DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SCREEN

Today on the Bear course we applied humate to a handful of tees and approaches.  Humate is a plant health product that is intended to amend sandy soils and create an environment that will hold more water and nutrient in the root zone.  Humate is created by the degradation of dead organic matter and is harvested from ancient peat bogs.  Humate has been proven in University Studies to reduce the need for fertilizer because it helps fertilizer work more efficiently.  The black granular will work its way into the aerification holes over the coming days and disappear by the time we reopen the Bear on Saturday August 16, 2014

Putting green and staging area improvements

We recently completed work to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of the cart staging and putting green area.  This work included: Installation of several hundred feet of curb to replace the rotten 6" X 6" timbers, re-sodding the walk up to the putting green with more shade tolerant Celebration Bermudagrass, expansion of flower beds, re-planting of perennials and annuals, and addition of sub-surface drainage to eliminate standing water.  See some photos below:

Curbing work

Check out this short video to see our Little Bubba curbing machine in action.  For a materials cost of about $.80 per foot we are able to install these curbs in house.  They will help us with the flow of traffic and water.  We have done a lot of curbing around the back of the Clubhouse and will continue this work throughout the Bear course this year.

 

Melalueca removal

Last week we completed the removal of 15 invasive melaleuca trees on #13 Bobcat.  These trees were particularly undesirable because they hid 7 beautiful royal palm trees as well as provided a great deal of shade to the 1 tee on #13.  The palms are now exposed and the tee will be much healthier now with adequate sunlight.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Melaleucas are considered an invasive species, native to Australia.  The roots absorb a great deal of water and they were introduced to the area in the early-mid 1900's in hopes of draining the land.  However, they had a negative impact on the environment because they reproduce rapidly and grow very close together.  Trees that grow so densely (less than a foot between trunks in some cases) cause great harm to large birds such as herons, eagles, hawks, and osprey that cannot maneuver between the tight spaces.

Wedding area/fitness garden work

Next time you visit the Club, you will notice a big change in the wedding area/fitness garden area.  Construction in the past 10 days has helped to solve the major problems in this is otherwise beautiful spot:  installation of drainage to keep water from pooling in low spots, replacement of cracked and uneven concrete, root pruning of large mahogany trees, installation of curbing to replace old 6'X6' lumber, and addition of fresh, new, colorful landscaping.  The photos below are from work in progress.  The project should be complete by July 17, 2014.

Demolition of existing concrete/asphalt/roots

 

Contractors tie drainage into large basin by Pro Shop

Re-pouring reinforced concrete