Work is ongoing for our crew.  Excellent weather has allowed us to work extensively outside.  We are in unusual waters with this mild, dry weather.  We have irrigated more than ever in December.  We even watered the course on Christmas Eve and Christmas night.  That is Crazy!!  We are still raking bunkers and mowed greens once as well as rolling on different days. Finally, we are getting some rain.  We are draining the irrigation system today but don't expect to blow out the system unless we see some really cold weather in the forecast.  We will blow out the clubhouse and tennis lawns. This has been superb weather for construction.  Nineteen consecutive days and no days lost to weather which is amazing.  Work begins again on Monday the 3rd.  Happy New Year!

Adding sand to the fairway bunker.  Notice the Better Billy Bunker gravel layer.  The polymer was poured the day before and the base is hard as rock.

The completed bunkers.

Another view.

Some of the contouring in the fairway to improve drainage.  There was about 18 inches of cut in these swales.

Foxes are checking out the new bunkers but can't get past the liner.

Check out the work our guys have done on five.  Once many of the trees are removed it will look even better.

More pond bank clearing.

The fourth tee bank.  We'll throw out some wildflower seed this winter and see what happens.

Freshening up chip beds with new chips.

Josh giving a youth clinic on December 30th!!!

Dang- a little too early for this!!!

 Sixty-five degrees and it feels like spring.  We are now three weeks straight without a weather day during construction which is remarkable.  The fifth hole is progressing well.  The asphalt path will be completed today, and the Better Billy bunkers will be sprayed with the polymer.  More internal drainage is going in the fairway as well.  Tree work has been moving too with a number of large dead trees knocked down. 

The gravel liner completed.  The polymer will be sprayer today.

Drying the gravel base with a turf blower in preparation of the polymer application.

Spraying the polymer.  Sand will go in tomorrow.

Asphalt path is going down at the same time.

A massive white oak near the 8th green taken down. 

Our crew preparing a large area around the 8th green for tall fescue sod.

Down goes the sod.  Our guys laid a half-acre of sod on holes 3, 6, 8, and 15 this week!

Julio watering azaleas before we shut off the water next week.  

Unpopular but functional when necessary-temporary greens are ready if needed.

 

 

 The weather continues to be amazing for construction.  The course remains dry, and we are pumping up the irrigation system again to get some water on the course.  We will finalize the bunker shaping on Monday and then The Better Billy Bunker liner will be poured. More sod will be laid next week by our staff.  McDonald and Sons will be laying sod as well.  Asphalt work is lined up for next week as the fifth hole construction nears completion.

There is plenty going on holes five and six this morning.

Track dozer cutting more on the fifth hole to increase surface drainage.

Some gentle contouring to improve drainage in front of the greenside bunker.

Internal drainage installed leading to the catch basin near the green.  More drainage will be added in the fairway.

Cutting out the cart path.  It was decided that the path would function better below the trees as well as provide more safety from errant shots from six.

Our crew preparing for new sod by the sixth tee entrance.

Jeff Williams's memorial bench site with some accompanying drainage.

Hauling and spreading chips to a freshly edged bed on the 16th hole.  The leaves are just about finished as well.  Hurray!

  

 Construction began on time on Monday on hole five with some terrific weather to start. Speaking of great weather have you noticed how dry November has been?  We have had less than 1/2 inch which is well below normal.  More mild temperatures are forecast for the rest of the week so get out and enjoy it.

 

Here we go!  Monday morning construction begins.

A burial pit in the floor of the old bunker.  Asphalt from the cart path will be buried here allowing us more soil for mounding. 

On Tuesday we did some field adjustments and the bunker is beginning to take shape.  The blue pipe is the irrigation main line which is to be moved.

Three hours later it begins to look like a bunker.

Installing silt fence just in case.

Our crew remains busy.  Here's some bent sod laid as we widen the fairway on hole 15.  More fescue is planned in a couple of weeks.

Winter is fast approaching and we are about to put a wrap on the greens for 2021.  Here Francisco deep tines the chipping green.  

After aeration the greens were fertilized.  One final fungicide application and we are ready for winter.  Greens 3, 4, and 5 will be covered with turf blankets for cold weather protection before long. 

Leaves are a chore at our club.  Here Oscar and Chris pick up another tote full.  Divot mix comes in these totes and we have found them useful for hauling leaves.  We have been fortunate to increase our labor budget beyond what was budgeted.  These men are two of our more recent hires.  Thank you, members!

  

 

  

 It's Thanksgiving week and we are ready to begin construction a week from today.  Before then our staff will work on sod installation and leaves.  Currently we are working on the 15th hole.  We are enlarging the fairway to the right next to the lake and then wrapping the right side with tall fescue.  Weather permitting, we will install two more truckloads in December to end the season.  Temporary greens are being prepared for days when we do not want traffic on our regular greens.  All greens and tees will receive deep tine aeration beginning Monday also.

The fairways were aerated using bayonet tines the last two weeks.

As this picture shows there is little disruption to the playing surface with this type of tine.

Prepping for new sod on the third hole.

Two hours later.  What a difference!

Fifteen fairway expansion marked and ready to be prepared for bent sod.

The fairway expansion in process.  We will replace the rough with new fescue sod as well.

Saturday morning prepping an area for Jeff William's bench during a frost delay.

Equipment is starting to arrive.

 

 

2021 Lentz's Revenge was maybe the best revenge ever?  Beautiful weather, a great setup and overall just a wonderful way to put a wrap on the golf season.  The season might be over but our work is plentiful.  Hopefully we will have some great weather to help maximize our production.  Sod work begins this week.  We will install nearly a half acre of fescue on holes 3 and 14 to start.  I saw 70 degrees forecast for Thursday.  We just might reach forty thousand rounds this year!!!

Scenes from Lentz's Revenge.  Special kudos to Richard Purple who puts everything he has into this tournament and then some.

Love this.  Hope all the Vets took advantage of this.

This was my favorite this year.  I meant to leave a hard hat there-hope no one got hurt!

This reminds me of Mouse Trap.

We Don't Like Spiders and Snakes, and that ain't what it takes....

That's just plain creepy!

The Power T flying high!

Still celebrating the Kentucky win.

A full house ready for fun.

Sod prep on the third hole.

Julio and Pedro planting tulips.  They will finish this week.

Max on another demo articulated mower.  We like this one better.

The course received a nice .75" of rain on Friday morning causing a delayed opening.

Leaf work has begun-later than most years but now in force.

It didn't look like a good fall for color early but that has changed.  Here's a Ginkgo.

Hickory's might be the most spectacular of all right now.

No wonder they are called Burning Bush.

It was strange seeing this guy on the sixth tee Friday headed towards the houses at high noon.