Lakes Course Renovation

Our Lakes course renovation has begun!  The course is now closed for play and will undergo the following major improvements...

• New Cart Path
• Irrigation system completely updated
• New green complexes constructed to USGA specifications. Read more here
• Fairways and tee boxes leveled
• Re-grassing efforts in many areas that still need recovery post flood

The Lakes Course is being prepped for Phase 1: starting with tree and cart path removal (back 9 first).

Stripped down...All course supplies including flags, 150 posts, irrigation boxes are now removed so heavy equipment can move in.

After 30+ years the Lakes course greens no longer have an identifiable gravel layer; likely due to deterioration then exacerbated by extreme weather, so the benefits of reconstruction will not only make for sustainable conditions but the new TifEagle Bermudagrass putting surface will make a premium surface for golfers to enjoy.

We know all are looking forward to the vast improvements and we will keep you updated on progress through all social media channels.  Stay tuned!

Record Breaking Precipitation

The last 72 hours we received an additional 2.5” of rain, accumulation of another .75” is expected in the next 24 hours bringing totals for the month of October to record levels.

Drought or Drenched

It has been a rainy start to fall 2018, record-setting, in fact.

We are continuing to work through these weather set-backs as best as we can, but our cycle this season has been drought or drenched, a real challenge for managing turf. 
As many locals know our rain gauges overfloweth as fall has come in like an angry elephant!

Indian Creek Golf Club opened in 1985, nineteen of those years had above-average annual rainfall, with the past 4 consecutive years adding to that number.  Last month’s 12+ inches is only rivaled by the great flood spurred by 16” of unwelcome rain in May 2015.

Hole 12 with normal rainfall

                                                        Hole 12 after 12" of rain

Hail, Mother Nature!

On June 6, 2018 an epic hail storm ripped through DFW and the City of Carrollton was not spared, including our beloved Indian Creek golf course.

Emergency Aerification was necessary so the course closed the next day, as the greens were not playable as is, all 37 greens were aerified to help heave the turf and begin the process of ‘dent removal’.  Aerification is normally planned weeks or months in advance to prepare equipment and staff for a 2-day process, in this case Superintendent Kenny Baker and his crew sprung into action after arriving at dawn to see an ugly sight.

After the sun had risen the damage became clearer, so making the greens playable for a tournament in two days became the top priority!  With a full weekend tee sheet it was a sunup to sundown job for three days to top dress and roll all 37 green complexes so they could be played. 

 This is how far we’ve come in the past 30 days to recover from the wrath of that late spring Texas storm!

Pretty amazing progress, but hard fought…our maintenance and cart staff began working to repair each and every hail dent by hand in order to fully heal the smooth surface our golfers are accustomed to.

Eight Days a Week...

At Indian Creek, we manage 84 bunkers and 37 greens across 36 holes.  With a staff of 9, they cover a lot of ground before the first tee times… and now that the days are getting longer, we are starting tee times at 6:36AM and will go to 6AM on weekends (starting May 19th), as we know the main goal will be to beat the heat!

Unlike private owned clubs, public courses do not close on Mondays to perform large maintenance tasks to help repair and recover from high traffic.  So how do public courses manage the same task load with daily play?  Like anything in life, priorities must be laid out. We focus our ‘before sunrise’ efforts on cutting fresh cups, setting tee markers and mowing greens/tee boxes before the first tee time begins.  In addition, we check for overnight damage or other abnormal conditions.  Our maintenance practices are modified in a way that allows most work, including special projects to be accomplished between the hours of 5AM and 2PM. Inevitably, golfers eventually do catch up to daily mowing, watering, bunker grooming, and fertilizing which can cause distraction… if only we could add an 8^th day to the week.

Involuntary Bunker Makeover

Bunker work continues after the rainy winter and mini flood event in late February.  All but a small number are now refilled and groomed, ready to capture your ball and set you up for a great ‘sandy’ or a dastardly bogey.

BEFORE:

This shows before new sand and additional labor arrived, the aftermath of flood water had exposed the liners of our upgraded ‘Better Billy’ bunkers, so silt had to be removed and sand added back. 

AFTER:

Pricey sand box! (Six loads of sand can cost in excess of $8,000)

Bunker work is costly and requires serious labor on a daily basis as each gets groomed every morning.  When Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate it becomes an unplanned expense…and all so golfers get penalized for errant shots. Bunkers do provide a mental hurdle for most golfers and also highlight the creative vision of many great course designers….for better or worse! 

FROM THE PRO: Valentine's Day Edition

BOUNCE & GRIND

Julie Roberts, PGA

Director of Golf

The good news for women who love to play golf and are straight bored of getting flowers and chocolate… Callaway’s Mack Daddy 4 Chrome wedges are available with custom specs for women!  YES, finally!

But what the heck is bounce and grind?  Are we dancing or playing golf?

Grind is well described in the following post from the Callaway community golf forum (click to graphic to enlarge):

The degree of bounce further helps players define the correct wedge setup to match their specific needs and style of play.  A standard is 12 degrees as the chart below shows.  If more bounce/grind options are needed, customizing a men’s wedge works too!  Ideally have your coach or golf instructor show you what works best for you in a ‘real grass’ situation, but if you are glued to your phone right now try this link so you have an idea in mind. (Click graphic below to enlarge)

Having a good set of clubs without the proper wedge(s) is like having the perfect outfit but no coat to go with it, what’s the use?  Too often a short game lesson reveals a student rarely uses the ‘S’ club as it is only being selected for sand shots and it happens with women most often.  What’s worse is the sand wedge is poorly fit to their game so it’s a double negative.  Know this…if you aren’t using the Sand wedge for a variety of shots, you are for sure losing strokes.  So if scoring lower is your goal, it’s time to break out of your Sand wedge ‘box’ and bring on the Bounce & Grind!