Clogged drain lines all over the course

We have had record rainfall this past fall and winter but there are some areas on the course that never dry out. Most of the time this is due to clogged drain lines and the biggest challenge for our staff is to locate the problem. When our golf course was in the planning stage there was a proposed drainage plan. During construction of the course the drainage plan was followed in some areas but not in others. The other problem is there are no "as built" plans for the drainage system that was installed. We do have photos and diagrams of the drainage we have installed over the past 25 years but that is just a small part of the entire system. There is another twist to the story. Several years after the course was built all of the trees were planted without knowledge of the drain line locations. We have found trees planted on top of drain lines that are completely plugged with tree roots.

The tree pictured above is located to the left of the 9th tee and blew over during a storm in March of 2016. This area was very wet every winter for at least the past twenty years. 

When we pulled out the stump we found an 6" drain line that the tree was sitting on and was completely full of tree roots. We had no idea that drain was even there. It must start somewhere across #4 or #3 fairway but still don't know it's origin.

Two weeks ago we found water coming out of the ground in the right rough on #9 about 50 yards from the green. 

After some digging by hand we found an 8" concrete drain line that was clogged. 

Look close and you can see the large Cottonwood tree roots coming out of the drain line. The concrete line was also clogged with roots so we had to get the excavator to dig until the pipe had no more roots. 

We removed about 20 feet of pipe that was clogged with roots. The Cottonwood tree that's causing the problem is over 40' away from this area

Check out our assistant superintendent Josh posing with a "trophy" sized root he pulled out from an adjacent drain line.  

Tree roots will continue to be a problem across the golf course for many years to come. As new wet areas appear, all we can do is start digging!

Steve Kealy

Golf Course Superintendent

High creek flow photos after winter storm

The winter storm that passed through Western Washington this past week brought us 8-9 inches of snow on Monday, .53 inches of rain on Tuesday, and 1.63 inches of rain on Thursday for a total of 3.05 inches of precipitation in four days. All of that rain resulted in a lot of runoff from the surrounding neighborhoods onto Glendale and into our two creeks. Monday's snow was in the form of wet heavy flakes that caused a lot of tree damage with branches down everywhere on the course. The crew did a great job of getting it picked up and run through our wood chipper by midday Thursday. High water flows in Kelsey Creek and the West Tributary cased flooding with damage yet unknown until the water recedes. Below are some photos taken Thursday afternoon.

 Starting at the north end of the course, water shooting through the culvert behind the 4th tee.

Looking south toward #8 tee from #8 fairway.

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                                          Standing on the bridge at #8 tee looking south.

                                          Looking across the creek at #8 tee bank.

                                           Looking upstream from the big bridge on #6.

 Standing on the walk bridge at #16 fairway looking downstream toward #16 tee.

                                   Standing on the bridge looking upstream at #16 tee.

                                    Looking downstream from the bridge on #11.

                                   On the cart path on #12 looking back toward the tee.

Looking downstream from the bridge at #13 tee,

                                       On the #12 white tee looking out at Lake Whitney.

Hopefully the creeks will go back to normal flow today so we can access the damage and get to work repairing whatever needs to be done.

Steve Kealy
Golf Course Superintendent

Mid winter aeration?

During the past two months we had 3.62 inches of rain in December and 3.08 inches in January for a total of 6.62 inches. That may seem like a lot, but nothing compared to the 16.68 inches that fell during October and November. The golf course has been so dry this week that we have been driving carts on fairways and even been out mowing the rough. The firm fairway conditions provided us with an opportunity to aerate and sand some wet areas that need extra attention.

The photo above is of the approach to #1 green. This area had some bad drainage (which has been repaired) but the turf is thatchy and needed to be aerated to get the water to move off the surface. We went out Tuesday and sanded them first then aerated over the top and pushed the sand into the soil profile.

#5 right rough, twenty yards short of the green.

 #1 fairway on the left side across from the 150 yard marker.

#18 fairway, 120 yards from the green.

#7 approach just short of the green.

All of these areas are places that are very much in play and many shots are hit from them. Later this winter/early spring we will get out again and repeat the process so this summer the areas will be firm and dry.

Steve Kealy

Golf Course Superintendent

Father's Day weekend activities 2016

Saturday of Father's Day weekend is the day that we play the Glendale version of the US Open. It's the one day per year where we set up the course as long as it can play with very difficult (but fair) hole locations. Green speed depends a lot on the previous week's weather and we've had rain two days this week so we'll do everything we can to make them speedy fast. We don't let the rough grow tall because we always have other events in the days following and it would take us until the middle of next week to get it knocked down again. I'll go out with Kenney our head pro and decide on the hole placements. We usually come up with some locations that would "test" even the best golfers so make sure you're here to have the most "enjoyable" round of the year.

 It's time to load up the kids and grand kids and come out to Glendale for our annual Father's Day brunch and fishing derby this Sunday, June 19th. Bring your pole and favorite lure or use one of the 14 poles we have ready for action. There will also be bait provided that will almost guarantee a catch. We stocked the pond two weeks ago with 400 rainbow Trout; 200 9-10", and 200 12". There are also some "lunkers" that are holdovers from last year which are in the 17-18" range. The fish shown below looks to me like it's over 12" so the anglers should have a great time fishing.  

I've seen fish fly at the Pike Place Fish Market, but never like the flying fish in the photo above. Just make sure that you tell your kids to hold on tight to their pole because if they hook one of the big ones, their pole could go for a swim!

Steve Kealy

Golf Course Superintendent

New Bridge at #11

The bridge over Kelsey Creek on the 11th hole at Glendale was recently rebuilt and opened for use. It had several pieces of decking that were rotted and needed replacing. We wanted to build it in the style of those on #6 and #8 but the cost was too high for us to do at this time. We spoke to Kenney Alhadeff (who had donated the funds to build the bridge at #8) and he was interested in making a large donation to rebuild the bridge and name it after his father.

The work began in mid November with our crew tearing off the old bridge decking.

Once the decking was off we made sure the supports were in good shape. 

New decking was lifted into place with our mini excavator.

The new  4"X 12" X 24' beams were set in place and bolted to the supports. 

The stone masons went to work to construct the four pillars located on each corner of the bridge. It's the same stone used at #1 tee and the bridges on #6 and #8. 

Next came the railing. It was designed by Tom Jergens and installed by one of his skilled craftsmen who did the work on the other two bridges. Next time you're on the bridge check out the fit and finish of the timbers used for the railing. The installation work is as good as it gets. 

The last step was to install the mat. We laid down two 6 foot wide strips to give a 12 foot wide total area across the bridge. This will make it easy for golfers to safely walk several abreast without fear of falling on the slippery surface. It will also protect the decking from cart traffic wear.

Special thanks to Kenny Alhadeff for the generous donation to make project possible and to Tom Jergens for design and overseeing the stone and railing installations. 

Steve Kealy

Golf Course Superintendent

#10 Fairway Drainage Project

Over the past two years the left side of #10 fairway has become unplayable during all but the summer months. Early last month we had several days of dry weather so we put together a plan and went to work.

The area needing drainage work is on the left side of #10 fairway from the 100 yard marker down to within 20 yards of the green. This photo shows sod removed where the drain lines will be installed. 

Here is a good shot of the trencher at work. 

Along the way we found several old drain lines that were cut during the 1993 irrigation system installation. It took 20 years for those cut lines to stop flowing and cause wet spots.

The cut lines were located, flushed out, and tied into the new drain lines. 

Once the trenching was complete we installed several inches of pea gravel in the bottom of the trench and laid the new drain line. Three inches of gravel went over the drain line then sand was filled to the top of the trench. Sod was put back in place and today it looks like nothing was ever done. 

Later this coming spring when the area is dried out we can move the fairway about 10 yards out further to the left. 

Ball marks need to be repaired correctly!

Take a look at the photo below showing all the ball marks on #15 green that have not been repaired correctly. I placed an irrigation flag on every ball mark on the green using a total of 304 flags. That's a lot of ball marks that should not be there.

Lets review the proper method of repairing a ball mark.

Most of the ball marks on #15 green have been repaired using the wrong technique of placing the tool in the center of the mark and lifting. The photo below shows the result of this incorrect method.

  This will takes several weeks to fill back in during the growing season. Over the winter months it could be there for months. Our crew fixes fresh ball marks every morning that were made the previous day. The old marks like the one shown take more time than we have available to repair each day so we need your help. If you are not sure how to repair your ball marks correctly, ask one of the pros in the golf shop for assistance. I am also around the club everyday during lunch and am available to show you the proper repair method.

It's hard enough to make a putt on a perfectly smooth green. When you have to putt through a maze of ball marks it's really difficult to get the ball in the hole.

Steve Kealy
Golf Course Superintendent