Last week was not very conducive for digging holes but we did manage to get most of #3 completed. The higher February sun angle did a nice job of melting the snow off so come Monday the guys were determined to finish 3 and 4 this week and that is just what they did. Every remaining head to be wired was dug up before lunch on Tuesday.
The last few heads getting plowed in by Wil and Kevin. We had wire and solenoids to spare which is a good thing. Our 30 year old repurposed water wick drainage machine survived the task of plowing 80,000 feet of wire in the ground, that is just over 15 miles!
Roberto had the honor wiring the 1,260th head into the new wire path. This was a cold and wet winter to be fooling with stripping and connecting wires. Not a day went by where all these guys didn't have a smile on their face making this project happen.
The happy group behind the final hole on 4 tees. Another 600 heads this winter were excavated, wired up and backfilled giving us a total of 1,260 functioning sprinkler heads again on the Manakin. We have gone from having every head working in 2019 to having at least 250 heads not responding electrically in 2023 because of wire issues due to age from the initial install in 2004. This project, completed all in house, solidifies the Manakin irrigation system for another 10 years and ensures top quality turf for years to come. A project like this only happens with a stellar crew filled with an amazing work ethic. Superintendent Grant Lowery said he wanted to be finished by March 1st and he did it, leading all the way!
We do have some cleanup here and there to do but all the cartpath crossings were patched on Wednesday.
We have moved on to the less fun part of seeing what the plow inadvertently hit by turning the irrigation system back on. Only one pipe has been nicked so far and a few heads have wanted to leak water but overall we are in pretty good shape.
Our first greens mowing of the year was laid down Tuesday. This is by far the latest into the year it has ever been for a first mow. Prepare for a few weeks of up and down temperatures before the bermuda tries to start waking up in April.
Even the Herons are sending a signal back to Mother Nature about the weather! We are ready for whatever she has for us next!
Our final push to finish the Manakin bunker renovation project will begin on Monday. Remaining bunkers are on 11, 13, 14 and 16. Above is our guide for Cultural Practices for the year in order to keep our turf in top notch shape. We are ready for another growing season!
