Not Just Anyday

I have had the opportunity to manage a few transplanted pine trees in the past but never a tree this size. Today the Town of Vail completed a feat that can be difficult to pull off and kudos to all that were involved. The town's public works department needed to transplant a healthy 50 foot spruce tree and the golf course was the right place. Today it has a real nice home on the 4th hole. This beautiful specimen will not only enhance the beauty of the hole, but help protect Vail Valley Drive from from golf balls. Too many times we have had close calls with pedestrians, cars, bikers and home owners.

We seemed to have every public employee in town helping out with the move. The tree came from the corner of the south frontage road near the Lionshead parking structure. A tree this size can not be "spaded" like we see so many times. Spruce trees do not normally have deep roots, so the moving company was able to excavate two feet deep around the drip line of the tree. Next they dug a hole about 15 feet next to the tree to provide space for metal pipes that are slid underneath the tree. I use the word "slid" loosely as it was no small task.

The pipe installation severs all connections with the earth and the root ball is wrapped in burlap and wire mesh. Then the tree can then be picked up by a crane and ready for transport.

That's where we picked up today for the fun stuff. After some tedious work to remove the tree from the ground, the tree was placed on a "low boy" flat bed truck. Slowly, the truck maneuvered through some of the hilly streets in town to get it to the golf course. The crane had to set up again near the new location and prepare to transplant the tree.

Prior to planting, a 16 foot diameter hole was dug to accept the tree. Careful unloading and placement was taken by the moving company and the planting began. By 7pm tonight, the guy wires were in place and the tree was mostly back filled. The metal pipes remain in the ground, due to the proximity to the street, other trees and utilities there was no room to dig an extra hole to remove them. There are no ill effects leaving them in the ground.

Tomorrow will complete the move which includes more dirt, a tree skirt of straw and a mulch covering. Finally we will set up irrigation and begin the recovery stage. The tree should take about 220 gallons of water per week and an organic nutrient product to help the tree gain root mass.

I would like to thank all of those who helped made this an easy and safe process. Most of them are Town of Vail employees and some of our own staff at the golf course and VRD. It is comforting to work with great professionals that achieve success. Now it is up to us to make sure this baby survives!

Bridge Details

The lines underneath the current bridges all relate to the old irrigation system that is now inactive. They will be removed with the bridges. The new irrigation has been bored underneath the creek. The 17th bridge has a domestic gas line underneath. Before demolition of that bridge a temporary gas line will be installed. Then a new line will then be replaced within the new bridge.

Longevity and safety are the key issues with these bridges. They are being built to withstand 12 month operations for the property which include daily traffic from golf carts to tractors to snowcats. The inside width is 15 feet which leaves ample room for the snowcat and two way traffic for skiers and golfers. Railings will also be installed to prevent walkers, skiers or riders from having an accident or going over the side (We have seen enough of that over the years).

The abutments and foundation are the most critical aspect of the bridges. They are engineered to withstand just about any amount of volume coming down the Gore Creek. They will include wing walls to prevent scouring and further erosion.

Finally, with regard to aesthetics, they will match the other bridges that cross Gore Creek on the golf course for a uniform look.

The Reason

Here is a snapshot of why it is time to close down a few holes of golf this October to correct some structural problems.

Fall Work

This is a rendering of what is to come for the future of Vail Golf Club and Nordic bridges. Beginning in early October two new bridges will be installed, one on the 11th hole and the second one on the 17th hole. The new bridges will mirror the bridges located on the 14th & 15th holes.

These aging structures are in dire need of improvement. The railings will be 42" in height and will provide year round safety for all users. The clearance width will be 11 feet for all equipment to pass including a snow cat for winter grooming. New abutments will be installed and creek restoration will take place in those areas. The work is tentatively scheduled to begin October 4th and could be closed from 2-4 weeks. During this work, holes 11-17 will be closed.

The Vail Golf Club will also update the 7th tee box and correct safety issues with the retaining walls in that location. This project will interfere the most with golf. Tentatively scheduled to begin on September 27th, this project will close holes 3-7 for the remainder of the season.

There will be a variety of options for golf through October. After October 5th we will have 6 holes open for play each and every day until the snow falls. Pay attention to this blog for what is available for play. If you are a pass or punch card holder, be sure to get out here before the end of the season. Your pass will not be extended into 2011.

First Frost

Today we were greeted with a heavy frost in the rough areas around the entire course. The temperature bottomed out at 36 degrees this morning. Clear skies allow cooler temperatures to settle at the ground level to form frost.

The day time temperatures are fantastic and the course couldn't be in better condition right now.

Fixing Your Ballmarks

If everyone would fix two ballmarks per green there would never be a mark on the green. Here are the proper steps to fix a ball mark:

1. Identify your mark, most of them are in front of where the ball sits. If you are behind the green, don't forget to check the putting surface for your ball mark:

2. Use the ball mark tool and enter the perimeter of the depression.

3. With your wrist or fingers, twist the tool or push in toward the depression. Repeat this step until you have affected the entire ballmark. DO NOT lift the turf up. Lifting the turf up stresses the roots and in most cases will tear the roots and kill the plants.

4. Use your foot or putter to smooth the surface.

5. This is how the final product should look. Pass it on.

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 39.64°N and Longitude 106.39°W (Elev. 8236 ft)

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 39.64°N and Longitude 106.39°W (Elev. 8236 ft)

Drier weather on the horizon?

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Caring For Cups

Would you agree with me if I wished the holes in putting greens were bigger? I bet you would. The diameter of a hole is 4.25 inches. The diameter of the bottom of the flagstick is 1 inch. We encourage timely play around Vail Golf Club, but when it comes time to replacing the flagstick after putting, we all ask that you please do so carefully. Time and time again we are faced with the challenge of deteriorating cup edges before noon on a daily basis.

The turf on our greens does not have a strong root system and can only handle so much stress. Please be careful when replacing your flagstick. If you do have an "oops moment", please take the time to fix your damage so that the players behind you can enjoy the golf hole as much as you did.

Roughing It

We have received almost three inches of moisture over the past ten days and the grass is certainly green around here. We are drying out fairly well for a golf course located in the flood plain. We have three rough mowers going each day to keep up with the surge of growth around here. The daily rainfalls do help with all of the new seed that is in the ground. Frost is around the corner so getting the see to pop is a priority. We plan to finish seeding next week.

Adam's Mountain

Adam's Mountain was the course of choice today in Eagle. Superintendent Brynly Marsh invited a group of us over to play a round. Brynly is a former Assistant Superintendent at Vail Golf Club. The course was in fantastic shape and provided many challenges to my game.

It is nice to visit other courses in the valley. I enjoy seeing what else guys are doing to maintain courses. Adam's Mountain is a beautiful property and I enjoy seeing observing different plants, bugs and waterways from what we have in Vail.

July By The Numbers

This has been a funny season weather wise. The winter seemed to drag on with some late snowfalls through May. June started summer with temperatures reaching well into the high 70's and some days in the 80's which lead to flooding and bank erosion.

July started off as an extension of June with very warm days before coming back to center. Fifteen days in the 80's which we haven't seen since 2007. We only had one day in July in the 80's for 2009. Our average low for July was 43.7 degrees, which was almost 6 degrees warmer than 2009. Our average high temperature was 77.4 degrees and we received 2.24 inches of rainfall. Overall July seems to be getting back to normal, but June was much drier and warmer than normal.

So what do these warmer temperatures mean? Well it's great for growing Kentucky Bluegrass and Ryegrass, however the extended periods of high temperatures for this climate does affect the poa. When the poa is stressed it will produce more seeds and begin to lose color. Light daytime handwatering of greens can help cool them down to help prevent stress.

Recently Mother Nature has been quite helpful. Prior to the heavy rains there were many stressed areas around the course leading up to the last week. On the 28th we received just over a half inch of moisture. Today we arrived at the shop to see another half inch had fallen overnight. The moisture and cooler temperatures mixed with last week's fertilizer application, means that you just need to get out here and play. The course is getting into top shape and some of the finest conditions I have seen in five years.

We'll continue with irrigation tuning through the rest of the season and the system should be as close to 100% as possible by next season.