GOLF COURSE UPDATE 4/27/23

 

On to the next phase here at the Club! As many of you have noticed this has been the best April weather we have had in my 10 years as your Supt. and possibly since my time on the island. We have all been busy tweaking our programs and dialing in our changes as we welcome all members back home and wrap up our off-season improvements. Not only has the weather put us on a great pace to be finished by early May with construction but the warmer weather has jump started our golf course conditioning programs. As we move from project season to maintenance mode in the coming weeks we will be preparing the golf course and property facilities daily, while building on the momentum we have built since re-opening. The energy I have felt from our staff and the membership is exactly what all of us here at the club have been excited about since we closed last December. I honestly can't remember a season with so much anticipation to begin growing in our property and continue training my crew to excel and enhance your daily experience. Next week we will focusing efforts our playing surfaces with more mowing, tighter clip frequency, and some extra rolling in preparations for our opening tournament. We are in great shape for late April and all signs point to Pine Hollow having another great season!

Please enjoy the ride as we continue navigating the project season phase and know that in the coming weeks our property will be awake with all the amenities that you have loved and new updates you will enjoy for years to come. 

• MOWING HEIGHTS - Greens will be mowed at .115" 4 times per week and rolled 3 times until grass growth and demand dictates otherwise. TEES/COLLARS/APPROACHES Mowed at .325" 2 times per week. FWYS Mowed at .375" 2 times per week. ROUGH Will be cut for the first time Monday 5/1/23 to clean up remaining winter debris and keep turf tight as needed.
• GOLF COURSE / CLUBHOUSE CLEANUP - By this weeks end most if not all Golf Course, Tennis, Pool, and remaining Clubhouse beds will be initially cleaned out, treated w/ herbicide or fertilizer, and mulched for the season. 
• BUNKER CLEANOUT/SAND - All golf course and practice bunkers have been edged, sanded, and raked out to keep free of stone and weed encroached. We will now begin raking bunkers weekly and keep disturbed surfaces touched up. New sand will be added to bunkers throughout the season where necessary in bunkers not being renovated this spring. Our hazards also need your help throughout the year if you are in a bunker please think of your fellow member and rake yourself out if no caddie is present.
  
• TEE MARKERS/GOLF COURSE ACCESSORIES - All golf course accessories will be returned to the golf course including tee markers, bunker rakes, select ball washers, etc. Hazard stakes and ut of bounds stakes will be placed next week as we are now gearing up golf.
  
• CLUBHOUSE CONSTRUCTION - You will notice from the lunch room we started the Patio / Outdoor dining area this week. Our disturbance will be wrapped up quickly as we have a great contractor on-site to expedite the work and my team will wrap up any finish work necessary before we get into party and function season. Along with the patio we are also working on re-grassing the front circle, adding landscape around the front pond, and will be aggressively pruning existing plant material to cleanup the properties first impression membership experience.
• 
  GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION - #11 Tee Complex is complete and growing in nicely. Our projected opening will be for the new tee on Men's Opening Day. As mentioned before this exciting work is continuing with McDonald & Sons one of the premier golf course construction companies in the country. This new tee ground was expanded and shifted away from #12 fairway. The next phase of work is wrapping up on approximately six holes of greenside
  bunkers (#2,#6,#7,#8,#15,#18). All existing sand and subsurface will be excavated from our bunkers, drained/regraded, lined using the Better Billy Bunker System, and new sand to finish off.
• TENNIS COURT UPDATE - Reconditioning of courts started last week on Courts #1 and #2. These courts have been rolled daily since the surfacing and will open on Tuesday 4/25/23. Courts #3,#6, and #7 will be available Tuesday 5/2/23 and Courts #4 and #5 will be available Friday 5/5/23. We will follow the same process with rolling for one week after completion and open with nets at that point. Once the courts reach the desired firmness and speeds we will brush daily and roll as necessary with a goal to improve consistency and court conditioning. 
• 
  PICKLEBALL / PADEL UPDATE - All Pickleball and Padel Courts are open for play. You will notice new plant material along the retaining wall at the pickleball courts and all construction areas will be seeded and cleaned up once court resurfacing is complete.
  
  

BUNKER CONSTRUCTION STEP BY STEP PICTURES

FIRST STEP EDGE

SAND ENCROACHMENT

ONCE BOTTOM IS CREATED HAND WORK SMOOTH

RE-SET DRAIN LINES

GRAVEL LAYER FOR DRAIANGE

READY FOR POLYMER SPRAY TO CREATE LINER

#7 GETTING A FULL FACELIFT

#8 IMPROVED AESTHETICALLY AND PLAYABILITY

BETTER BILLY BUNKER POLYMER SPRAYING

SAND, COMPACT, AND FINISH RAKE

#11 TEE CONSTRUCTION STEP BY STEP PICTURES

STRIP ALL SOD

REMOVE TOPSOIL, STAGE, CLEAR THE PALLET

STAKE OUT DESIRED AREA, DESIGN, CHECK

LASER LEVEL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE TEE

ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR WORK IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER

USE DRAINAGE TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH DRAINAGE

READY FOR MIX AND IRRIGATION

IRRIGATION INSTALLATION

7-2-1 TEE MIX INSTALL TO FINISH GRADE

LASER LEVELED, FINISH RAKE, LOCK IN TEE

GOOD 2 GO #G2G

007 BENTGRASS INSTALL

 

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 3/23/23

 

It's been a while since we've seen you and too long since I posted! On behalf of the Green Department welcome back from the winter that wasn't and hopefully it will be followed by the spring that was unforgettable. We've had a very busy offseason as always reflecting on 2022, recharging, and most importantly preparing for the upcoming year. I couldn't be more excited about our team and the track Pine Hollow is on once again showing membership and those on the outside what a premier experience looks and feels like daily.

SHEA BOY

I'm also excited to say our crew is back on the property with most employees from last season retained to build on what was a great year in 2022. You will see those familiar faces and with most staff heading into the second year of my program we'll continue building the necessary continuity to meet all of our goals. Three guys behind the scenes crushing winter work and needing some recognition are my three lead TURFIES Will, James, and Cristian. From small projects, tree maintenance, to equipment servicing, with our Equipment Technician Sal Tavernese, these guys have been giving it their all to put us in the best starting position we've had in years. THANKS GUYS!!!

Over the coming weeks, we will begin some major improvements on tees and bunkers along with chasing the small detail and property maintenance that has always separated us from others. As we start this construction please be mindful of equipment and the disturbance areas while watching all the shaping and effort to make our property better. As in any year our plan is to have all project work wrapped up by early May with good weather and have our golf course conditions in peak shape for early spring.

Again welcome back Pine Hollow and thank you for your continued support. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you on the course, meeting new members, and keeping you posted on all our progress.

• MOWING HEIGHTS - Starting 4/3/23 Greens will be mowed at .125" 3 times per week rolled 3 times until grass growth and demand dictates otherwise. TEES/COLLARS/APPROACHES Mowed at .325" 2 times per week. FWYS Mowed at .375" 2 times per week. ROUGH Will be cut in the coming weeks to clean up any winter debris and keep turf tight as needed.
• GOLF COURSE / CLUBHOUSE CLEANUP - As of 3/17/23 all Greens, Tees, and Fwys have been dragged and mowed. Roughs and Treelines have initially been cleaned and swept up from storm debris and geese visitation while all clubhouse lawns have been raked and blown.
• BUNKER CLEANOUT/SAND - All golf course and practice bunkers have been edged, sanded, and raked out once. We will now begin raking bunkers weekly starting 4/3/23 and keeping disturbed surfaces touched up. New sand will be added to bunkers throughout the season where necessary in bunkers not being renovated this spring.

  

   ASST. WILL TRAVERS 

• TEE MARKERS/GOLF COURSE ACCESSORIES - All golf course accessories will be returned to the golf course including tee markers, bunker rakes, select ball washers, etc. by the week of 4/3/22.
  

• 

   ASST. JAMES CORNELL

  GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION - Currently we are working on #11 Tee Complex. This exciting work is continuing with Mcdonald & Sons one of the premier golf course construction companies in the country. This new tee ground will be expanded and shifted away from #12 fairway. The next phase of work will take place once the tee work is complete on approximately six holes of greenside bunkers (#2,#6,#7,#8,#15,#18). All existing sand and subsurface will be excavated from our bunkers, drained/regraded, lined using the Better Billy Bunker System, and new sand to finish off.

• 

  AIT. CRISTIAN ALVAREZ

  TENNIS COURT UPDATE - Reconditioning of courts will begin once the weather cooperates and water is made available with courts getting new nets and lines. All windscreens will be installed in the coming weeks and our plan is to have a few courts fully open as soon as possible.
• PICKLEBALL / PADEL UPDATE - Pickleball nets are currently going up for play on 3/26/23 and windscreens will be installed as time allows. Padel netting will follow once the fabric is cleaned to our standards. You will notice new plant material along the retaining wall at the pickleball courts and all construction areas will be seeded and cleaned up.
• SPRING AERATION - I will be modifying the process and now only solid tine playing surfaces throughout April. This process will have little to no impact on our golf.

WELCOME BACK !!!

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 4/6/22

• MOWING HEIGHTS - Mowed at .125" 3 times per week rolled 3 times until grass growth and demand dictates otherwise. TEES/COLLARS/APPROACHES Mowed at .325" 2 times per week. FWYS Mowed at .375" 2 times per week. ROUGH Will be cut in the coming weeks to clean up any winter debris and keep turf tight as needed.
• BUNKER CLEANOUT/SAND - All golf course and practice bunkers have been raked out once. We will now begin raking bunkers weekly and keeping disturbed surfaces touched up. New sand will be added to bunkers throughout the season where necessary in bunkers not being renovated this spring.
• TEE MARKERS/GOLF COURSE ACCESSORIES - All golf course accessories have returned to the golf course including tee markers, bunker rakes, select ball washers, etc.
• GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION - McDonald and Sons are currently working on  #12 Black to #14 Tee Complexes. These new tee grounds will be expanded and shifted away from #13 green. The next phase of work will take place once the tees are complete on approximately nine holes of greenside bunkers. All existing sand and subsurface will be excavated from our bunkers, drained/regraded, lined using the Better Billy Bunker System, and lastly new sand will be added.
• TENNIS COURT UPDATE - All courts have been reconditioned as of this week with new nets and lines, received 2 tons of Har-Tru per court, and rolled for the first few times. All windscreens will be installed in the coming weeks and our plan is to have a few courts fully open by next weekend.
• PICKLEBALL / PADEL UPDATE - Work is currently being scheduled for the construction of these courts on what was Court #6. We have secured our contractors and will be doing our best to expedite the construction process. This will be a game-changer for us within the Tennis Program and should be very attractive for us building on our great program.
• SPRING AERATION - Unfortunately with the frozen grounds last week and wet weather washing away most of this week we have postponed aeration. I will be modifying the process and now only solid tine playing surfaces throughout April. This process will have little to no impact to our golf.

New collection left on #12 Green

New collection behind #12 Green

 

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 3/10/22

 

View from #10 Tee 3/9/22

• PROPERTY DETAIL - Work has begun to clean up from winter. Treelines have been picked clean of large branches and greens, tees, greenside bunkers have been blown of goose and tree debris. Fairways, roughs, and fairway bunkers will be blown and swept starting Monday 3/14/22 if snow has melted and conditions allow. CARTS AND GREENS WILL BE AVAILABLE ASAP ONCE OUR PROPERTY IS CLEAN, SAFE, AND WEATHER PERMITS PLAY.
• BUNKER CLEANOUT/SAND - All golf course and practice bunkers will be cleaned out and raked regardless of the construction during the week of 3/21/22 as returning staff and weather permits. New sand will be added to bunkers throughout the season where necessary in bunkers not being renovated this spring.
• TEE MARKERS/GOLF COURSE ACCESSORIES - All golf course accessories will be returning during the week of 3/28/22. This will include tee marker, bunker rakes, select ballwashers, etc.
• GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION - Our plan is to begin this exciting work 3/14/22. McDonald and Sons will break ground rebuilding #12 Black to #14 Tee Complexes once irrigation is marked and the stage is set next week.. These new tee grounds will be expanded and shifted away from #13 green. The next phase of work will take place excavating the sand and subsurface from the existing bunkers, draining then regrading using the Better Billy Bunker System, and lastly installing new sand. 
• TREE MANAGEMENT WORK- We are very excited about the work that has been executed on holes #10 and #14. This work has been part of our Long Range Tree Plan for years and will highlight the work being done on the #14 Tee Complex. This work will improve playability, dramatically improve views of the property and clubhouse, and help our club make lasting impressions for all.
• TENNIS COURT PREPARATION - We will be welcoming tennis members back as soon as possible this spring with court resurfacing begining once the surfaces are able to accept new material. All courts will get new lines, receive 2 tons of Har-tru, and rolled until firm before new lines are installed. All nets and windscreens will be installed in the coming weeks and should be available in the first few weeks of April.
• PICKLEBALL / PADEL UPDATE - Work is currently being scheduled for the construction of these courts on what was Court #6. This will be a game-changer for us within the Tennis Program and should be very attractive for us building on our great program.
• SPRING AERATION - We will be on schedule to perform spring aeration as laid out in the schedule. Please take note of dates throughout the entire season to make plans accordingly.

GREENS:

• **March 3/28/22– 5/8” Solid Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (5%)
  
• *Monthly (May to July) – ¼” Solid Venting Tine (no removal)
• ***August 8/9/22 or 8/16/22– 3/8 ” Hollow Tine Aeration and Light Sand Topdressing (5%)
• ***October 10/24/22 – 5/8” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (8%)
•   ***December – 5/8” Solid Deep Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing

*    Minimal disruption to putting surface (healing time a few days)

**  Medium disruption to putting surface (healing time 7-10 days)

***Most disruption to putting surface (healing time 10-14 days)

Emphasis put on removing 20% of surface area per year

TEES:

• March 3/29/22 - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing
•  August 8/10/22- 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing
• October 10/25/22- 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

FAIRWAYS:

•  March 3/28/22 – ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration w/ Verticut
• March 3/28/22 – 5/8” Hollow Tine Aeration *may be delayed until fall*
• August -  ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration (no cleaning necessary)
• October – Graden Dethatching of Fwys/Approaches or ¾ Solid Deep-Tine
• November - ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration

ROUGHS:

•  Beginning November aerate all roughs for healthy turf green to tee 

View from #11 Green

From all of us here on the Green Department, I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to continue the pursuit of perfection in the game we love. I'd also like to welcome you back for the 2022 season. We have been working on a number of improvements and have an excellent team in place to have our best year! WELCOME BACK!

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 1/11/22

 Winter work is in full swing here at Pine Hollow now that our golf course has moved to walkers and winter temporary greens. Currently, we are working on preventative maintenance on our equipment fleet, 2021 final reporting (DEC/WATER/BUDGETING), Tree-Maintenance, and of course snow removal. This is the most important time of the season for our team to re-calibrate their minds for the upcoming season and set the foundation with the off-season work to catapult our team to great things in the upcoming year. During this time we also sit thru countless hours of continuing education to ensure we have the most cutting-edge chemistries, technologies, and current techniques to deliver the best playing surfaces our money can provide. 

Gearing up for next year project season has begun with the completion of the Range Tee Extension and now moving onto the tree work setting the stage for some exciting new tee complexes. We will also begin our bunker renovation, as we discussed in the previous update, to stay competitive with those around us and ensure our hazards function and play up to our standards. Other projects will also begin inside and around the club and any help our team can provide will only help expedite the completion to kick off the upcoming year.

Please check back for progress and stay safe!