were very helpful in smoothing out the surface of the new putting greens, and will be repeated often leading up to the course opening.

The verti-cut mower

A pull behind topdresser was used instead of hand spreaders to accommodate the high volume of sand needed

Spreading topdressing sand

Avila Greens 4 weeks after planting

  It has been four weeks now since the greens were sprigged with Champion Bermudagrass, and they are growing in wonderfully!  Below is number one green at the time of planting (June 23rd), just over two weeks old (July 9th), and today followed by a picture of each green as they are today.  

#1 Green June 23, 2013

#1 Green July 9, 2013

#1 Green July 21, 2013

Putting green at the Clubhouse

#1 7/21/13

#1 again, 3 days later.  The mowing is really encouraging lateral growth!

#2

#3

#4

#5 From the tees

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17

#18

Putting green at #1 tee

Chipping Green

Mowing greens for the first time

  Today was a busy and exciting day on the golf course.  The greens received their first mowing today in addition to being rolled, and edged.  We also began topdressing greens today to provide an even surface, and encourage lateral growth into the areas between sprigs.  This process will be completed tomorrow prior to the next application of fertilizer, and will continue to be done periodically throughout the grow in phase.

Rolling Greens before the first mow

Superintendent Mike Slack getting everyone on the same page before the mow

The first cut on Avila's new Champion Bermudagrass greens

Topdressing with greens mix

Topdressing the Chipping Green

Moving Forward...

  Now that every hole on the golf course has been planted, golf maintenance is focusing on mowing, fertilizing, and transitioning back to a playable golf course from a construction zone.  All of the tees, fairways, and approaches are now being mowed three times a week with the exception of holes three and four which were planted last.  The greens are filling in rapidly, and we will be mowing them for the first time next week.
This week has also seen the construction of an expanded short range tee that is nearly ready to be sprigged, as well as an extension of the cart path to the range making it wide enough to accommodate two carts.
Continued fertilization coupled with routine mowing is encouraging all of the surfaces to fill in rapidly, and each day the course looks better.

New grass on the putting green

#1 Green after planting on 6/23

The sprigs on #1 green  2 1/2 weeks later on July 9th 

Expanding the short range tee

Checking grade on the tee

Forming the improved parking area at the short range tee

Grass Everywhere!

  This has been a very exciting week around the golf course as we now have all of the new grasses planted! The first set of holes to be sprigged are now on a regular mowing schedule and continue to fill in. The surfaces planted in the second wave have now been mowed twice and with regular fertilization continue to spread out and fill the voids between sprigs.  The most exciting development of the week however is the Champion Bermudagrass that has been planted, rolled, fertilized and watered constantly since the beginning of the week. The sprigs on the greens are rapidly developing roots, and progressing well.
  The third hole has now been completely rebuilt, with the bunkers and tees shaped this week and sod laid on the banks. The cart path was framed and the concrete was poured on Monday.  Sprigs were planted on all of the surfaces of number three on Friday June 28th and the hole is now being watered constantly to promote root development.

Framing the new cart path on #3

Finishing the cart path at #3 tee

Sodding the blue tee bank on #3

Prepping the fairway bunker on #3 for sand and sod

#3 Fairway bunker with green in the distance