The trees just south of the 11th tee have been down for a couple of months now and the positive results of this project have become increasingly obvious. Below is a picture taken from the 11th tee before the removal of the trees and then the next picture was taken just the other day.
Maybe even more impressive is the view from the south looking back toward the tee. Here's a before and after picture from that viewpoint. In these pictures you can really appreciate the size of the trees.
Now of course the benefits of this project are numerous. For one thing nobody is ever going to have to clean up after those trees. Falling debris is a year around occurrence with trees that size. Secondly, the freshly paved road (which is coming very soon) will enjoy decades of strength and smoothness since it wont be compromised by roots heaving up or falling branches. Thirdly, some very nice native oak trees were released by this project giving them a second chance to live a full life. I guess you could say a lot of grass plants were also released by this project since there's no question the surrounding turf will greatly benefit from the increase in sunlight. We must mention the issue of safety. This project has now given everyone the opportunity to hit their desired shot shape from the tee. That means it's a lot safer for those people on 16 green since far fewer errant tee shots will be in that vicinity. Lastly, and most likely the best benefit of this project is simply better golf. As I just mentioned now you can hit a fade or a draw from the tee which means you have a choice. Whenever you stand on a tee and have choices or decisions to make, the tee shot all of the sudden is more interesting and that is just simply better golf. Now I have to give credit where credit is due and Jeremy Pinke (our horticulturist) is certainly due credit and praise for his work on the planting which replaced those trees.
You can see that the planting effectively buffers the roadway and the new trees are a variety that will max out at a height of 30' so they will never cause problems similar to those we experienced from the big firs (i.e. shade, bad golf, road up-heaving). This planting was quite a project in of itself. First of all, the plants were donated by some neighbors with the stipulation that we cover the cost of removal and replacement. The plants had outgrown their space. Here's what they looked like before transplanting.
After most of my staff teamed up and hand dug around each of these plants, Jeremy then used a machine to load them onto our trailer.
The large plants then had to be off loaded at the golf course, and then transported to the planting area on 11 tee.
The whole process took several days, and ironically it all came together on a couple snowy days in early March. I honestly had fears that this project would start at the same time the grass would start growing. No one could have predicted that the course would be covered in snow on March 5th. The timing just couldn't have been better and it was fun watching the crew work together to get this project done. I provided the tools, but it was all coordinated by Jeremy and as always he never disappoints. The planting looks really good, but you should know we're going to add several more plants to increase the overall density. When you see Jeremy, give him an attaboy. This was a tough project and he's pretty proud of how it's turned out so far.
From the membership, staff, and particularly the staff of the Green Department at Tacoma Country and Golf Club, our deepest sympathies are with the Root family as we mourn the loss of Robert J. Root.
Throughout the long history of this fine Club, many individuals have fallen victim to the lure of the beautiful grounds. I consider myself to be one of those as I've spent almost my entire professional career here, and if the good Lord sees it my way I will spend the rest of it in the same capacity. For me there is just something about Tacoma that words cannot describe. With that said there is still no greater example of a "Tacoma man" than Bob Root. In 1952, Bob was hired by Tacoma's legendary, pioneering Golf Course Superintendent Henry Land. In 1969 Bob was promoted to Superintendent and held that position for more than a decade. When I was hired in 1993 as Assistant Superintendent, Bob was still on the staff and I got to know him very well. He was a wealth of knowledge in regards to anything and everything about this 120 acre slice of heaven. All said, Bob's employment with Tacoma lasted over 46 years. His love affair with Tacoma lasted till his last day on earth. Throughout his retirement he would have his lovely wife Judy drive him to the Club just to look around. He came by many times to get parts for his beautiful vintage putting green mower which he used to keep his lawn at home in immaculate condition. I have to say that every time we shook hands, I was always left with an indescribable feeling of respect. After all he and I lived with the same affliction, a hopeless love for the golf course at Tacoma. He will be missed.
Bob as night waterman (early 1950's)
Bob (right) getting ready to cut some grass (early 1950's)
Click HERE to see the 1969 Club newsletter announcing his promotion to Superintendent.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, median tenure for wage and salary employees is less than 5 years. Think about that and now consider that August 2017 marked Kelly McGee's 30th year with the Tacoma Country and Golf Club.
Kelly McGee
As it says in the dictionary, one does not receive tenure just by holding a position for some length of time. One receives tenure also because he or she has the right to keep a job permanently. Well let me tell you that Kelly McGee has most certainly earned that right. I should know. I've known Kelly for 24 years and worked with him for 22. I first met him when I took the Assistant Superintendent position at Tacoma in 1993 and he is still now as he was then.....dedicated and consistent. He tries hard at every task he's given. He's never late to work. He'll come in on a day off when we're short handed, and there isn't a single thing we do on the golf course that he isn't good at. People like Kelly don't come around very often. He is truly an asset to this fine golf club and I look forward to working with him for many more years. He's super healthy, able, and willing so I don't see him retiring any time soon. How did we celebrate Kelly's anniversary? We got him a nice gift to commemorate his tenure, bought donuts for the staff, and I sent him home for the day with pay. We also gave him some gift cards to the cinema and some restaurants with instructions to take his wife and spend a day on the town. In addition to his tenure at Tacoma Country and Golf Club, Kelly served with the Army reserves so with all sincerity I say to Mr. Kelly McGee ........"THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE".
We are nearing the end of a very long cold stretch of weather and the end can't come soon enough. The greens are frozen solid and some of the shadiest greens still have snow and ice on them. Here you're looking at #5 and #14. They haven't seen very much sunlight in the last few weeks and it's possible we could see some dormant turf on these two greens and a few others before this is all over. For the most part the turf on the golf course looks very good considering we've had temperatures well below average for several weeks.
Normally when we get a cold snap it's brief, but this winter it seems like it's been bitter cold for an eternity. The turf is in need of some warmer temperatures and so are we.
In fact just today the staff cleaned up the last area we could reach which is adjacent to an access road and thus work without risking damage to fine turf areas. I really have to commend my amazing staff. They have been working in below freezing weather every day and have kept a very positive attitude. They're simply the best. Looks like next week we will finally get some warm weather and then we can get out to the interior of the course and finish cleaning up after that wind storm we experienced last Monday.
The team of BPCI have stayed busy with the ProShop project. There's windows in the new expanded space. It really looks great.
Yesterday they again were pouring concrete at the performance center and getting there by crossing over #1 fairway. The small motorized loaders are called "Georgia Buggies". It was impressive watching this process.
This pour was for the sidewalks surrounding the new facility.
We pretty much finished the Turfhound hitting strip for now. Since we built the whole thing during a deep freeze, we're going to let it sit for a while before the final step. We'll let the rains come and make sure the sub-grade is completely settled. After that we'll lift the mats and seal the gravel with a polymer material that hardens like concrete. Also, obviously we still have a lot of work to do around the hitting strip but we need the sod farms to thaw out so we can import some turf.
The trees between 12 and 13 and near 12 tee have been removed so now it's time to start moving some dirt in order to shift the tee over to the right.
This last picture was taken right about where the new tee will be located and the hole really sets up nicely from here.
The 12th has always been a great hole but it's about to get even better. In addition, without the trees the 11th green finally has adequate sunlight. This is very exciting. We've been working on trees in this area for 6 years and only now do we finally have the sunlight needed to manage exceptional turfgrass. I'm not sure what I'm more excited for... playing the 12th from the new tee or seeing the 11th green perform like a true tournament putting surface. I guess you can look at it as a win - win situation.
Congratulations to the Green Department golf team for winning the Washington/Oregon Crew Tournament Playoff.
On a foggy October afternoon, at the North Shore golf club,
Miguel, Kevan, Rich, and Joe literally obliterated the field with a display of power, skill, and poise that resulted in domination which cannot be summed up in words.......................so I will do it with music.
Here's the scorecard. Yes, that is 18 under par and on the 302 yard par 4 11th, you see the ACE!
Richard smoked a drive to score the ever elusive ALBATROSS!
It is impossible to prepare for that inevitable day when you must say goodbye to that very special companion. Yesterday was that day for me and my family. Lucy was not only a golf course dog for 12 years, she was an integral part of my family at home. I met her 14 years ago at the local humane society. She was so little then. You could tell that she hated being there in that cold, concrete enclosure. She was curled up in the corner and all I could see was that she had a very unusual coat. I saw that she saw me, and honestly she was the only cute dog in the whole place, but I could see that she wasn't adopted because of the sign that hung above the door to her pen. It read........Australian Cattle Dog Mix - Possible Parvo. I asked one of the staff about the sign and said "I like that puppy, but what is Parvo"? The lady explained that Parvo is a disease that is a dog death sentence, and that they have reason to believe the puppy had come in contact with another dog that died from it. I asked, "how do you know if she has it or not"? She said, "if the dog is still alive in three days, then she doesn't have it and I'll call you to see if you still want her." Well..........three days later she did call me and I went to pick up the little, freckled puppy. I never had any intention of having her come to work with me, but eventually I started to bring her. The membership at Tacoma C&GC was not sure about this as Lucy was the first working dog they had had. Lucy had such a sweetness about her that she very quickly became loved and it was just an expectation that if I was around, so was Lucy. She was very attached to me. This was nice because I never had to worry about where she was. She rarely got very far from me and so I really never thought about her or worried about her. If she couldn't see me, her anxiety got the best of her and she would start to panic and frantically look for me. This made it difficult to go to meetings or events where having a dog was inappropriate. No matter, the membership embraced her presence and so she attended many meetings where she would just lay under my feet and not draw any attention. She was definitely a rare breed. Well I could go on...............and on............................so I will...............Lucy earned this tribute.
Here is one of the earliest photos of her. She loved to go fly fishing. She could not resist trying to bite every fish I landed even though I scolded her for doing it. I can't remember her ever hurting a fish but she did take out a couple critters in her time. A priceless memory was early in her career on the course when she mauled a cute, furry squirrel on the first tee, on a Tuesday morning with all the ladies watching. In horror, I watched Lucy pounce on the varmint and shake it like a rag doll. This was it, I thought. For sure I figured I'd get the phone call from the GM and he'd say that Lucy was no longer allowed to come to work. But no.....................to my surprise, one of the gals came up to me and said "sure is nice to see she also controls tree rats". The ladies loved Lucy. It's funny though that everyone thought she was this great goose chaser. Whenever some one questioned why I was allowed to have this dog off leash, Lucy lovers where quick to say she was a working dog and that she controls the geese. I'll let you in on a secret, Lucy was a horrible goose chaser. Sure, she and I would put on the show by going to the pond and herding the geese. She would impressively leap out of my cart while traveling at full speed, and then ferociously chase the foul into the pond all the while barking and snarling. But once those birds were on water, they were safe. Yes, Lucy could swim and she could swim really good when she had to, but the only time she had to was while fishing when of course I'd cross the river, and then because she couldn't stand being apart from me, she would have to also cross the river. Anyway, although she wasn't good at chasing geese, she was good at barking at them, and apparently that was enough since geese have never been a serious problem since Lucy started coming to the course. Because she was latched on to me, it was hard to get pictures of her. This picture below I got because she was distracted and had her eyes fixed on something in the distance like a crow or squirrel.
This is the picture that got into the Lebannon calendar for golf course superintendents and their dogs. She was Ms. February and I think the year was 2006. Since where I went, she also went, I did get a few pics of her on accident over the years and so I'll just share some of those now.
This is a picture from 2005. I was documenting an old oak that had fallen over.
This one is from 2008. Lucy is inspecting a ditch during the clubhouse addition project.
Here is another one where her and I are looking at a ditch in 2008. Her ear always got bent over like that.
Here's one from 2006 and it's another picture of some trees that I want to cut down. This is about as far from me as she would ever get.
This one is from a powerpoint presentation where we discussed removing the tree under the arrow. This was when we were preparing for the U.S. Girls Junior Championship and the USGA suggested we remove it because they thought it would simply make the hole look better. We debated this for hours and hours, and weeks and weeks. It was decided to leave it. Funny that a few months later, in the wind storm of 2006, this tree blew over on its own.
Here is Lucy again inspecting some work going on for the 2007 U.S. Girls Junior. She was really in her prime during this time. Healthy, strong, and fast. She could ride anything. Whatever I did, she went along. She rode fairway mowers, tractors, trim mowers, and whatever else she had to ride on to go where I was going.
Another picture of ditch inspection. I really have a lot of pictures of ditches.
Here's one from 2009. I was taking pictures of shade damage. Ironically, the next year, all those trees in the background were removed to install the sewer line. Shade is no longer a serious problem here on #7.
Another powerpoint picture. Lucy is showing how much better the ryegrass is doing in the roughs during a hot stretch in August.......................Okay, okay....................yes Lucy and I had a great run together on the course. I really loved her. The members really loved her. This painting is done by one of the girls at the Club and it hangs above my desk. I will treasure it always.
Lucy retired in 2010. The long days at the course were getting to be too much for her. My wife did an awesome job of taking care of her at home but she had thyroid problems, and other issues internally that were starting to make it difficult to walk and enjoy life. A couple nights ago she looked at us as she struggled to stand by our side, and we knew. Lucy was laid to rest in a very peaceful moment in our living room at 4 pm yesterday afternoon. Myself, my family, and all those at the Club are truly blessed that the Lord gave us so many years with her. It's only been 24 hours since we said goodbye and just now as I was typing this blog, the doorbell rang and the vet has brought her back. Lucy is home again. She will never be forgotten.
Is it a water hazard? Is it a bunker? Maybe it's both. Actually it can't be a water hazard as it is not marked as one. Therefore it must be deemed casual water in a hazard. Definitely not something you like to see but all too common is this seen in our region after a strong weather system has passed through. In the first 48 hours of this week we received over 3 inches of rain and our soils were already at holding capacity so we are seeing some standing water on the property. The interesting thing is we are only seeing standing water in the old bunkers. Because of the new vertidrain (deep tine aerifier), there is not one area of standing water on fairways, greens or tees. I can't say how much that new machine has improved our playing conditions. Now check out one of our new bunkers this morning after yesterday's deluge.
Isn't that awesome. You know, not only is this bunker free of standing water, it is also free of any wash outs. In fact if this bunker wasn't full of leaves it would be very ready for play without my staff having to do anything to it. That is the beauty of new bunker sand, and a new bunker with drainage that is functioning properly. So you can probably guess that I am thankful for this beautiful bunker and that soon all of our bunkers will be as functional as this amazing specimen on #11. Well of course that is true, I am thankful, but I'm thankful for a lot of things and since this is the week that it is.................I will share some of those things I am thankful for.
First and foremost, I am thankful that I had the pleasure of knowing John Harbottle III and that he actually referred to me as "a friend". Without John's vision and leadership, I can tell you with complete confidence that we would not be working on a complete master plan today. And, I can also say that we wouldn't be embarking on this plan in such bold fashion. The new "Golden era" bunkering that we're creating today is based on those six prototype bunkers that John created this past spring. They are not only amazing looking, but they are excellent hazards with just the right amount of penalization. John was brilliant but he was also just a great man which is why I admired him and aspire to be more like he was.
I try and never get personal on this blog but come on.......... look at my four beautiful children. They are such a blessing. No matter what kind of day I'm having, they make me smile. I am so thankful for them. Of course my wife is the ultimate love and joy in my life, but if I put her picture in here, she'd kill me. You're just going to have to trust me that she's gorgeous. I am so thankful for her and the family.
Okay..........Back to work.........I am thankful for the past President of Tacoma C&GC and his leadership with his Board. They had the courage to trust John and I with our plan to restore this golf course to it's glory of old. The new teeways and the classic bunkering will create a golf experience that you won't find anywhere in our region, or perhaps the entire world. Thank you for "going for it".
I am so thankful that the Club purchased this amazing machine. I'm not kidding.........I'm sure you're tired of hearing this but in case you didn't know it, Puget Sound gets a little rain. Drainage can make or break a golf course in our region, and Tacoma has always drained well, but now, with the help of the Vertidrain 7416, our drainage is borderline ridiculous.
I can't say enough about the staff here at Tacoma C&GC. This group works hard, and I think the main reason this group is such a good team is that they want to be here. They like what they do. They're very good at it, and I love coming to work each day to watch them in action. Right now the restoration project is overwhelming, but this group is ready to take it on and get'r done. I am so thankful for this group of people.
Yes, I am thankful for Snowpocalypse 2012. Really what I'm saying is I love mother nature. This past ice storm was devastating in many ways, but it also cleared out some cluttering trees on the course and opened things up. I am thankful that my job is dictated by mother nature. You never know what she's going to throw at you, and you're always surprised at how the outcome is usually an improvement. She knows what she's doing. Don't fight it or worry over it.
I'm thankful for Nick Schaan and Kip Kalbrenner. These two guys have been instrumental with the facilitation, and direction of the restoration project. With them I am having so much fun with what should be one of the most stressful projects I've ever been involved in. So .........okay enough is enough. I'm sure you get the point that I feel very blessed and I'm very thankful this holiday season. Now, let's talk about the project and where we're at.
The big bunker between 7 & 16 is finished and it is very, VERY cool
Here's a look at it from 16 fairway. A massive masterpiece.
The bunker on the left of #7 is really good and also completely sodded. The sandy area in front of this bunker is going to be fairway turf so that is why it's not sodded right now. The fairway turf will come from other areas on the course and we will start that process as soon as we get a chance.
All of the bunkers around #7 green are now sodded. This is a very strong green complex. With the new bunkering and attached black tee on the left, it may be the coolest place on the course.
This big guy on the left of 16 was finished up yesterday. It really turned out nice. This bunker was moved about 20 yards towards the green, and given the new championship tee will be taken back another 15 yards, carrying this trap will not be possible.
The extension of the 9th tee is coming along nicely. Don't worry, some pruning will be done before we expect someone to hit from this new area.
The 5 and 8 green complex has been stripped and the shaping is also coming along nicely. 3 bunkers have been removed in this area and the 3 remaining bunkers have been re-positioned and enhanced. Fairway turf will connect these two putting surfaces and in the right hand side of the photo you can see that the new 9th tee extension has been integrated to look like it has always been there. Yes this is a large area of disturbance and for you winter golfers, finding turf here will be a challenge for a while. This is a good time to bring up some guidelines for playing golf on a construction site. If you've fallen asleep on this lengthy blog, then please wake up now and pay attention. If you land in a new bunker, please use the ball retriever to get your ball and don't enter into the new hazard. Many of the new bunker lips are created out of sand and gravelly fill which doesn't pack real well. After the sod has knitted in and the soil has settled, it will be fine to walk on, but right now some of these bunker lips can collapse under the weight of a person.
So see where Boo is in this picture.............DON'T STAND THERE!
See Boo here?.....................DON'T STAND THERE EITHER!!!
Stand well outside of the bunker and use the ball retriever. Now I've seen some people struggling with these ball retrievers. Here is a hint. Don't scoop. Set it on top of the ball and lift up. Click on the video below to see how it's done
Be aware of where the pin is. When we are working on greenside bunkers, a temporary green like the one you see here will be in play. DO NOT SHOOT AT GREENS WHEN YOU SEE WORKERS THERE.
If you come to the teeing ground and see no tee markers, don't just hit it from where you want. The markers have been moved for the safety of those working on your golf course. As an example, above you see Boo sitting on the temporary tee for #7. This hole was temporarily changed to a par 3 so we could safely build the fairway bunkers in the area between 7 and 16. So again, if you don't see tee markers, the tee is closed, walk up the fairway till you find them. I know this is a huge inconvenience but please follow these guidelines so that we can get this done quickly and then you can enjoy your new golf course.
Oh yeah, one more thing.....................I am thankful for Stanford. Now GO BEAVERS!!
Okay..........Back to work.........I am thankful for the past President of Tacoma C&GC and his leadership with his Board. They had the courage to trust John and I with our plan to restore this golf course to it's glory of old. The new teeways and the classic bunkering will create a golf experience that you won't find anywhere in our region, or perhaps the entire world. Thank you for "going for it".
