Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Focus on 11 fairway

We're cleaning up the fairway, and working a flow line so the water drains to its disappearing point.

After that it should be all systems go for seeding.

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

Monday, September 29, 2008

10 Green Rootzone compacted

The rootzone is the mix of sand and organic matter used for growing grass on the greens.

After it has been installed by Tex using an excavator, it's smoothed out some and then compacted with Petri using his tractor.

From there the finish work for the greens ensues with the surrounds. The two must be "tied" together seamlessly.

Finishing a greensite takes about a day.

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

Sunday, September 28, 2008

It's Sunday...

... and Petri is finishing the tees... doing his thing pretty much alone.


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

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Tees, tees and more tees

Petri has been busy finishing the tees on 8, 11 and 17 the last couple days.

They're all in fairly close proximity to one another, and as he's cleaned up the area... it's looking good.

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

Friday, September 26, 2008

Connecting the irrigation to 9 Green

With this accomplished, we will be flushing the lines, installing the heads, cleaning up the work where the sprinklers were installed... and seeding.

This should all happen in short order.

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

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Out with the Old

Road that is.

We had a haul road cutting through the 9th fairway, but a new road... one for the residential project is being cut and will be used in the near future.

It means the old road will get ripped up, loosened, and the fairway finished.

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

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Petri Mestari (Master) in Photos

The master of finishing work slipping down the banks of the 9th green.

Note to future members and guests: It's not wise to miss this green left.

















In the TV series Knight Rider with David Hasselhoff, he had his car full of tricks called Kit. Well, Petri and his Kita 4200... actually a Kubota 4200, and he, not Kita is the bag of tricks.
















Mestari.
















Petri's TG Grademaker, with accessories (shovel).
















Getting ready to descend the slope left of 9 green.















This is how Petri spend a good part of his day. With his head turned around looking at the grader. He really should have a set of eyes in the back of his head.















It looks benign, but this slope is steeper than it appears.















Eyes backwards, tractor forwards.


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

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Drizzle Drizzle

Talk about lucky.

We had a couple days of rain as if it came from a misting machine. Kept things moist, no risk of run-off... simply perfect for germinating seed and immature grass plants.

Something like that every couple days would be ideal. You don't want burning sun or lots of wind. Calm, moist and warm are the best conditions.

Like a greenhouse.

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

Monday, September 22, 2008

17 Green

Greens and surrounds were seeded today.

The bunkers are just about ready for seeding, and once done the remainder of the hole can be grassed.

There isn't a lot of fairway here. It's a par-3 with two gaping bunkers forcing golfers to hit long iron or fairway wood approaches... virtually all in the air.

You can carry the bunkers and feed the ball onto the green, or work the ball off the slopes to its right. Once the bunkers are cleared, there are no further hazards around the green.

It's a demanding hole, one of the most demanding on the course.

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

Sunday, September 21, 2008

2 is about ready to go

Today finishing the surrounds of the 2nd green was complete.

There is some cleanup for the remainder of the hole, and then it's on to seeding... and waiting for it to turn green.

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

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Rootzone to 6 green

This is a big green, some 850 square meters, and has some larger undulations.

We started driving rootzone to this far corner of the property... it should be about a day to day and a half's work.

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

Friday, September 19, 2008

2 New bunkers

We had a small drainage challenge to the left of the third green, and had planned one larger bunker there. Between the left of the green and the wetland.

Instead we elevated the problem area slightly and shaped one larger bunker, which then became one larger and one very small bunker.

I like this setup as much or more than what was initially planned.

All this took about an hour with the dumper bringing in a few loads of sand and the excavator rough shaping the new bunker, followed by 6 hours of hand work; raking out the forms and tying in the slopes to the bank of the green.

The 2 bunkers could be called the 3-F's... "Form follows function".

Now the hole is ready to be seeded.

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

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Rootzone on 2 green

Today the second green had rootzone installed and means the corner of 2, 3 and 4 is ready for seeding once the area has been graded. It's a lot of fairway as the 2nd and 4th holes are connected.

We are waiting for the delivery of a critical component to finish the last section of fairway 4...

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

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

On the verge... Part 2

The fourth greensite has been floated, the tees for the 3rd and 4th finished, and the rootzone will be going in to 2 green tomorrow. This greensite will be quick to get to finish grade, ready for seeding. Some hours work to flush out the lines and install sprinkler heads and Bingo! We're ready to turn the area over to the superintendent for seeding...

... but it will require a day of running over the 2nd and 4th with the grader... but before that...

...we are waiting for a critical piece of material to get the corner of holes 2, 3, and 4 done. Once this is located and installed, we will be seeding the entire area.

So.. it really should be done by the 19th and in the superintendent's hands.

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

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

On the verge of escaping another dastardly corner

Finish work is getting swiftly and expertly accomplished by Petri, our Finnish finisher, and some helping hands.

The 3rd green and 4th tees are done, the 4th green will be done today.

Then it's a matter of shaping the remainder of the bunker that runs the length of the 2nd fairway, fixing up some bits of road before getting the connected fairways cleaned up for seeding.

It'll be nice to turn this corner over to the superintendent.

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

Monday, September 15, 2008

Rootzone on 4

This was the toughest greensite to get to logistically.

Low lying, only one access road that was open only when weather permitted, and having to cross the fairway for the last 70 meters made it a tough go. Instead of using our articulated dumper to bring rootzone to the edge of the green, we opted for the tractor with manure spreader... a slower operation, but a lighter footprint.

Now it's pretty easy sailing to get the remainder of the greens done.

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

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Zoom'in Right Along

Today the 3rd green and surrounds was finished.

After a final pass with the bunker rake over the greens, then it's a matter of installing the sprinkler heads and getting the small amount of fairway prepared.

Tees will be done tomorrow, and this hole can start growing-in.

Probably Tuesday.

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

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Getting out of the corner

The 1st, 18th fairway, 2nd tees, and 5th fairway and green are seeded. It's a corner of the course we will be closing to traffic shortly.

The grass has started popping up by the first tees.

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

Friday, September 12, 2008

Enter Petri

To fill out the finishing team... we have Petri from Finland. A Finnish finisher.

He uses a Kubota tractor without cab, with a Tee Gee Grademaker attached. The Kubota's profile sits lower to the ground and is more stable than our John Deere. His doesn't have a cab, so it's easier to use, and to go forward or reverse is one pedal; press towards the toes and you forward, heel is backward.

The John Deere has a seperate pedal for forward and backward. Another feature that's better with the Kubota. His bunker rake is a John Deere. (Nothing runs like a deer, nothing smells like a John... sorry couldn't resist a little industry humor).

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

Thursday, September 11, 2008

All happeneing quick

We had been knocking down weeds in the fairways for weeks waiting for the ideal seeding window to come along. So, the fairways have been run over with the finish grader several times. Once the green and surrounds are completed, it doesn't take long for the fairway to be ready for seeding.

So, we are speeding along.

September 11 is a solemn, unforgettable date.

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