Aerification and Bunker Update

Aerification on the greens and tees for the spring has been completed; the healing process has begun.  The weather last week speeded up this process.  Unfortunately, this week’s weather isn’t helping.  One of the biggest issues that is addressed during aerification is the amount of sand that is applied to the greens.  We have added 60 tons of sand to the greens during aerification this year.

The picture below shows “notches” in the bedknife (reel makes contact with bedknife - similar to scissors cutting).  The bedknife is part of the cutting unit on the mowers we use for the greens.  The sand causes these notches.  These reels must be “ground” before cutting again.  If not grounded, the mower tears the leaf blade, which makes the plant weaker and more prone to disease.  This grounding issue prevents us from mowing the greens daily.  We should be back to normal maintenance next week. 

The notches in the metal are the result of sand grains grinding away at the bedknife.  The sand is harder than the bedknife metal, so the bedknives become dull.

9 days after aerification- hope to be completely healed by this time next week.

Bunker Update

The contactor completed their portion of the work last Saturday.   We have sodded all of the bunkers and are currently working on installing liner.  We will begin adding sand later today and finish tomorrow.  I’m very proud of the work my staff has completed over the past several years.  We anticipate ~95% of the bunker work will be completed for the Kemper Kickoff this Sunday, April 26^th. Next week we will be focusing on spreading the sand and packing it in.  All of the bunkers should be open for play within the next several weeks.

Rey Turns 30!

Today is Reynaldo Ocampo's 30th anniversary with Kemper Lakes Golf Club. Rey is our foreman and started working for Kemper on April 3, 1985. He is a very dedicated employee and asset to the club. He works on all major projects and has been very involved in the bunker renovation work the past three years.

Next time you're on the course and see Rey, tell him "Congratulations" and thank him for his service.

Congratulations Rey!