Golf Construction Contract Management

 Golf construction communications, Golf construction specifications  No Responses »
Nov 072010
 

Abstract: Skilled golf course construction managers know what is in each contract. Use this information to mange construction scope and contractor payments.

Contract management is an important part of efficient golf construction. Construction managers should take an active role in preconstruction contract language. When the owner and contractor sign the contract, the construction manager will live by the contract documents.

Golf course contracts come in many formats. I’ve used the following: Continue reading »

 Posted by Ray Richard at 8:53 am  Tagged with: ,

Golf bunker floors

 Golf bunker construction, Golf construction specifications  No Responses »
Jul 202010
 

Abstract: Good golf course bunkers begin with a properly constructed bunker floor. I like them contoured to permit positive drainage.

Golf course bunker floors vary from flat to highly-contoured.  I’m a proponent of gently sloped bunker floors that encourage gentle subsurface water flow directed toward drain pipes. Flattish bunker floors collect water or drain water slowly because they don’t have subsurface slopes.

Bunkers built by bulldozer during the 1970’s and 1980’s often suffer from flat bunker bottoms. Continue reading »

 Posted by Ray Richard at 5:53 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Golf Course Bunker Removal

 Golf bunker construction  No Responses »
Jun 262010
 

Abstract: Tired, poorly defined golf bunkers provide unsatisfactory golf course visuals. Poor bunker location infuriates golfers penalized for good shots, and outdated shapes distract from golf course aesthetics. When a rebuild won’t work, it’s time to remove the bunker.

Bunker removal begins with a site assessment. You will replace the bunker with a flat surface that looks natural. The filled-in area should blend in with surrounding fairway and rough grades.

The project scenario: Continue reading »

 Posted by Ray Richard at 6:50 am  Tagged with: ,

Golf Course Pond Dredging-Part 2

 Golf construction specifications, Golf course pond  No Responses »
Jun 052010
 

Abstract: Successful permitting will result in efficient pond project planning and execution. Sensible work processes will result in clean edges, increased volume and contented environmental compliance officials.

The permit process will define pond project construction processes. It’s important to include commonsense work procedures into the permit so work will be done in an efficient manner.

Pond projects include the following procedures:

  • Silt fence and hay bale installation. Do it exactly by the plan. Don’t argue with anybody about this detail. I’ve seen huge projects delayed by a few misplaced hay bales. Some engineers take it personally when you don’t install silt fence properly. Install the bottom of the silt fence in a few inch slit to permit sediment retention.
  • If you will do a wet excavation, or dredging, be sure to accommodate any wildlife issues. This may involve fish relocation.
  • Use tight equipment without leaky hydraulics. An oil sheen will quickly stop work.
  • Consider using a flexible float system for on-water excavation. These floats, readily available for rental, are metal boxes with latching capability that allow an excavator to sit, dig, and freely move through the work site.
  • Plan dewatering pump size and discharge schemes. If the pond will be drained, be sure discharge clean water downstream by using a sedimentation bag or filtration basins. Sedimentation bags built of permeable geofabric fasten to the discharge pipe end. Filtration basins filter water with several rows of haybales.
  • Be sure to dig to design grades. Marine engineers have procedures to identify digging depth. They can measure the length of the excavator arm and establish elevations off this mark.
  • Pond dredging efficiency includes moisture management. If the excavator loads a bucket of water laden spoils into a truck or trailer you will quickly have an unmanageable mess. A sensible scheme allows for spoil dewatering on a pond bank permits the material to drain before stockpiling. After a few days, transport to final dump location.
  • Spending time creating a neat pond bank, or exposed edge, will finish the pond project and allow a smooth pond edge. For safety reasons, be sure to construct a safe slope, not a sharp drop-off into the pond.
  • Consider using pond spoils for topsoil. It may be full of organic elements that produce nice loam when mixed with drainage sand.

Also see Small Pond Dredging Project.

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 Posted by Ray Richard at 7:42 am  Tagged with:

Golf Course Pond Dredging-Part 1

 Golf construction specifications, Golf course pond  No Responses »
May 302010
 

Abstract: Golf Course ponds require periodic dredging to maintain a clean appearance while providing appropriate water storage for irrigation and wildlife.

Sedimentation and invasive plants adversely impact pond storage. The first step in a comprehensive pond renovation is to find a competent wetland engineer who will identify the following:

  • Current pond topography and volume.
  • Pond structure. Does it have a clay or synthetic liner?
  • Pond water sources. Is it spring fed? Or fed by streams, or wells?
  • Overflow structures. Determine design efficiency and condition
  • Pond bank conditions.
  • Applicable wetland laws, permitting processes and construction scenarios.

If the pond supplies irrigation water, then golf course managers will provide daily irrigation needs based on typical watering cycles. This information will help the engineer calculate pond volume and renovation criteria.

The engineer will develop a plan showing current topography. Next, they will create a new construction drawing based on the previously discussed criteria. This plan will show new design grades along with erosion control and pond mechanicals like sluiceways or discharge pipes. Also, they will develop a written construction sequence and cost analysis for your review.

Permitting can take over six months or longer. A capable contractor can help in the process by adding construction methodology to the discussion.

More information: Small Golf Course Dredging Project

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 Posted by Ray Richard at 7:12 am  Tagged with:

Golf course tee root zone placement

 Golf construction specifications, Golf range construction, Golf tee construction  No Responses »
May 142010
 

Abstract: Tee root zone mix installation involves careful planning and execution to limit subsurface drainage impacts while insuring even compaction.

I’ve seen a few contractors ruin subsurface grading and drainage piping by jamming tee rootzone mix without any concern for tee subgrades and piping. They try to increase production by doing the following:

  • Driving a truck or trailer over the tee subgrade (the surface under the tee mix). Good construction methods  incorporate the tee surface slope into the subgrade because this allows a true mirror image of the tee top slope while insuring positive  subsurface water flow. A tire track or two will disrupt this sheet flow and crunch the drainage pipes. Note: we always install subsurface pipes under tee mix.
  • Plowing out the tee mix with a bulldozer without any compaction technique.

We use these methods to install mix:

  • Establish subgrade and finish grade stakes on the four tee corners (assuming you want a square tee). Calculate the amount of tee mix needed and transport this volume  to the edge of the new tee. Stack the mix in a big pile on the edge of the tee. Don’t drive a truck or trailer over the tee edge. When the pile is complete, plow out a few inch lift of tee mix over the subgrade floor.
  • Plow out another lift ( a lift is an even spread of soil i.e. a six inch lift) or two to establish design depth. This process creates even compaction-the dozer or excavator tracks do a nice job with this.
  • Run a few strings connecting the four corners, and add or subtract mix as needed.

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 Posted by Ray Richard at 5:37 am  Tagged with: ,

Golf construction trailers

 Golf construction communications, Golf fairway construction, Golf green construction  No Responses »
May 012010
 

Abstract: You can tell if your golf course builder is serious when you look at his construction trailers. I’m not talking about the ones that people hide in during bad weather, I’m talking about the ones with the bouncy tires used to convey dirt.

I had to fill in for a crew member last week and I spent the whole day driving a John Deere tractor and dump cart. After a few weeks straight looking at a computer screen it was nice to see green grass and birds.

The tee expansion project involved the conveyance of 375 cubic yards of fill a distance of one mile. I did about 12 cubic yards per hour; or three round trips.  Moving fill on an existing golf course is quite expensive; most people don’t understand the expense.

The Pronovost trailer  P-516 holds 4 cubic yards. I’ve bought a few of them and I love talking to the Canadian manufacturers. As soon as you say the word golf, they mention this model. This sturdy cart has a nice hydraulic dump and heavy tailgate. An optional tailgate with a chute is handy when backfilling drainage ditches with sand. It’s big enough to move along golf cart paths without causing damage.

Big, bouncy turf tires insure that no turf damage will occur. The only problem is wet turf. I had a wild-and-wolly ride a few years back when I lost traction on a wet golf course.

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 Posted by Ray Richard at 8:10 pm  Tagged with:

Golf Construction Manager/ Engineer Communications

 Golf construction communications, Golf construction specifications  No Responses »
Apr 022010
 

Abstract: Golf course construction managers should be wary of engineers who delay construction by including impractical construction procedures in environmental permits. Many contractors have found unworkable methods written into their approved work processes.

Engineers do a great job presenting complicated construction concepts to wary authorities. They push permits through with fancy graphics, fat response documents, and slick presentations.  The problem occurs when they include foolish construction processes in the documentation, and this complicates the work creating additional expense for the contractor.

Golf course construction managers and superintendents should insist on procedural oversight during the permitting phase of golf course work. Insist on an active role in construction planning and include a friendly golf course contractor in the project meetings.

Be wary of know-it-all engineers who want to exclude golf course managers from the planning process. We all know that golf course work is specialized, and an engineer with a passing interest in the sport will rarely know how to describe golf work. I’ve seen a few projects where the contractor generated a large, justifiable, change order after an engineer added a nonsensical construction procedure.

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 Posted by Ray Richard at 8:50 am  Tagged with:

Golf Course Maintenance Dredging

 Golf construction specifications, Golf course pond  No Responses »
Mar 172010
 

Abstract: Golf course ponds require periodic dredging to remove unwanted plants and maintain storage capacity. This post discusses a small dredging job.

Pond maintenance dredging involves the removal of plant material and  soil spoils from a wetland. Dredging has been done for thousands of years, and the process can be expensive and messy. Here’s a few suggestions:

  • Hire a wetland engineer to develop a project scope and process permits. Make sure they include input from a dredging contractor so they will know how to  describe the work and plan  erosion control. I’ve seen beautifully engineered plans and narratives result in unworkable construction processes. Dredging contractors are then forced to work in an unfamiliar method.
  • Keep it clean. This sounds easier than reality. The best scenario is to load the muck into a self-contained (non-leaky) trailer or truck and dump it in its final resting place. You will need to pay a driver and machine time for the trailer, and loading is very slow. Make sure the material is dewatered before loading or you will have a soupy, unstable load to convey to the dump. A rake works better than a bucket for obvious reasons.
  • If you can’t load directly, then load on the bank and let the spoils dewater for a few weeks.  Make sure the permitting engineer is on-board so you don’t violate an environmental rule or two. The best dewatering scenario  has a sloped bank so the  excess water drains into  two rows of heavily staked hay bales. In a few weeks the spoils will turn to dryer  material that will be easier to clean from turf.

These pictures show a small dredge job done with a small excavator mounted on a  flat barge with two paddle wheels used for propulsion.

After the operator scooped muck with a six-foot rake, he paddled over to the edge of the pond and dumped the spoils. He trailered the barge to the pond edge, and he completed his work in three days.

The spoils were neatly stacked on the edge of the pond. We trucked out the material and the turf looks good.

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 Posted by Ray Richard at 7:20 pm  Tagged with:

Golf construction compaction

 Golf construction specifications  No Responses »
Mar 132010
 

Abstract: Golf course specifications include vague references to compaction. Some promote bulldozer tracking, and others require rolling and compaction testing. What’s the best compaction method?

I recently read specifications for a sportsfield renovation. The project involves subgrade preparation and spreading loam over an acre and a half. The design engineer required that after grading the field, the contractor will roll the surface four times with a heavy roller. The engineer doesn’t understand that if properly bulldozer tracked, the field will settle evenly

I see this philosophy in golf course construction. Some worry that fairway and rough areas will settle unevenly if they are not compacted before seeding. One owner wanted me to run a big Cat roller down his newly finished fairway.

I tell my shapers to track in all flat work. When working a fill area, spread about a foot of material, and then run the dozer back and forth with the blade up. This will form compacted lifts, with increased strength caused by intensive tracking. These lifts will settle evenly.

If the fill ends in a 3:1 slope or more, this detail works well. If it ends in a sharper detail, like a 2:1 slope, you may need to install geogrids, or HDPE webbing, on the exposed slope to strengthen the edge.

Feature work requires more compaction. You must intensively compact bunker and mounding faces. I’ve seen poorly compacted features soften over time, forming the dreaded “melted ice cream” look whereby sharp features at seeding turn to mush after a few years. Feature shapers using excavators must install fill in six inch lifts and bucket-compact each lift. This will maintain feature strength without settling.

Tee and green mix compaction starts another argument. Most supers are paranoid of compaction. If you drive a roller on a newly filled green core they will have a fit. I insist on track compaction of seedbed mix, and this provides enough insurance against uneven settlement.

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 Posted by Ray Richard at 7:51 am  Tagged with: , ,
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