We are several weeks into the driving range renovation project so I thought an update with was warranted.
When construction of the new driving range is complete, it will be grassed with Celebration bermudagrass. Therefore, to avoid contamination it was necessary to eradicate the mixture of bermudagrasses on the existing driving range. To accomplish this an application of RoundUp, a non-selective herbicide was applied on March 30th. It is impossible to eradicate bermudagrass with a single application. Therefore, after regrowth was evident, the range received a second application of herbicide on April 27th.
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Almost a month after the initial herbicide application
regrowth was evident on the driving range. |
Both existing driving range tees had previously been renovated to Celebration bermudagrass. Celebration has improved traffic, cold, shade and drought tolerance. Since both tees were 100% Celebration I did not spray them with the herbicide. Over the last few weeks my staff has removed all of this turfgrass (over an acre) and we have relocated it to high traffic and/or shaded areas on the golf course.
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Removing Celebration bermudagrass from the east range tee
for use on the golf course. |
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Preparing an area to the left of #11 green for Celebration sod. |
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Area to the left of #11 green after installing Celebration sod
from the east range tee. |
This week construction on the range has progressed rapidly! All of the dead turfgrass on the driving range was removed by bulldozers. This organic material was relocated and is being buried beneath rock that is used to construct the sub-grade of the new driving range.
In most areas of Southwest Florida soil is scarce, but limestone rock is abundant. When we constructed Olde Florida Golf Club in 1992 the entire sub-grade was constructed from limestone material that was excavated from the lakes we created. Approximately three feet of soil was then placed on top of the limestone sub-grade. This is how the existing range was constructed and the new range will be built.
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Turfgrass being removed around the west range tee. |
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