NEW SAND TRAPS!

I believe I will hereby name Bill Wrightson as an “official” news reporter/photographer for this blog as he is a wealth of info and photos.   Bill was a successful professional golfer so has a vested interest in our Palm Creek fairways and greens.  He spends many volunteer hours out there on the course helping the grounds crews by providing their “hydration station” loaded with Gatorade during these hot summer days in the full Arizona sunshine.
The course (front nine first) is going through its annual process of being scalped and reseeded so it is ready for our winter visitors to enjoy.  But Bill says the BEST news is that all the sand traps are being dug out and replaced with REAL sand.  He is very excited over this and says our golfers will truly appreciate this latest upgrade to the course.  It is no easy task to accomplish this, however, as each trap needs to be dug out and prepped. 

Then comes truck load after truck load of sand that has to be delivered to the course.  That’s a long way to haul all that sand.

Each trap will contain 4-6 inches of sand.

Here is a finished trap, filled and raked on the left of Hole #6.

Bill has repeatedly commented on the wonderful job Jeff  Eckart has done this year as our greens keeper.  The greens are in awesome condition for an Arizona summer when we have had very little rain and a LOT of HOT weather.  This is #11 green plus other scenic views.
More course improvements are underway as well.  There has been a lot of digging, patching, and installation of drainage to prevent wet spots.  The entry way to Hole #1 is undergoing a renovation.  Trees and landscaping will be installed to the left of the flags in this photo.  This will be a great “before” shot and I’m sure Bill will provide an “after” view for us later.
While Jeff did a wonderful job with the course and landscaping, he has now moved on and is no longer on staff.  The grapevine tells me that a gent from corporate (Jim Dawson) is overseeing things for now and he has an on-site man – Fernando – who will be taking over at least temporarily.  Remember----everything I type here is from a resident grapevine and is not official so if I mistype anything, I’ll be the first to apologize.
The next time you drive by Bill’s house, check out the #6 greens marker he has displayed in his front flower bed.  He salvaged this and refurbished it when new markers were installed as it holds a warm spot in his heart…..fond memories of getting a hole-in-one TWICE on #6.

I know many of you like to have your house washed and cleaned before you arrive, but if you live on the golf course, now is NOT the time to do that.  Scalping and reseeding is a nasty job and really kicks up the desert dusty soil.  That’s why Bill is so dedicated to providing his hydration station.

Check the before and after scalping on #6.  Scalping not only the grass, but check out the difference in palm trees too. 

  Every tree and shrub gets pruned.

  Stay tuned for more to come!