Golf Course Conditions – August 2023

In the month of August, there are a lot of things going on out on the course. First, construction will begin for repairing the washed out areas from #7 to #11 along the bank edges. This will include both sides of the banks. On the fairway sides of #7, 11, & 12, the bank will be slowly tapered down and sodded with Bermuda grass for a smooth cleaner look and it will give the water more real estate to move over, instead of washing out. On the other side, the bank will have one or two tiers and will be sodded, but with centipede grass or something equivalent. This will be lower maintenance and will require less mowing frequency.

Once the construction is started and moving along, the same contractor will begin our Bunker renovation. The bunker type we will use is called Capillary Concrete. These bunkers will not have the old felt liners in them. If you do a quick google search of Capillary Concrete Bunkers, you can find this is one of the best bunker types in the world. The bunkers we are starting with include #1, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, & 18. These are the largest and most troublesome bunkers. This process will include removing old sand, installing drain-age, removing the high sand faces, and reshaping as needed. After all of this is done, the capillary concrete will be poured into the bottom of the bunkers. This is a mix of rock with little sand to form the bottom areas. This allows for rain and irrigation to flow through with little to no washing out of the edges. Lastly, our sand will be installed, packed, and raked into place.

On another note, July was a very good month on the Greens maintenance program. We were able to verticut and top-dress greens more aggressively than usual. This will help maintain and produce the ballspeed and plant health that we strive for. These are just a few of the cultural practices we use. Another practice we use is Aeration. This process punches a hole in the turf and pulls out a core. Removing a core helps with maintaining and reducing the thatch layer and helps with water/moisture management. We will then put clean sand out to fill the holes. This process does disturb the playability but with the tine size we are using and weather patterns, we expect a quick recovery. This process will take place on August 14th and 15th.

As construction is taking place, we will be open for play. Please be courteous and cautious to these workers. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are doing these things to improve the Brickyard Golf Course.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.