Sod Day

A crew from Emerald Sod Farm near Denver was here early on Saturday morning to get sod down in various places of the course. Finally we can begin putting these projects behind us and get on with the golf season.
Pictured here are large rolls of sod being rolled out along 11 cart path. Areas that were sodded were around 11 bridge, 17 bridge, the lightning shelter near 11 green and the 7th tee surface.
Prior to sod, all areas received an application of starter fertilizer which supplies nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to the root zone for adequate uptake and quick recovery. Also, we apply a granular wetting agent (Reservoir) which keeps moisture in the root zone longer than normal.We used this formula during the irrigation install after the mainline was re-sodded and had huge success.

Assistant's View: Fusion

The electro-fusion machine is our newest irrigation tool.  This machine will allow us to repair our HDPE pipe.  The way this machine works is there are two electrodes that stick out of the repair coupling that are connected to wires that run around the inside of the coupling.  This machine heats the electrodes and wires to a temperature that will melt the HDPE and weld the coupler and pipe together.  Each coupler has a bar code that the machine reads to determine how hot and how long it needs to heat  the coupler to get a perfect weld.   It’s very important that the pipe and couple are clean and free of debris to get a good weld.  The first step in fusion is to scrape the HDPE pipe to get a fresh layer of material visible.  Then I clean it with isopropyl alcohol to remove any oil that may have been left behind from handling it.   Once the pipe is clean I can then slide the couple on and make sure everything is lined up properly.  I then use the optical pen to read the bar code that tells the machine what size and density the pipe is. The last step is to hook up the electrodes and hit the start button.  For two inch pipe it takes about 45 seconds and it’s done.  The first project that I have used this machine on is repairing irrigation lines around the new bridge construction on 11 and 17.  We will be using it next on 7 tee to install irrigation on the newly built tee.  With all the construction going on here this will be a very useful tool to be able to repair pipe or add new irrigation when needed.  

Stumbling Into Spring

Thank God May is over. We have done more today than most of May. Lots going on now that decent weather has arrived, call it crazy, but we are making improvements to the course everyday.
Areas are drying out, soil temperatures are increasing and most areas of turf have broken dormancy.
We are just getting around to mowing everything on the course and most areas are recovering well. The irrigation system has been fully pressurized and will certainly be a boost for turf conditions.
Plenty of projects going on outside of the basic day to day maintenance: re-surfacing of 3 cart path, new net installation at 5 tee, 7 tee re-build, Vail Valley Drive water mainline (water district), new bridges on 11 & 17. The only project completed is the lightning shelter near 11 green. There is some landscaping to complete in that area, which we plan to get to once the bridges are complete.

Today through Friday, we will be preparing the cart path tie-ins on 17. We are taking the opportunity to correct a few issues. By replacing all of the path from the bridge back to the tee we will be able to lower the path slightly, improve drainage aesthetics and turf conditions. Our asphalt contractor began this afternoon removing the old path. I found 6 plus inches of asphalt with some road base underneath. The old path was overlaid once and created some drainage issues on the sides of the paths. You can see how the path has failed over time with the large crack through the middle of the path.
Finally we had overnight temperatures in the low 40's last night which is rare for these parts in early June. Cloud cover tonight will lead to another warm night in the valley which will certainly help with turf conditions, yet speed up melting up in the hills. Only in Vail can you say 40 degree overnight temps are warm!

Questions

As a golf course superintendent I am used to questions. They come in every shape and form and from everyone, I mean everyone. Some questions are good, others not so much, but I deal with them. A large part of my job is education, I get it, you want to play and I need you to play, so I am glad to help whenever I can.

So what is going on out there?

Good Question! Lots actually. Let me preface this by saying that all of these projects are way overdue and are products of deferred maintenance. We are not only correcting safety issues on all of these projects and but we are setting a new standard for Vail Golf Club.

So let's start with the bridges. The bridges themselves are pretty close to being done. Some final tests need approval before allowing vehicular traffic. However getting on to them is another story. We are in high demand for dry weather for finish work and tying in the cart paths to the bridges. A few spots remain wet and soggy and the short term forecast is not looking favorable for workable conditions. Since you can't shape mud, we are making efforts to turn the soil to dry it out as much as possible. Let's touch base next week for more information.

To no surprise there is nothing easy with the 7th tee project. Squeezed in between homes and the Gore Creek, managing a large hill side for a patch of grass has been a challenge from the beginning. Engineered walls like no other on the property take a little time to have completed correctly. Here you see Ground Engineering performing a compaction test on the soil. Passing these tests are a must to build walls so we are not back here in a few years replacing them again. The weather has certainly set us back a bit. New moisture will prevent us from setting in stones for new walls. We have been working closely with Landscapes Unlimited to get these done as quick and as safe as possible. Now that we are making some good progress on these walls, I will begin to post more about them.
We also have finishing touches on a new lightning shelter near the 11th green, new cart path to replace on 11, a new potential net going up at the 5th tee, plenty of clean up and of course more sand bagging on the course.

When will these areas be open for play?

Bad Question! Time lines on all of these areas depend on weather right now and we are doing everything possible to speed up the process. We will however have some golf available real soon. Keep it here, our facebook page and http://www.vailgolfclub.net/ for the latest on course openings. Get busy with the sun dance!

Pouring Concrete

As I mentioned in the previous post, today was a productive day. Concrete was finally poured onto the new bridges on #11 and #17.

It will take a few days for the concrete to cure and be ready to access. This week we will be organizing cart path work to be completed to tie in the new bridges to the existing cart paths.

Before the end of the day, the concrete crew was putting on the finishing touches.

Starting Up

This past week we continued to clear greens 14,7 and 12. As usual, they look good and continue to be very soft. There has been some minor scaring on almost every green from the tractor this spring. It has certainly been an abnormal year with extremely soft conditions under the snow. None of it will cause significant damage. After spring aerification we will have some extra rolling before allowing play.
Also, this week, we have carefully been clearing snow from the #7 tee site as well as getting done with final inspections on the bridges. #11 north abutment had to be excavated again to check the welding plates from the base to the abutment. All is well and now we can focus on timing the concrete portion of the bridges.

This week's weather is looking favorable for melting. This past week we saw part of 11 fairway. Greens 8,9 & 10 will probably melt off by the end of this coming week. If not, we do plan to have all of the greens clear before tax day.
The lightning shelter behind 11 green is scheduled to begin finishing touches this coming week as. It will be nice to cross of projects as soon as possible.

A Great Season

The nordic season comes to a close today. It was a good year. Lots of early snow and the track stayed great through out the year. Now as the days are getting longer and the melting increases areas of the golf course are starting to appear. Over the past few springs, local dust storms in the valley have carried dust to the course have helped increase the melting process by attracting more heat. For getting out on the golf course this can be a good thing, however when dust accelerates snow melt from the peaks, high run-off can happen earlier than normal and become treacherous to creek banks and floodplain areas.

Over the next few days we will be plowing paths and removing signage from the track. Contractors will be on-site next week to start the 7th tee project and finish the lightning shelter near the 11th green. Next we will be cleaning up around the bridges and putting the finishing touches on them as well.

As for the month of March, we nearly matched the snowfall for February with 50 inches. March beat January by 5 inches. We received a total of 2.61 inches of moisture. However, much of that is beginning to melt or evaporate into the atmosphere. The average high temperature for March was 40 degrees and the average low was 16.5 degrees. We received three days in the middle of March of 55 degree days and we bottomed out at 1 degree towards the beginning of the month.

Bridge and Gas Line Update

The seventeenth bridge is coming along nicely and will be complete and ready for winter foot traffic for the weekend. You can see here, metal plates are being installed to keep the wood railings into place.

Excel energy started digging yesterday to install their new gas line. The goal is to replace the old line with the new line in the exact location.

The 4 inch line was fused onto the pipe from the bridge and about the first 50 feet was dug and installed yesterday. The trench was back filled by the end of the day so it would not freeze.

Thaw blankets have been installed for another 125 feet and the ground will be ready on Friday to continue the installation on the access road between 11 & 16 greens.

By the weekend, the 17th bridge will be safely accessible for all users. After the work on Friday is complete, the installation process will not pick up again until after the holidays. Which is fine with us, because the nordic activities are the busiest and there will be no interruptions through the season.

So we are now embarking on our largest utility improvement project on the golf course. There are many utilities throughout the property including a power, phone, cable, high pressure gas and domestic (low pressure) gas. This next project is in response to a failed valve that caused an minor explosion to the domestic line prior to the 17th bridge excavation. The 4 inch line will be replaced starting this week. The first step is to thaw the ground. Today Xcel has installed a heating machine so that they can begin to dig on Friday.

They are installing the HDPE pipe all the way from the bridge to the frontage road, where it meets the high pressure line. This is a supplemental line for homes and part of Vail Village mostly used in the winter when the demand is greater.

They can thaw about 100 feet at a time. So it will be a slow process, but once they are complete, we can begin to open the area for winter activities.

The 17th bridge final preparations can be mostly accomplished from the south side of the creek, so they would not interfere with the gas company.

Railings

The design here is similar to the bridge detail on holes 14 & 15. A lighter and fresher color wood that will be changed on the aforementioned bridges to match our new established style in the future.

Today the guys are making quick work of the railings and hope to be completed by Wednesday. Transitioning the bridges will be the final step to allow the snowcat, snowmobile and skiers to access the bridge smoothly. We are focusing on protecting the rails and locating snow to bring to the bridge for skiing.

Almost There...

The end is in sight. Yesterday by 10.30am both frames of 11 & 17 bridge were in place and they fit like a glove. To the left is the 17th being lowered into position. For video of the process, visit the video bar to the right of the page.

The 17th bridge has one slight addition, a domestic gas line, as you can see it hanging from the frame. Earlier in this project, the gas company had a problem with one of their valves on this line and it caused a small explosion. This is a supplemental line and since we are nearing the peak season for natural gas demand, XCel will begin the process of replacing that line on Tuesday. Not the greatest news with the weather, present snow and the fact we need to keep track of our new irrigation system. However, it is better than piling this on the spring.

I will have more information later this week with details of the new gas line installation. Yes, it will have some effect on our operations, however since we have spent time and money on this new bridge I feel more comfortable knowing everything with the gas line will be corrected to prevent another explosion.

As for the bridges, they are not operational yet. The railings and deck need to be secured before we allow use of the bridges. The first step is being done right now, as the metal floor is being welded onto the frame. Next, the railings will be installed and a temporary deck for the winter will be placed. Ultimately, a concrete deck will be poured as the permanent deck, but we have decided against pouring concrete this time of year. The concrete will be poured in April when the nordic season is over and nighttime temperatures are typically higher than December.

Our plan is to have the bridges operational by December 13th. Keep checking the blog for the latest details.

Moving Bridges

From the moment I first laid eyes on the bridges on the golf course I knew that these aging structures needed to be replaced. Unfortunately they fell down the priority list behind a new irrigation system and some failing retaining walls. However, today is the day we begin with the final steps of the new large bridges on the 11th and 17h holes.

Pictured here are the bottom of the rails that have already been installed. Due to the schedule of the crane company, today will be when they are placed onto the abutments. Over the next week the railings and transitions to the bridge will be finalized. They will be available for the nordic community on December 13th.

The railings have been stained and prepared for all weather conditions. You will notice how nicely they match the wood detail of the pumphouse and the new weather shelter.

Bridge Update

We're still going with the bridges and taking advantage of recent clear days in Vail. We were slowed by a few storms over the past few weeks. The snow is now here to stay, but quite a bit has melted over the last week.
The contractor has stayed busy with finalizing the abutments. The final steps are in sight now, with only the deck frames and the railings remain.
We have about 7-8 inches of snow on the ground, which is actually melting quickly. We have been able to keep access roads cleared and the workers are still productive. The goal is to have the bridges accessible by December 13th.
The nordic community is thrilled to have snow to ski on right now. Most of the track is accessible, however there are some thin spots. Over my five years here in Vail, this is the earliest we have seen snow for the winter. The bridges will be ready to go for the "meat" of the ski season.
Final touches will be completed in the spring which include tying the bridges into the cart paths. There will be some new sod to enhance areas near the bridge. The creek banks will be overseeded with native grasses and willow bushes to stabilize and enhance the creek bank.

The Latest on Construction

We are juggling 4 capital projects, while getting the course ready for the winter.

Before I get into the projects, the Coal Bucket Classic is this Sunday at noon. Show up at the first tee. $10 for anyone who would like a chance to write their name on the bucket. We'll play 12 holes and cap it off at the clubhouse restaurant.

The projects are going great and the weather couldn't be better. The greatest challenge for the bridges is the installation of the abutments on the creek edge. There are four total abutments, two for each bridge. We have one abutment for 11 completed, another abutment on 17 is nearing completion.

The 7th tee is rolling along smoothly. There were some slight field changes that needed to be made due to the complexity of this project. This project is scheduled to be completed early December. The biggest improvement for the winter will be a newly relocated snowshoe path along the creek. We will work with the Nature and Nordic Centers to guide walkers and hikers appropriately through this area when the project is complete.

The fourth and final project is a new weather shelter on the 11th hole. Construction has begun and concrete footers are being poured this afternoon. This shelter is located to the left of the 11 green and easy access.

Stay tuned to the site as more pictures continue to be posted throughout the coming weeks. Please click on the slide show to the right side of the blog for each project.