Welcome to my blog!
It is my intention to give the readers a better understanding of what we do to maintain The Farms Country Club's 18 hole championship golf course and grounds.


Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Clearing Clogged Drain Line Hole #17

There is always something interesting to do in the "off-season".
We had a clogged drain line that was causing water to back up in a catch basin on hole #17 (near #15 tee). Heavy rains and a very high groundwater table was causing water to overflow and run across the fairway. Besides the obvious concern, the cold temperatures have been causing the water to freeze on the fairway which is very detrimental.
The pipe has now been cleared and water is flowing underground again. The ice should melt in the next few days when we receive the predicted rain and warmer temperatures.

Maintenance staff pumping and cleaning the catch basin a week before the cold weather
Backed up water flowing across #17 fairway freezing and building up
A-1 Quality Rooter was hired to clear the line
High pressure water jet being sent up the clogged drain line

Clog cleared and backed up water flowing heavily 

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Eliminating First Two Fairway Bunkers Hole #10

During the 2018 season we received the approval from the Green & Grounds Committee, the Golf Committee and the Board of Governors to eliminate the first two fairway bunkers on hole number ten. They are a constant maintenance problem and require pumping after almost every rain event.
Filling them in will save man hours and improve playability.
Rough grade has been completed. We will add some screened topsoil and seed the area in the Spring.
The following pictures show our progress.
Started by exposing the drain lines to make sure we would not compromise outlet piping that drains the rest of the hole
Adding stone and sand above drains to prevent soil from getting into drain lines
Added a catch basin between 2nd & 3rd bunkers to catch surface water
Dumping fill
Spreading and compacting fill
Rain briefly slowed progress
Fill & rough grade completed

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

When It Rains It Pours!

5.25 inches of rain yesterday! It's a great day to pump bunkers.
Here are just a few pictures...

#2 right green-side

#3 right green-side

#6 right green-side

#11 Fairway

#11 green-side

#17 green-side


Saturday, May 19, 2018

What Storm?

Just a few pictures of the storm we experienced on May 15th.
The entire course was open by the afternoon of the 17th.

Left side #16
Left of #1 green
Back of #17 tee
Clubhouse parking lot near tennis courts
Clubhouse parking lot near practice range
Between #3 & #7
Between #3 & #7
Right side #14
Right side #14
Between #3 & #7
Right side of driving range
Left side of driving range

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

USGA Northeast Regional Report


Should We Do It?

FEBRUARY 16, 2018
By Elliott Dowling, agronomist, Northeast Region

Excitement for the upcoming golf season begins to build during late winter. While some golf facilities in the Northeast close for winter, others continue to allow play depending on the weather. When the weather is favorable, allowing play usually is a fairly simple decision. However, the decision becomes much more difficult when the weather fluctuates between extremes. Mild and sunny days in February and March might be enticing to golfers, but lasting turfgrass damage can result when winter play is allowed under the wrong conditions.
Playing golf during highly variable winter weather can result in turf damage. During late winter, cold snaps often follow periods of warm temperatures. Under these conditions, turf is extremely vulnerable to injury from traffic. Play during a sudden thaw can be especially damaging because the upper 1 or 2 inches of soil can defrost while the underlying soil remains frozen. Traffic under these conditions can shear turf roots at the interface between the thawed and frozen layers. Such shearing can compromise turf health come spring.
Frozen soils also cannot drain. When precipitation occurs, the surface of frozen soils will remain saturated and prone to injury. Soils also dry slowly during late winter due to short day length and cool temperatures, so even unfrozen soils will be slow to dry and firm up after precipitation. Soft surfaces are more vulnerable to damage from foot traffic, ball marks, rutting and compaction.
It is important to remember, no matter how thawed or frozen the soil is, turf is unlikely to be growing during winter. Grass that isn’t growing cannot recover from damage until spring. Therefore, turf damage that occurs during winter can have a cumulative effect that lasts until warm weather arrives and the grass is able to recover.
Before allowing winter play ask, what is the purpose of winter play? All golf facilities welcome additional rounds, but sometimes allowing play during winter presents more costs than benefits. Keep in mind that winter play under the wrong conditions may result in a net loss due to the expense of repairs or slow spring greenup.