Bunker Washouts

This is a topic of controversy for most Golf Clubs that reside in tropical climate of the country. We are talking about bunker washouts. Golf course design has evolved from the days of Tom Morris to be much more pleasing tothe eye in the modern world today. We have gone for more of an aesthetic look in the modern world instead of natural winding golf holes carved out of the existing land. In doing this the demand has been put on the designers to come up with interesting and creative ways to show flashes of sand and/or severe slopes. The side effects of doing so, results in tough maintenance practices on the agronomy team.

Below you will find some pictures that were taken recently during the end of May and beginning of June. Some included below are of the newly renovated bunkers on #18. See if you can spot the differences.



Minimal wash in this renovated bunker on #18




The washouts in this bunker are a result of all the water from the top of the hill behind the bunker rushing in at once.




Lake Bunker!
Build up of fines in the sand have prevented this bunker from properly draining.




Renovated bunker with no wash after a 1.5" rain. Bunker liner and fresh sand allowed for proper drainage.




Renovated bunker on #18 as well. This one faired o.k. Once again, a result of design, allowing the water to run into the bunker instead of away.




Here we have one of our renovated bunkers that took on the rain with great success. Notice the dead grass clippings, or chaff as we like to call it. That is the highest point in which the water rose before draining off.




This is a result of a comprimising design. Notice the grass slid down into the bunker from all the rain. This happens when water is channeled from the top of the bunker slope down into the bunker.




Bunker #18 left of green. This picture was taken 3 days after a 1.5' rain. The cause of the water standing in the bunker after 3 days is a result of fine dirt and silt build up in the bunker sand profile. Over time the build increased to a point were it created a partial seal over top of the drainage pipe.



Jupiter CC Wildlife

        Jupiter Country Club is home to a variety of wild animals. Since we are neighbors to Riverbend Nature Preserve, we often have visitors looking for a change of scenery. Below you will find a few snapshots of those exact visitors. They are often seen early in the morning between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. before the sun is up and the heat kicks in to high gear.

       Seeing the abundance of wildlife in the community gives a sense that we are doing our part to preserve and protect the resources around Jupiter Country Club. Continuing this trend should benefit not only you, The Member, but the natural occurring wildlife that calls Jupiter Country Club home.

Get outside and enjoy!


Alligator getting some sun on #15.



This doe was spotted early one Saturday morning behind #17 green.



The same doe from #17 with her button buck brother. They were just on the other side of the fence in Riverbend Park.




Curious doe on the other side of the bushes left of #17 green.




Baby armadillo trying not to damage the turf.




We have a reservation for 4 at 8 a.m.This group of armadillos was spotted on #9. These were all babies.You can't see her, but mom was just inside the bushes keeping close tabs on her young. FACT: Armadillos give birth to 4 identical young. They can also delay birth in times of stress to ensure they have a strong litter of young.




While beautiful, these pesky Sandhill Cranes can cause quite the problem to a golf course.




Wascally Wabbit!
 These native rabbits are in abundance throughout the golf course. If you ever see a hole at the base of bush or tree, you can bet a rabbit is or has lived in there at some point.



Aerification May 2013

The agronomy staff at Jupiter CC has implemented a process called Aerification. This process is done 3 times a year during the summer months to enhance turf quality. It is a complex process that involves specialty equipment as you will see in the pictures and videos below.


The photo above shows #3 tee box during an aggresive verticut. This tee, along with the rest of the tees, was verticut 2 directions up and back in the same direction. Essentially it was verticut 4 times. You can see the team member in the picture starting his second direction.




A close up of a verticut tee on it's first direction.




Above is #4 black tee after a 5/8" side eject coring tine. The dirt and thatch pulled up from the ground was dragged in with a steel drag mat and the thatch was blown off with a blower. The dirt from the cores was distributed back into the canopy of the turf and acted as a topdressing which provided a smoother teeing surface. You can see the team member walking the aerifier in the background.



Here you can see the pile of thatch that was pulled from the fairway and greens. Notice the walkie talkie in the foreground. It was placed in front to give the pile some scale.



The above referenced picture shows #1 green after it has been verticut 2 directions up and back, The depth of the verticutter was set at an 1/8" into the canopy of the turf to remove excessive thatch build up. This practice will allow for a denser, firmer putting surface.

  

This is a video of a machine called a triplex verticutter which was used for the tees and the greens. If you look closely you will see the thatch that is being ejected into the basket of the machine.

Here we have a video of our tractor slicer. This was used on the roughs and the fairways. It works by putting large slices into the ground and disrupting any compacted soil. The fairways were sliced 2 directions and the rough only 1 direction. This one machine covered 125 acres in just under 2 weeks.

North Tee Landscape Improvements

End of season the maintenance staff completed a lanscape feature to the walk-up area of the north driving range.  Below are a few pictures of the process, and finsihed product.

 The process began with removing sod.  The entire area was walked over with a sod cutter.  This process cuts underneath the turf's canopy and roots to allow easy removal of the turf.  Above is a picture of staff members clearing out sod, exposing the soil below.

Maintenance Team Members had to move three irrigation heads to the edge of the landscape bed in order to have adequate water supplying the new plant material.

Maintenance Team members also removed about 4,500 sq. ft. of sod to accomadate all the new plant material.

9 ligustrum trees were planted, at equal spacing, in the center of the landscape area.  The rest of the area was accented by a mix of Red Fountaingrass, Dwarf Fakahatchee, and Firecracker.





Above is the finished product. Once the plant material matures it will fill the space in beautifully and give the range tee a nice enhancement.



Above is a panorama shot of the completed project.

Below is an up-close shot of the project.