Fall Projects

It is amazing how quickly time has gone by since my last post.  We have been extremely busy the last two months taking full advantage of the extended fall weather completing numerous construction/renovation projects.

Immediately after aerification was completed in early October we have been in full renovation mode working on drainage improvements, bunker and tee renovations and a major landscape enhancement at the restroom on hole #4.

The work this fall alone we have completely renovated in house a total of 9 tees and 6 bunkers.  Although we have done a lot we still have a long way to go to complete the long term renovations in these areas.  We have a total of 82 tees of which all need varying degrees of work ranging from leveling, drainage,irrigation, new rootzone mix, tee expansion and re-grassing. This fall we have started with the most problematic and heavily used tees so that an immediate impact is made for next spring. As time goes on we will work through all of them in order of usage by both the men and women until all of them have been re worked.
New Rootzone Mix Being Installed

Final Prep Before Sod

After Sod Installation

Old Rootzone Mix Removal

Final Grade Before Sod

Sod Going Down

After Sod Installation

A similar process is being followed in regards to the bunker renovations taking place on the course.  We are identifying the most problematic bunkers from the greens out completing these before moving on to fairway bunkers. In 2007 we had a major bunker renovation of all 50 bunkers that allowed us three plus years of great sand quality and conditions. Unfortunately in the last two years in particular we have experienced numerous significant rain events that has repeatedly washed out and contaminated the bunker sand and drainage systems. With the work that was started in the spring of the year we now have renovated a total of 16 bunker and are on are way.  The renovation of each bunker includes; removal of the old contaminated sand and drainage followed by Klingstone liner being applied and new drainage and sand installed.    
Washed Out Sand Contaminated With Silt

New Drainage Trenches

Klingstone Being Applied

Final Product

One of the other projects that was recently completed was the landscape renovations at the restroom on the fourth hole.  This was previously a native grass area that always looked worn and had a negative aesthetic appeal. This newly landscaped area will serve two purposes now the first is a major aesthetic improvement with the incorporation of trees, shrubs and perennial flowers. The second function this landscaping will provide is some much needed screening from the development road that is directly adjacent to it.

Newly Installed Plant Material

This renovation work should greatly enhance your overall golf experience come spring time and if the weather cooperates there will be several other surprises waiting for you when you return next year.

Rolling Pull Lines

Throughout the golf course there are still irrigation pull lines that have not completely settled from last years irrigation installation.  These areas have gotten better after a freeze and thaw cycle, but they still are acting like mini speed bumps every 55 feet across the fairways.

We have recently rolled the pull lines with a small asphalt roller to smash down the heaving that took place.  After rolling the lines have flattened out, but a slight bump is still present.  One of the visible signs of rolling is a slight discoloration or blackening of the turf from the roller's drum going over the pull line several times. 

The Driving Range Is Open

 After many months of hard work and fighting Mother Nature the new and improved driving range is open.  Weather conditions today were not great today for practicing, but those who braved the wind were able to enjoy the new configuration.

Even though we enlarged the tee surface by more than 25% it up to you to help us by practicing in a systematic manor.  The most efficient way to hit balls is to keep your divot patterns tight and not randomly within your teeing station.  A tight pattern leads to more efficient use of turf and allows for easier divot filling and faster re-establishment of turf.    

Proper Divot Pattern

 Horrible Divot Pattern

Target Green Complete

Some of the final details of the 135yd target green were completed today.

Newly installed overhead irrigation was turned on to water some of the newly sodded areas. The heads and HDPE pipe were installed in house by my staff, it was a great site to see. I believe that my staff was energized after seeing their hard work come to fruition in the operation of the new irrigation system.


The bunker was also completed today with the installation of both drainage and sand. Aesthetically the bunker looks great from the tee and will help provide realistic practice sessions.

Today marks another step closer to completing this project, but as i am writing this post the weather is quickly changing for the worse. The forecast is calling for snow each day this weekend, lets hope the weathermen are wrong again with their predictions.

Signs of Life

Today we were able to witness some of the fruits of our labor by activating some of the new irrigation laterals. Over the last several weeks we have been installing pipe and fittings, but have not been able to activate them until today. We have been waiting on an electro fusion machine that was ordered several weeks ago that has finally arrived.

Over the last week progress has been slowed due to winter making an early appearance. Towards the end of the week we lost four days in which work could be done due to the snow cover and subsequent melting causing a significant mess. Unfortunately the forecast does not look good for the next several days with more snow on its way.

Our window for completion of work this fall is rapidly closing, but we will be doing everything possible to get this project as close to completion as possible. Anything that remains incomplete will be worked on over the course of the winter and early spring as weather allows.

Busy Day

Lots of activity took place today on the driving range as the project begins to hit high gear. The shaping of the features continues and is now at a fine shaping point. Moving forward, the features that are currently shaped in will now only receive minor tweaking tying them into existing grades.

Lots of activity going on

Irrigation laterals and heads continue to be installed at a pace that improves on a daily basis. To date we have installed more than 7000 feet of pipe in the last weeks time.

Today we also poured concrete in a newly enlarged parking area. The new concrete parking area will help to better accommodate multiple carts that are parked at our extremely busy driving range tee.

New forms in place
Pouring concrete

Lateral Installation

Now that most of the major shaping has been completed we have begun to install the new irrigation system on the driving range.

Having the opportunity to watch one of the countries best irrigation contractors install a system on the main course, taught both myself and my staff all the tricks of the trade. It is not often that you find an in house HDPE installation take place on nearly 18 acres, but i have confidence in the knowledge we have gained.

As with anything it always looks easier when your just watching someone else, but it is a lot harder once you begin to take it on yourself. It took us a couple of laterals to figure out how things will go in the ground easier and faster and we are still getting better as we go.

Laying Out The Wire


Dueling Pullers At Work

Frost Free Installation Begins

Today we began to install the frost free irrigation system that will be used to irrigate the driving range tee. Unlike the other irrigation that is being installed on the driving range, this line is being trenched rather than pulled in. The reason being that we need to have a pipe depth of four feet so that it is below historical soil frost levels. In order to achieve this depth we have to open trench the pipe which is more labor intensive, but it will be worth the effort when we will be able to readily use this line under winter conditions.

Filling In

Many of the native rough areas and Scrub Oak that was damaged during the irrigation installation is making a strong comeback.

Much of the comeback has been fueled by the wetter than normal weather we have been experiencing all season. The timing could not have been better, because these areas of disturbance rely on natural precipitation for establishment and positive growth.

All of the native grass areas were reseeded with true native grasses that are very slow to reach mature height and densities. Most of the native grass areas will take as long as a season or two to become fully mature and blend in with the surrounding areas.

The Scrub Oak is also bouncing back in areas of disturbance as well. The Scrub Oak is a funny plant because it is incredibly fickle. If you try to transplant it most of the time it will not survive, but if blow through it with an excavator it starts coming back on it's own. The Scrub Oak areas will take the longest to comeback due to the sheer size (height) of some of the Oak that was damaged. Time heals all wounds and thankfully Mother Nature has been kind to us this year helping speed up the process.

Click on the picture below to see a close up

On To The Next One

The contractor has officially completed the scope of the irrigation renovation work at CCCP. They will no longer be on site and my staff will begin the transition of day to day maintenance of the new system.

Over the last several weeks it has been nice to have the contractor around to deal with the minor issues that come up on a daily basis, allowing my staff to focus on the details of the final repairs to the course. Most of the detail work has come in the form of sodding and seeding in play areas.

It will be an unusual feeling not seeing the contractor around after nearly nine months of them being apart of our day to day operations. From a golfer standpoint it will once again be nice to have the golf course back to yourself and enjoy all that is special about The Country Club at Castle Pines.

The Fix

As we have begun to utilize our new irrigation system more frequently we have been experiencing a problem with excessive water around the head. This problem seems to be found mostly in the fairways where we have double heads. These heads are located in the first cut of rough and have been consistently wet, which has caused some problems with the sod work around them.

This issue has been brought up with the manufacturer Toro and they have been extremely proactive in their approach in dealing with our situation. Numerous components have been removed from our site and tested by the manufacturer to determine what is causing our problems. To date the testing has shown that the components are within specs and working properly.

The specific component we are having issues with is the Pilot Valve, this is a device that is used both to turn on and regulate the pressure in the sprinkler heads. While in operation the Pilot Valve bleeds to atmosphere on average of 165ml of water per minute which is discharged below the head.

The root of the problem appears to be our heavy poorly drained soils that do not allow the water to properly drain off like it does at 99.9% of the other places. The solution to this situation is to bed the Pilot Valve area with gravel so that a “sump” is created allowing the excess water a place to go and drain off in time. This is something that I have actually done in the past with other older problematic heads and it had also resolved the problem.

I would like to thank The Toro Company for addressing the situation we are currently dealing with by standing behind their product and doing whatever it takes to make our situation correct. There is something to be said about brand loyalty and this speaks volumes as to why I prefer Toro to any other manufacturer in the industry.

The contractor getting an early start bedding the heads

Finding Your Number

One of the final things left to do as a part of the overall irrigation renovation is to install the yardage makers on the new heads.

There will be nearly 700 heads that will have yardages on them ranging from 45 yards all the way out to nearly 300 yards. Unlike the marking system found on the old heads which were only found in the fairways, all new heads will have markings on them in the above yardage range. Hopefully this additional information will help your game in addition to helping with pace of play.

The double heads that are located in the intermediate rough will have only one of them with yardages due to the proximity of each other being located only 18” apart. Additionally the Kirby yardage marker will be removed from the fairways in efforts to help remove the clutter of unnecessary components.

We are hoping to have the yardages installed on the heads within the next two weeks.

Irrigation Audit

Yesterday we began to test the distribution patterns of our new irrigation system. The testing was conducted by myself and Larry Rodgers of LRDG our irrigation designer.

We tested both green and fairway locations to determine how uniform our new coverage is. The data that was collected is another tool for me to use in the fine tuning process of the system. After evaluating these areas, I now have better insight as to the true distribution patterns of the sprinkler heads under real life situations found at Castle Pines. This data clearly shows how various nozzles combinations distribute the water differently from the head all the way out to the end of the throw. Now that I am armed with this information, I will be better suited to make adjustments out in the field as we begin to more frequently utilize the new system.


Larry Rodgers laying out the grid


Testing on the fairway

Testing on the green

Fairway Cut

In efforts to improve the practice facility and create more purposeful practicing, we have added a fairway cut to the driving range landing area.

Over the last several years the driving range landing area has been more brown than green most of the time due to a non functioning irrigation system. Low and non cost upgrades have been made to the old irrigation system still in service on the driving range. The old underground piping is still being utilized, but the heads have been upgraded and are now being controlled by our new system.

Newer sprinkler heads that were installed in 2005 have been removed from the golf course and are now being used to replace inoperable and inefficient heads that are nearly 25 years old. For the next several years we will limp along with an improved driving range irrigation system, but ultimately it will also be replaced when the driving range tees and landing areas are reconfigured.

The driving range is one of the final areas on the golf course that has yet to be improved and the Green Committee is currently looking at long range plans for improvement. Some of the concepts that are being considered are; raising and enlarging the tees, moving the target greens to create better visibility and even the possibility of several practice par three holes on the east end of the range.

Concrete Repair

The contractor has begun to replace the concrete that was removed or cut during the irrigation installation. We originally had the concrete work scheduled to be done by a sub- contractor and came to find out on the day they were suppose to start work they went out of business. Allot can happen in a couple of weeks in this day and age.

Repairs were made on holes #8,#9,#10 and #17 yesterday and the remaining holes will be completed over the next several day as the weather allows.



Loading Up

Finished Product

Sprinkler Head Placement Around Greens

All of the heads on the course were sited in with the use of GPS technology to ensure specific placement that optimizes sprinkler head performance. The use of this technology is great 99% of the time, but due to the greens all being different shapes and sizes the layout to has to shift sometimes.

Typical Sprinkler head location just of the collar

Typically the heads are located just off the collar six inches into the first cut of rough. This is done so that the sprinkler can be properly adjusted so that only the green is irrigated during operation.

On several of the greens you might notice the heads were not located as i have just described. These heads were placed away from the green due to the fact that the greens have shrunk and lost their shape over time. The intent is to fully restore these greens back out to their original shape and size similar to what was done on the eighteenth hole last year.

Heads located out away from the current green edge

During the installation great care was taken to relocate original green perimeters so that no piping was installed into the original green surface. Both the heads and pipe were installed out and away from the current greens edge so that when these green are restored the materials will be out of the way of invasive agronomic practices.

The restoration of these greens surfaces will greatly enhance the overall playability of the golf course by creating pins that have been lost over time.

Rolling Closures

Even though we have completed the overall irrigation renovation work, there still are many things that need to be done. Each of the holes over the next several weeks will be closed at some point so that final punch list items can be addressed. This will include leveling of sunken components, repairs and adjustments to all newly installed heads and valves.

Additionally components of the old irrigation system will be removed; these items will include sprinkler heads, valve boxes and satellite controllers. The old piping and underground wiring will be abandoned since it is not seen on the surface or affects the play of the golf course.

These final items that need to be completed are very important to both the short term and long term success of the renovation work. These rolling closures will move throughout the day depending on how much work needs to be done on each individual hole. There is the potential that a particular hole will be closed in the morning and might be open later in the same day. So for that reason it will be hard to accurately predict what closures you might run into a daily basis. Be sure to check with the golf shop or here on the blog for the latest updates.

Your cooperation and understanding of these closures is greatly appreciated and will help to expedite this final process of the irrigation renovation project.

We Are Done!!

Well it is hard to believe that this day actually came, but the overall irrigation installation has been completed today. The installation of the new components was done a full three weeks ahead of schedule and I could not be happier.

The contractor will be on site most of the summer working on punch list items and other odd and ends that still need to be addressed. This project like all that are this size and magnitude had it's ups and downs, but overall the end result is something that all parties involved in can be extremely proud to have been a part of.

Say Goodbye!!

Last night was the final operation of the old irrigation system on the golf course. It nearly brought a tear to my eye to watch the sixth hole run for the last time. Well not really, actually I was very happy to see it go.

Over the last fourteen years of my tenure here at CCCP the old system has been good, bad and ugly all at the same time. For the most part the old system served the club well for the first eighteen years, but the last five were not so kind.

Both the club and I are entering into a new and exiting time with a state of the art irrigation system. There is a tremendous learning curve on my part to learn a new software platform as well as the operation of over 3000 sprinkler heads. To put that number of heads in perspective the old irrigation system had only 1600 heads.

The fine tuning process will be taking place for months if not years as I get to know the old golf course in a new way.

And Then There’s One

Yesterday the irrigation installation on the seventh hole was completed. This leaves us with one hole remaining to complete the overall irrigation renovation project.

Work on the sixth hole should be completed by next Friday, which will actually put us more than two weeks ahead of schedule. Even though we will be complete with the overall irrigation installation, work will still be taking place for some time. Throughout the summer there will be a small crew from the contractor on site working on punch list and other items such as areas of settlement around various irrigation components.

The turning point for this project occurred nearly five weeks ago when the contractor stepped up to the plate and properly staffed and equipped this project. Without that level of commitment we would be in a far different position today.