Manakin bunkers moving along, aeration Monday/Tuesday

 

The dry weather has kept both Manakin and Sabot teams working hard on the remaining Manakin bunkers. All 5 bunkers on 11 are ready for concrete this coming Monday.

Sand was removed from 13 fairway bunker this past Monday. The clay under this bunker was particularly soft but as we put the new drain in it hardened right up. The two inches of permeable concrete in the bottom will raise this floor up slightly but no, the face is not being modified to make the approach shot any easier.

The sand from the greenside bunker was removed by hand and once the excavator finished the fairway bunker, it was brought up here to dig in the new drainage. We hope to have all these bunkers on 11 and 13 filled with concrete by the end of the day Tuesday next week and then get moving with fresh bunker sand. Once 13 is finished we will start digging again on 14 and then finally 16.

All of the native areas have now been given their spring haircut. We will keep these areas low for a few weeks while we apply our spring pre-emergent weed control and growth regulator. 

You can see some small pockets of Latitude greening up here and there but there is certainly a long way to go. The next 2-3 weeks should see some nice changes as we keep our fingers crossed that we can avoid any winter damage. 

This coming Monday and Tuesday the Manakin will be closed for greens aeration. After a few years of just a single aeration and no dryject, we will be double aerating the greens Monday. The small 1/4" tines will pull a core out and then a solid 1/2" tine will poke another hole for even more sand infiltration. We are looking for double the normal amount of sand to go in these greens and set them up for a firm, successful year. So long as the forecast comes true, March should be a decent healing month with normal precip and warmer temperatures. Enjoy the Sabot for a few weeks as the Manakin gets some rest!