Bunker Sand

Depth of sand in the bunkers is checked often to keep them as playable as possible. High use bunkers get the sand blasted out of them, and sand moved around leaving some areas too thin. This photo is of the left fairway bunker on #8, showing the sand depth at one inch. The sand needs to be at least 4 inches deep to keep from hitting the bottom of the bunker.If there is enough sand in the bunker we can rake it to the thin spots, but periodically we have to add sand. The photo below shows Josh driving the tractor along side the bunker, and Kyle directing the sand where it needs to go.

Once the sand is added, its time to rake it out, then run the plate compactor over it. It will take several weeks for the sand to compact where it plays like the other bunkers, so in the mean time, don't hit it there!

#2 Tee Expansion

The crew has been busy this past winter and early spring dealing with some of the wet areas on the course that never seem to disappear. A good example of this was just to the left of #2 tee, as you walk off toward the cart path. This is a high traffic area, and needed to get fixed once and for all. At the same time, we looked at the teeing area and realized how small it is, and how much it gets used. #2 is our smallest par 3 tee on the course, and really takes a beating during the playing season. Since we were already digging up the wet area adjacent to the tee, several of the crew suggested we widen the tee. It would be a minimal cost project since we could take sod from our nursery green, and we had the sand on site. The boys finished the project in three days, and the final product is very nice. They added 800 square feet of tee surface, and fixed the wet spot too. Nice job guys!

Verticutting and topdressing greens

Verticutting and topdressing greens is done every two weeks during the playing season (March-September) to keep the greens smooth and firm. We try to do it on a Monday since the course doesn't open until 11:00, which gives us time to finish before play.

A verticut unit is shown above. The unit is 23 inches wide, and there are 3 units mounted on a riding mower. The blades are set about 1/8 inch below cutting height, and are spaced 1/2 inch apart.

The green is verticut two directions, usually right and left, or straight and across. The units actually cut small grooves in the turf removing excess plant material, and give a place for the sand to go when it's applied. We verticut to prevent the greens from getting puffy, and it keeps the golf ball rolling true. Glendale has Annual Bluegrass greens with over 50 different types present in each green. Some of those types grow denser and faster than the others. When we verticut on a consistent schedule, it keeps the greens much more consistent.

The photo above shows #12 green after it has been verticut two directions. It needs to me mowed to pick up the excess material left on the surface prior to sanding.

This photo shows the grooves cut two directions in the green prior to sanding.

The greens are then sanded with a small topdresser that applies a light and even coat of sand. Sanding is required to keep the surface smooth and firm. During heavy play, there is a lot of foot traffic on each green. When greens are not sanded, the surface gets very "tracked up" from footprints, and they become very bumpy. We all know what it's like to putt on bumpy greens!

After sanding, the greens are drug with a brush unit to force the sand down into the grooves left by the verticutters. When the dragging is complete, the greens are ready for play. There is no adverse effect to putting after a light sanding. The ball will roll straight and true, and green speed is not affected.

The First Green of Washington is a program that connects schools and golf courses, where students use the course as an outdoor learning lab. The program was started in 1998 by Glendale's own Bill Meyer (President of the Washington Junior Golf Association, Jeff Gullickson (then golf course superintendent at Overlake Country Club, and since 2000, superintendent at Spokane Country Club), and several others with backgrounds in education. Their vision was to team up golf course superintendents with teachers, and use the golf course to teach environmental education. The program has had success since its creation, and is growing in small increments each year. The program is funded primarily by the Washington State Golf Association, and has received grants from the USGA, Northwest Turfgrass Association (NTA), and the Western Washington Golf Course Superintendents Association (WWGCSA). Several private clubs in the Seattle area also fund First Green, led by Glendale CC, and Broadmoor GC. I have been involved with First Green since 2000, and have hosted well over 100 field trips at Glendale with close to 2500 kids from local schools. I have developed some close ties with local teachers at both the high school and grade school levels, who visit Glendale each year. This year we will host 10 to 15 field trips at Glendale with students in Bellevue from Sacred Heart and St. Louise grade schools; and high school students from Interlake, Sammamish, and the International School. In past years we have had field trips with Bellevue Christian, St. Madeline Sophie, Odle Middle School, Emerald Heights Academy, Newport High School, and Bellevue High School.

The are so many things to do when students visit a golf course. We do water quality testing in Kelsey Creek which runs through our course, and talk about protecting water quality in our local neighborhoods, take physical measurements in the stream to determine water velocity in cubic feet per second and gallons per hour. We look at the different types of soils on the course and their physical properties, how water runs through the soil, soil fertility and plant growth, and soil nutrient testing. Wildlife habitat on the golf course and all the different animal species that call Glendale home. Plant and tree identification, native plants growing along the streams, sunlight/shade and how it affects plant growth. Fertilizer and pesticide use issues are hot topics today that kids and teachers are very interested in.  Proper water use on our home landscapes and how to measure the amounts of water plants need during summer months is very useful. Calculations including finding the area of irregular shaped areas, and determining the quantity of water in a pond or small lake is a real life use for math. And there are so many more possible topics that mirror what is being taught in the classroom.

We have also done some interesting projects with some of the classes. The photo above shows kids planting a section along Kelsey Creek where Knotweed (a non-native invasive weed) had taken over the area. The kids (with help from our crew) removed the Knotweed, chose native plants for the site, and planted them. The City of Bellevue Stream Team provided funding for the project, and our Glendale staff agreed to maintain them for several years until they were mature. That was two years ago, and the plants are doing well and keeping the Knotweed out.

Two winters ago it got very cold, and we saw the temperature drop to 14 degrees for several days. That may not sound extreme, but it was 10 to 15 degrees below our coldest part of a normal winter here in the Seattle area. We lost a lot of plants around the course, and in particular the landscaped beds around the clubhouse. Lynn McKay teaches horticulture at Interlake High School, and I asked her if she could help us design the affected areas. We decided that her Advanced Horticulture class could take on the project. The kids came up with a design for the beds, located the plants, and planted them. It was a great learning experience for their class, and a big help to us at Glendale. 

I can't say enough good things about the program, both for the schools and golf courses. It's a good way for us in golf to share what we have with our local communities. It's also a good way for golf to invest in it's future. We can spread the message that golf courses are good for the community, and good for the environment. We can help educate this generation on the positive aspects of golf. Even if the kids who visit our courses never play the game, they will be able to recall the positive learning experience they had at the course. As they get older and live in our communities, they will become the voters and decision makers of the future.

If you have any interest in the program, you can visit the First Green website at: http://thefirstgreen.org or contact Steve Kealy, golf course superintendent at Glendale Country Club, at stevekealy@gmail.com