Royal Mayfair Turf Notes: Irrigation Project and Fairway Aeration Update

Friday, September 23, 2016

Irrigation Project and Fairway Aeration Update

The fairway aeration continues at a slow and steady pace. Cloudy weather, frost and shorter days at this time of year only allow us to do 1 or 2 fairways each day. We could move faster but the cleanup would not be satisfactory. The cores need to dry for a few hours so that the pickup and blowing off of each fairway is thorough. Topdressing will commence early next week on those fairways that have been aerated. You have been very accommodating by not driving on the cores. Any traffic will flatten the plugs (cores) and make them more difficult to remove. Warm weather will definitely help with the process.

Cleanup takes time on cloudy cool days. We don't have the luxury of waiting for ideal weather at this time of year.

The Irrigation Project has progressed onto the golf course with extensive work occurring on the 9th hole. Mainlines are being trenched in from the pumphouse across the beginning of the hole and also up the west side of the rough. The tee now has 8 individually controlled sprinklers all of the same type and size. In the past we had 5 sprinklers of varying sizes that were controlled in 2 blocks. This led to both over and under watering. The 2 fairway laterals (and sprinklers) that come off the line in the rough will be installed later next week. Work will progress westward from there onto holes 1, 2 and 8. Weekly and daily emails will keep you notified of the work plan and any course modifications. If you have been down to the Royal Mayfair you already know that #9 is playing as a Par3 and will continue as such for the next few days.

A mainline trench for 6 inch pipe down the side of #9. The existing 8 inch pipe is in the bottom of the picture. It is still pressurized.

A 3 inch line is feeding the new 2 inch lines for the 9th tee. Those lines are being installed with the directional drilling machine on the right so that the cartpath is not damaged.