Creek Restoration and New Bridge Coming to the 6th Hole!!

 Since Kinloch opened in 2001, attention to detail throughout the golf course has been a defining attribute. The maintenance of our creeks, that meander through the property, is an example of that attention to detail. Over time, erosion and sediment begin to affect the presentation of these features so each off-season, we re-invest in the beautification and stability of our creeks. 

In 2024, one of our members generously commissioned the replacement of our walk bridges on the 6th and 10th holes. His vision was to convert the wooden bridges to arched, stone bridges... similar to what you see on the 10th and 17th approaches. 

So, in early January, we began a 2-pronged, project to restore the creek and replace the bridge crossing on the 6th hole. One month later, I am happy to report that the creek restoration is complete and the bridge has been constructed. The following photo tour will walk you through the creek restoration project. We are withholding photos of the bridge until it is fully finished 😀 (It will not only be beautiful, but unique in its functionality... stay tuned) 

The shaping began on January 14th. The goal was to bolster the banks and the channel to handle more flow, reduce erosion and eliminate unsightly silt deposits. 

Once the shaping was complete, we reinforced the banks with a combination of stone and rock cropping's. These stones allowed us to raise the channel heights so that water would flow through the creek as opposed to over-topping the banks.   

The creek is now restored and able to withstand much more rainfall. The arched bridge across the channel will provide a beautiful and more relaxing walk for our membership. Until the new bridge opens in early March, we have constructed a temporary crossing for our members and caddies. 

We are excited to share photos of our new bridge in the next Member Update. We are hopeful to continue this theme throughout the golf course and want to thank the member that commissioned this project! 

Slinging Sand, Poking Holes and Felling Trees

 As 2024 settles in, we wanted to update you on our offseason projects and priorities. While we are not disturbing the golf course with "construction-type" activities, there is some work that will impact playing conditions. Bunker restorations, cart path replacements, rough aeration, fairway drainage and tree work will be the bulk of our offseason endeavors. 

1. Bunker Restorations 

In 2019 the bunkers at Kinloch were converted to the Better Billy system and new sand was installed throughout. While the underlying drainage will work miracles for years to come, the sand depths erode on an annual basis. Last season, we restored many of the green-side bunkers and this off-season, we are restoring all of the fairway bunkers. Contaminated sand is removed, the depths are evaluated and new  sand is installed to bring all of the depths to a consistent level. Additionally, we are "pulling" sand higher up the faces so that the bunker edge will be more turf/thatch than soil. While we are very excited to restore the sand in our bunkers, this project will be ongoing throughout the winter. We would like to encourage you to play "lift, rake and place" during the winter months. 

2. Cart Path Replacements 

Replacing sections of our cart paths will be an ensuing project almost every off-season. This work should have minimal impact to member play, but should you be in a cart, you may encounter areas that need to be avoided. To date, we have already excavated, formed and re-poured 20 sections of cart path on the 4th and 10th holes. 

3. Rough Aeration 

One of our agronomic objectives in 2024 is to increase the frequency in which we aerate the primary rough. As turf ages, organic matter/thatch accumulates and plant health issues can increase. While we have always aerated our primary rough 2 times per growing season, we have decided to increase that frequency to 3 or 4 times per season. All of these aerations will be confined to the off-season, but to aerate 100+ acres 3 to 4 times, we must keep the machines running whenever Mother Nature allows. So, as you play the golf course over the next 75 days, you may encounter the "plugs" from this process. While we certainly apologize for the inconvenience, the benefits that we will see next summer will make this process well worth it. 

In addition to the activities described above, you will also see select tree clearing, new bridge construction and fairway drainage installed throughout the 13th fairway. We are very excited about these objectives and are certain they will help lay the foundation for an outstanding, 2024 Golf Season! 

3rd Bermuda Spray and a "Thank You"

 This past week we completed our 3rd application of herbicides to the common Bermuda within our fairways, tees and intermediates. As of this post, our project is on time and going well. 

I did want to share the following photo which captures a newly emerging Bermuda plant within the 13th fairway. I took this photo last week and I think it is noteworthy because it highlights why this weed is so difficult to eradicate and why the lengthy intervals between multiple herbicide applications is so vital to the success of this project. 

(Newly Emerging Bermuda Plant - 13th Fairway) 

This Bermuda is not "regenerating" from a previously injured plant, but is a brand new tiller from stolons and rhizomes that are still active below the soil. The good news is that after 2 herbicide applications and over 35 days from the 1st spray, this is a tiny amount of remerging Bermuda. However, this emerging plant underscores the need for multiple applications over an extended period of the summer. By waiting several weeks between applications before the next spray, we are able to "catch" these new plants while they can ingest the herbicide. This little guy will not survive the 3rd application that was applied this week and he definitely will not slip past the 4th application, 2 weeks from now. 😉

Thank You to Adam Sauls and Duggan Cannon!

Considering the complexity of this project and the day-to-day turf care responsibilities, I want to take a few seconds and offer the sincerest Thank You to our two, senior assistants, Adam Sauls and Duggan Cannon. I often say that these two gentleman are second to none in their leadership, work ethic and passion. Once again, with their performance this summer, I stand by that belief and Kinloch Golf Club is very fortunate to have these two working on the golf course day in and day out. So again, Thank You to Adam and Duggan... I look forward to finishing a great season with both of you!!  

Summer Heat and Cart Path Only...

 Every summer, when the heat and humidity intensify, we begin fielding requests to use a golf cart on the fairways. Before we discuss the dynamics of that conversation, let's revisit the current KGC policy regarding cart usage: 

In the fall of 2019, the decision was made, at the board level, to restrict all golf cart usage to the cart paths, unless the member registered for a medical exemption and was approved by the club. And even with a medical exemption, the club always reserves the right to declare cart path only with no exceptions. Periods of no exceptions will normally involve saturated turf, excessive heat or special projects. 

Going back to the opening paragraph and fielding requests for cart access on the turf... we never want to disappoint a member or a guest and we fully understand the annoyance  that CPO can bring to the player. I am an avid player in the fall and spring and would rather walk and carry than go back and forth to a cart that is restricted to the paths. However, our policy and/or decision to declare no exceptions is never arbitrary or capricious. Those decisions are always made with the utmost respect and empathy for our members and guests, but will always yield to the condition of the turf. 

This photo captures cart tracks across the 10th fairway. These tracks were made in the early afternoon of a warm day. Although faint in this photo, these tracks digressed and turned orange as the grass thinned down. I will not bore you with all of the details, but the fact is this... if you drive a cart over bent grass that is over-heated and stressed, the grass will collapse, plant cells will rupture and discolored, thin turf will be the result. 

So back to our original thoughts... 

1. We never want to disappoint our members or their guests. 

2. We empathize with the annoyance of CPO. 

3. Kinloch is a CPO facility and that is a board level policy. 

4. Driving across stressed turf in the summer will result in damage to the turf. 

We hope that you can understand and support our position on cart access at KGC. As I stated earlier, these policies are not arbitrary or excessive but thoughtful and deliberate. Providing the Kinloch Experience is something we take very seriously, but protecting the quality of our turf must take precedent over certain conveniences. 

If anyone would appreciate more detail on how and why this policy is so important to the health of our turf, feel free to reach out via email, text or phone. 

Thanks and enjoy the last few weeks of August - we are very excited to finish our herbicide applications and install the new sod so that you can enjoy a spectacular, fall, golf season.