The leaves have started to change and the fall color is showing.  It is very nice to see the color, but with that comes the falling leaves.

We try to keep up as best we can, but when a breeze is blowing like it is today, it is a futile effort.

The drain is completed on 14 fairway.  This will eliminate the lagging wet area after rains.  This is the first of several drains that we plan to install this fall.

The bag that is sitting off the right of hole 10 is the silt and muck that was pumped out of the pond on 11.  The bag is designed to hold the silt while allowing the water to seep through.  Once the water has dried, the bag will be cut from the pile of silt.  This will take about 60 days.

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The small pond in front of the tee boxes on 11 will receive a dredging this week. It has completely filled with silt and muck, and is ready to be cleaned out.  This will be the first time this pond has received this procedure.

This pond is a silt trap and is doing what it was designed to do.  When a drainage line from the adjacent sub-division runs into this pond, the speed of the water slows down and allows the silt and dirt in the water to settle out before it moves through another pipe into the pond on 17.  This pond is designed to clean the water before moving into the 17th pond.  After years and years of the silt accumulating, it is time for the pond to be restored to its initial specifications.  This pond was constructed to a 6 foot depth.  As you can see from the pictures, the water depth is only a few inches.

We will be using a procedure that is less invasive.  A pump will be used to pump out the silt and muck into a large bag where it will drain for a few months.  Once the moisture has drained from the silt, it will be pushed into a mound and planted over.  The silt will be pumped from this pond into a bag located in the grassy area off the right side of the 10th hole.  You will be able to see the process, but it should not be disruptive to play.

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17 pond has been the home of many different species of wildlife.  During the construction project the pond was constructed to strict specifications to provide different habits for wildlife.  As I drive by several times a day, it is obvious that we have succeeded with our original intensions.  Here is a post from last year that talks about the wildlife last year: 17 Pond Is Getting Crowded.  Here is a picture I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to get:

A video of the muskrat is on the YouTube account as well, HERE.  We do have another bird that we have been watching this week, and are excited to see it on the property.  I am not an Ornithologist, but from the limited research I have done, it is not common to see it around here.  We do have some video of it, but are trying to get more.  When we have one put together we will post it here.

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We had a small whoops today while mowing around the pond on 13.  Our operator traveled a little too close while on a slope and skidded into the pond.  Thankfully employee and equipment will both be fine.

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The fountain is operational again.  Due to its history this year, I will make no speculations regarding how long it will be operational.

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The fountain in the pond on 13 was not left out of the storm damage from June 18th.  Multiple electrical problems have delayed its return to the pond.  It has been operational outside the pond, but not when returned to the pond.  After the most recent step in the repairs, the fountain is ready to return to the pond, an have arranged for the electrician to be present when we do.  Our next try at checking the fountains operation will be soon.

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I had intensions to post this earlier but am just now getting around to it.  After the storms passed early in the week, the course was lucky to remain in great shape, but some evidence of the storm lingered through the week.  Here are a few problems we dealt with through the week.

This picture shows what behind 14 green looked liked around 11am on Wednesday, after the rains in the morning.  We suspected the water should have been receding quicker than what it was.  The next morning, after all of the water was off the course, and we were able to check drains, we found a problem in this area.

We found this drain, which is behind 14 green, to be completely clogged with with plants that had been washed out of the ponds and the adjacent ESA areas.  This drain is connected to the main drain pipe that runs through the property.  There was no other problem with the drain, it was just necessary to remove the debris that had collected.  Once that was done, we could see the water moving through the drain again.

This tree off the right side of 5 tees was the only trees or branches that fell.

We did receive some other tree damage.  This damage was from a lightning strike to a tree on the left side of 2 fairway.  This tree is not in great shape and the lightning strike is just one more ailment for this tree to deal with.

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You can now enjoy the fountain again as you make your way around the course.  The repairs were made to the fountain over the winter, and we got it back into the pond and running today.

Here is a picture of the fountain ready to be take back out to the pond.  It is inverted from this position when it is in the pond.  The silver casing on the top is a water proof case which houses the motor.  The motor spins a prop that pushes water through the white pipe and out the top.  The black plastic disc is a floatation devise for the motor.

The problems occurred with the waterproof casing.  The seal on the casing failed and allowed water into the electric motor, resulting in a short circuit that would trip the breaker.  The repair consisted of a new casing and seal, as well as an upgraded splice for the electrical connections.

Returning the fountain to the pond does not require much effort.  The fountain is tied to a stake on opposite sides of the pond.  One stake is by the electrical box for the fountain, the other is near the bridge.

Here, Joel and Ramon are setting the cable onto the stake under the water.  Without these cable properly connected, the fountain would spin around the pond.

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A short note on a few things on the course:

This spot is on one fairway towards the green.  This shows the most extensive winter damage we suffered.  It also shows how much more susceptible annual bluegrass is to winter damage.  The dead spots are annual bluegrass, the grass that is still alive is bentgrass.  We waited to see how much of this area would green back up and, as suspected, the annual bluegrass is dead.  We will seed into the brown areas soon.

This picture shows the recovery of a patch of snow mold on 2 tee.  Now that the soil temperatures are warming up, many of these areas will be grown in after another week.  Another picture closer up:

This picture shows our latest effort to get our heron to stand in a different part of the pond.  Here is the background on our problem bird: Blight On 17 Green

This effort involves a canoe tethered to a stake in the pond.  Our thought is that the winds will naturally move the canoe around which we hope will deter the bird from standing in that location in the pond.

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The water feature in the pond on 13 has been removed for the year. The specific maladies preventing it's usual performance have not been thoroughly identified yet. The feature is tethered to the shoreline with a rope. This allows us to pull it out from the shoreline rather that navigating the waters to remove it. Look for it to be back in the pond next year.

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If you have played since Wednesday the 12th, you probably noticed the water feature in the pond on 13 was not running. It is an electrical issue with the unit in the pond. This will require us to remove the water feature to fully diagnose the problem. At this time we do not know how long the feature will not be functional. We will keep you updated with the progress.

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