Flip-Flop

This BLOG is not about former presidential candidate John Kerry’s tendency of changing his position (flip-flop) to suit the latest political climate. It’s more serious than that. It’s about the challenge of getting material to a wet area without building a road.

We have a small wetland that separates the 4th tees and 3rd green. Our idea is to expand it so the wetland surrounds the tees on three sides. The challenge is getting the sand to fill the 20 by 10 meter middle tee to its position in the middle of the wetland. Solution: To take the 250 cubic meter pile of sand and flop it three times with an excavator. We used two to speed the process… and they flip-flopped all day long.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Bad Area for Stripping

Yesterday Chechek our stripper (of topsoil) went into greensite 4 to do peel away the organic material and got stuck. That ended his stripping in that area.

Today we had one of excavators go in and scrape it out and pile it out of the way. The back of the greensite had a thin 15cm (6 inch) layer of topsoil, but the front, where Chechek got stuck, was at least 1 meter (3 feet deep) of peat type topsoil. Now we have to go back and fill in the 20 by 10 meter crater with sand.


Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Green 2 Contours Rough Shaped

The second green isn’t as wild as the previous three greens (6, 7 & 16), but it certainly can’t be called flat. The green ties into the close cut fairway in the hillside above, and will have a drop off to the front left. There is contour to surface drain the green in three directions, and enhance strategy and create some short game interest.

The exact position, shapes and numbers of bunkers will be decided as we look a little more.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Pumping in the Sand to Green 2

The greensite is stripped free of any organic material, cored to ensure we have 3 feet of homogenous foundation, and today the dumpers drove the sand for the foundation to the greensite, and had a bulldozer push it in. Tomorrow shaping should start.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

On to Holes 2 & 4

Hole 4 is a challenging area. We have a large wetland to create; about 200 meters (220 yards) by 60 meters (66 yards) to the right of fairway 4. Most of the material excavated will go into the buffer wall. The problem is the area is a bit too soft to drive dumpers at full weight of 40 tons. We will opt for digging a big hole (5 meters deep) and flopping the material to the wall. Then creating a less big hole and flopping that material to the big hole.

That's the plan for now.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

The Wall is Finished, The Wall is Finished

OK, not quite. But we’re damn close.

We have pushed in 99% of the material that was stockpiled. Some is waiting because some standing water is in the way. We’ll probably add more, but some shaping can take place once the material dries out from that last deluge.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmmm?

A large waste bunker has been cut in front of the 7th green and will tie into the pond. It’s been there a while now, as the fill pad for the 16th green was cut from it. It was always inspected after heavy rains to see if any water would remain. Always dry as a bone.

So, it was with a bit of a surprise when we extended the cut behind the 16th green, only a handful of meters from the waste bunker fronting 7, and this area behind 16 green, about 2 meters higher than the big waste bunker... filled with 30cm (a foot) of water.

Simply mind boggling, even for a veteran engineer that was in the neighborhood and popped in for a look. High and wet... low and bone dry. Hmmmmmmmmm?

Answer to the riddle: It seems we have a layer of clay holding back the water making this high area wet.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Attack of the Raindrops Won’t Stop Us Now

The skies opened at 08:00 this morning and let us have it by the bucket. After the rain came the sun and humidity. We had half the crew working again before noon, as we are at the point where there are jobs that can be done anytime of the day. Like cutting trenches and putting in drainage. Building on sand has its advantages…right Tomek?

Everyone I speak with on the continent says it’s been a strange summer.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Around the Corner

We are ready to move our efforts to the fourth hole, excavating the large wetland, building the tees along the constructed wetland, and adding to the buffer wall behind the green.

It rained pretty hard last night, and before we get to the mass earthmoving we’d like to get in and strip some of the fine topsoil. So we’ll wait a couple days for the area to dry out before starting our attack. There are other things to do in the meantime.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Naturalizing the Creek

I had staked a new section of meandering creek that runs from between the 6th tees and 7th green in a large area that isn’t used by the golfers, but is visible to them. The original operator ignored the stakes that made the creek weave back and forth because the end product was pretty much a straight line. How he accomplished this feat I’ll never know.

Today I had our new operator slash the banks and get the creek weaving back and forth. Not only that, I wanted him to make the banks rough and uneven, and to do it as fast as he could. At first, he looked a little dazed, as it is not in the normal repertoire of instructions given to guys in construction. Having learned to make things flat, clean and smooth they find it hard to believe that someone would desire something gouged and slashed; like a rookie operator who had consumed a bottle of vodka before climbing into the machine.

He got the feeling, and did a fine job, and he did it fast. After the banks have grown in, I’m sure people will believe Mother Nature, the forces of water cut the path, not a guy sitting in a 20 ton machine.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

The Onslaught of Drainage

The Driving Range has been shaped, and now the time has come to hammer in the drainage. There will be 5 catch basins to collect the water at the bottom of the hollows. For those not familiar with the term “catch basin”, it’s merely a hole in the ground connect by pipe, covered with a grate that acts in the exact same manner as the hole in the low point of a bath tub. Surface water moves to the low point and disappears.

In all there will be about 400 meters of pipe installed.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Replacing the Hockey Stick Blade

At "The Wall" on Hole 5 the original builder had a section that wrapped around the back of the 5th green. It looked unnatural, like the blade of a hockey stick; or the small section on the letter “L”.

Today we pushed the small section of the letter “L” into the main wall (tall section of the letter “L”) where the two meet, as we didn’t want to drive fill for this section over the site for the putting green. When finished what once looked like an "L", will look like half a "Y".

The buffer wall has some height and depth… so much so, that with the right planting scheme, it will look like it has always been there.














April 26, 2007; Looking at the blade of the "Hockey Stick".

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Moving Masses

Today Chechek started moving the mass of topsoil type material into The Wall on Hole 5. There must be tightly packed 10 tightly packed rows of piles, 2 meters tall at the apex, and the rows 40 meters long; more than a few days worth of pushing.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

“Design on Land, Not on Paper”

That was a message from the prolific architect Donald Ross, and the practice used to build the holes to date.

This morning I set about staking the par-5, 4th fairway, the wetland and long waste bunker that runs the last 220 meters of the hole, and the waste area that separates the left of Hole 4 and left of Hole 2. I have spent countless hours exploring the land and thinking about the possibilities, so my collection of sketches were in the office as I set about finding the form of the hole.

It took a couple hours of staking and reconfiguring, and in the end the one section of sloping land on the 4th is used to maximum effect. As the fairway is pinched, the land tilts, so everyone will have to walk through and experience this sloping section, dispelling the feeling of flatness. Some will have to negotiate the effects of gravity and the surrounding hazards; even the better players who find a hazard off the tee (in an area blind from the tee to be known as the Bomb Garden). Originally the hole was routed in the flats, now the hole uses all the advantages provided by nature; Low wet areas turned into a massive wetland, forest on both sides, sandy soil, and a vast corridor. The hole will have scale, will be wide for the most part, and will challenge from tee to green.

It will be a par-5 that doesn’t ask the golfer to just slog the ball, but to think and choose lines of attack on every shot; from tee to green.

INSERT FIELD SKETCHES

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

The Buffer Wall

Today was a day of putting little things together. Stripping small areas, driving material to and away, and shaping the Driving Range. The most noticeable result though was pushing up the mass of fill stockpiled on Hole 5; not a small job.

The Buffer Wall, (now it should be called The Hillside on Hole 5) grows in height and volume, and it is now to the point of creating the illusion that it was always there. In the future, when the plantings of bush on the buffer wall mature, the illusion will be complete.



























This sandy ridge divides a local farmer's property. The landscaping has been done by Mother Nature. Predominantly a mix of birch, white thorn, black thorn, pine; all native. This "scheme" is a great model for what the "Buffer Wall" could look like; camouflaging its artificiality.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Finishing the Range

The cuts and fills for the Driving range have come to a finish. Now it’s a matter of shaping the remaining areas and getting the drainage and irrigation teams in and out. Once they are done, the seedbed will be prepared and seeding will begin. We need it dry; this one of the few clay areas on the property, and when it rains working in this stuff is next to impossible.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

In Goes the Pump House; Part 2

The first attempt went undocumented. Those responsible for the engineering and installation of the pump station sized the crane wrong and we had to stop. It just couldn’t lift the 12 and 15 thousand kilo masses of concrete and place them into the 3 meter deep hole. With the machines necessary to complete the job, the two sections of pump station are in place and ready for the next steps to be performed.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

To the 4th Tees and Wetland

What the "Previous Construction Company" left us with. 100% useless.

The previous construction company didn’t do us any favors; especially here. On this hole they deposited massive blocks of organic material where the tees are; totally useless material. The area is low, wet, and can be sloppy; like the Low Country of the Carolina’s or Florida. So, in went Janek with the excavator and proceeded to flop the material out of there… 50 to 75 meters in two directions.

When completed the tees will be integrated into the wetland; surrounded by water on 3 sides. It will look great, but I will be one happy camper to get the work completed here.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Still a Wee Bit Too Wet

The site is still too wet to let the dumpers out and about, so we did what clean up work we could with the excavator, and had the bulldozers sitting.

Seed has arrived, and with the river dunes on Hole 6 being moist from the rain, we started the guys raking and seeding them.


Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

On to 16 Green

The 6th and 7th greens are shaped, as is the 6th fairway, so after yesterday’s deluge, the high sandy ground of the 16th and 7th greensites were the only places to work. I set about making the first cuts to shape the green on the short, risky par-4 16th.


Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

The 30 Minute Workday

Not long after the machines were in the field working did we get a mass of blackness that dropped 90 minutes of rain. After 15 minutes it was obvious, the workday was over. A little irritating as the one section of heavy clay we have to finish working, the Driving Range, was one day away from being dry enough to complete the bulk earth moving, and 1.5 days from having the rough shaping done. Now we have to bring out the pumps to get the low areas dry, and wait for some sun to get the clay stable again.

So, with the day shot Kai, Piotr, Mika and myself went golfing near Gdansk, and then stopped by one of the numerous beer garden’s on the beautiful Monte Cassino street in Sopot for something to eat, enjoy some laughs and sites with Piotr’s friends. On a warm summer’s evening I highly recommend a visit.


Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Sometimes Walking Away is the Best Thing To Do

The day started off full of enthusiasm as I started chipping away at the material blocked in for the 7th green. Then I pushed more into the banks of the green from the deep bunker fronting it. Then I hit a creative wall, and changed the direction of the spine running through the green.

I still wasn’t satisfied as the green lacked the essential ingredient to make the shot more challenging from the left side of the fairway than the riskier right side. About this time I went for a walk across the property to check on the progress there and speak with the other guys.

Upon returning to the greensite I hit upon the key that made the strategy, drainage and beauty of the green all come together. By the time darkness fell I was thrilled with the result. A rolling green, some would say “wild”, that fits the land, drives the strategy of the hole, and will never bore.

I left with more enthusiasm than when I arrived.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Starting on 7

This evening the first cuts were made to the block of material for the 7th greensite. Alterations to the general idea have already taken shape, but tomorrow is another day with another set of thoughts, emotions and ideas.

It is always interesting to compare the final product to the ideas generated beforehand. Rarely are they the same. In fact, if you produce something precisely as planned, you have ended up with an inferior product.

This is an art, not a paint-by-numbers kit.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Up All Night

Some jobs don’t need the fine touch, and it’s these jobs that allow our “second team” to work when it’s dark. One of these jobs is pushing the mass of material deposited from excavations into the buffer wall on Hole 5. Chechek spent the entire night and early morning hours pushing the mass, and only managed to get 60% of the work done. When the dozer finally gets a rest it will have worked about 40 hours non-stop.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

What a Drag

It took the two bulldozers, the D6R and D6N all their might to drag the two concrete sections (12,000 and 15,000 kilo’s) of the pump house, about a kilometer to their destination. The estimated speed, about 1 km per hour.

The heavier section, only a few hundred yards away proved to be a bit bigger problem. The previous construction company managed to drag this heavier section into a low area. It wasn’t possible for the two dozers to pull it out, so we opted for a push pull solution. One dumper loaded with sand (total weight 40 tons) pulled the concrete section, and the CAT D6R pushed. It took us 8 hours to finally get the beast where we wanted it. Estimated speed for this job; about 1 km per 15 hours.

In a couple days the two sections will find their permanent hole in the ground.

Unfortunately, my camera has died... so there are no photos.


Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

“Looks Great”…

Kai was off living the hard life, having access to pit row and taking in the Formula 1 race in Hungary as the shaping was underway. So it was nice, as he returned and scoped the work from the alternate fairway for the first time, to get a “looks great” and thumbs up. Nothing of the work required changing. If I can say so, it does look pretty good, considering we started with a flat field, we now have a fairway 8 feet higher than original grade at the highest point, looks natural, the contours drive the strategy, and it all ties into the dunes towards the greensite.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Shaping Continues…

Today the shaping on the 6th hole has reached about 75% completion. It’s shaping as you go. Getting in and out of the bulldozer to check grades and spot opportunities. This could be done “according to plan”, but this method is far better and much faster. After all, what's better than the architect shaping his own vision? Adjustments are made, contours tied together, opportunities spotted and seized. It’s like sculpture.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Me & HILTI; Down the Fairway

It’s Sunday, it’s sunny and breezy, the course is drying out and I’m here with HILTI; the laser which allows me to measure heights. What a difference from the old days, when you needed two people to do the work; one to look through the transit, the other to hold the measuring rod.

Now it's just a one-man show. Take the rod with the receiver and do your walk-about checking the grades to make sure the contours are directing water to the destinations of your choosing.

Shaping continues…


Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Let the Shaping Begin!

After so many rain delays, the 6th hole is capped with a layer of sand about 1.2 meters thick.

Today rough shaping the greensite began, and the surrounding contours, out to about 60 meters from the green. Looks great if I may say so, and for those who want to attack the back left hole location, you’d better be accurate.

A short description:
The start of the green blends into the rolls of the fairway; the front half slopes and surface drains to the left and right. The back right is set into a hollow that blends into the large hill to its right, and the back left is a bit like a pedestal, falling off on three sides.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

The Yellow Submarine and its Damage

The construction company we leased the CAT 330 and operator from spent the day extricating their machine from the lake. It took 9 hours to get it back on solid ground.

I’ve learned the machine is going to require some serious repairs. The engine will have to be taken apart and put back together, the hydraulics as well, and the electronics are shot. Prediction is 6-months in the shop. Ouch! One month for every week the machine has been working.

This is the century mark for Sand Valley BLOGs. Today we have better weather, wind and sun, and a little warmth to begin drying out the site.

I was out shaping in the 6th greensite this afternoon, and will work from there back to the tee.















First things first. A diver goes in to assess the situation. He made several dives during the day.














Attempt Nr. 1 at extrication. The start of a long day.














9-hours after the first attempt the "Yellow Submarine" is in dry dock.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Not Much Doing

I spent the day shooting grades and looking at the site, hoping there is an opening to get some work done, but to no avail. After all the rain the course is saturated. Though we don’t have rain today, it is neither warm nor windy. We could use both to dry out the site so we can get back to work.

Tomorrow looks better. Here’s to hoping.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080