November 2012

Some of the most meaningful work for the Wilderness Golf Course takes place in the time period from when we close in early October until conditions become to difficult to work outside effectively. This period typically stretches on until the early part of December but this can vary with weather. Last year the focus was on the new teeing areas on 3 and 7 which not only improved the playability of these holes but also allowed us to distribute wear more efficiently. We were also able to repair some of the curbs on the golf course as well as the bridge on 9. This year the primary focus was on drainage.

The wet weather we had this past June really allowed us to identify some of the most problematic parts of the golf course in regards to drainage. Some of these areas, especially 9, 10, and 11, took weeks to dry out and in some cases never really did firm up during the course of the entire season. That being said, we installed drainage on the following holes:

  • 2 - Installed drainage to correct the wet area in front of the tee as well as the front right side of the fairway. We also took the opportunity to install a few new sprinkler heads on the right side of the hole near the cart path.       Installing additional sprinklers allows us to water more responsibly in that we will now be able to reduce run times on sprinklers in the fairway-resulting in a firmer playing surface.
  • 4 - Installed drainage on low area in front of the forward tees.
  • 9 - Installed drainage in two areas on the left side of fairway.
  • 10 - Installed drainage to correct spring in middle of fairway.
  • 11 – Installed drainage on right side of cart path near green.

All told, we installed over 900’ of both 6” and 4” drainage tile and 3 semi-trucks of pea gravel. The work is messy and disruptive but the improvement in conditions is well worth the effort.

            Vince 67  Vince 68

   10 fairway drainage to correct spring                         Trevor Rintala and Eric Goede creating trenches

As always, I thank you for your interest in the golf course and hope to see you next year.

Vincent Dodge CGCS

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