Sprigging is moving along
The sprigging process is moving along nicely. The weather has been perfect so far, although we will see what how this thunderstorm treats us this afternoon. Holes 3, 4, 14, 15 and 16 have been sprigged. We are moving along to 17 and 18 next and then 2 and 1. Modern Turf (the sprigging company) will be working through the weekend. Making sure every inch of the Manakin is soaked behind the sprigs is quite a chore but we are keeping up.
New white roots are starting to pop on #3. The warm weather, saturated soil and high soil temperatures are giving us an encouraging start.
John Gibson continues to work in front of us fixing irrigation issues as they pop up. This leak was from the initial install 15 years ago. The timing isn't great for an end of a pipe encased in concrete to leak but John and his apprentice Carla get it fixed and back in order.
So are we going to drain the lake keeping these sprigs wet? We are running 7 different 6 minutes cycles on each irrigation head that covers the sprigs. At our peak towards the end of next week we will be pumping over a million gallons a day to keep the sprigs wet. A million gallons will drop the lake about an inch. So overall, since we were able to start with a full lake, we will be in pretty good shape as the sprigs take root over the next two weeks and we can start to back the water off.
The sprigs on 3 have gone from green to brown and are starting to green up again. For us watching it minute by minute the whole process is pretty wild. As golfers, you should feel lucky that you'll really only be introduced to the final product!
The Sabot team is still cruising along presenting a great golf course. This past Monday the guys all worked a long day to polish up the bunkers. The banks were flymowed, edges were cut, bermuda was pulled, the sand was machine raked, the edges were raked up and then smoothed and then finally the bottoms were smoothed out. Bunkers take a lot of work to keep into shape!
The fairways on the Sabot are playing very well. Unfortunately that means it is time to aerate them. On this coming Monday, the 15th, the tees, approaches and fairways will be core aerated, cleaned up and then topdressed with sand. We are planning the process out to be quick and clean with a small impact on play. The Sabot will be closed on Monday and nine holes will be open on Tuesday. Aeration is an extremely important factor in keeping these areas healthy and consistent for the rest of the season. The removal of thatch aides in water infiltration and helps keep the surfaces firm and playable. We appreciate your patience early in the week as the squad knocks out yet another beneficial project for the property!