Golf Course Construction Site Preparation TRF 250 Golf/Sports Field Construction

Site Preparation  Surveying and staking  Identifying and developing the power and water sources  Land clearing  Rough grading  Shaping of features such as greens, tees, and bunkers

Surveying and Staking  To develop a base map of the area being constructed you must:  Identify sensitive areas such as wetlands and flood plains  Locate reference points such as fence rows, large trees, trails and streams Once these areas are located maps can be generated to indicate the general size and location of the fairways and greens are identified. The overall grading design with existing and proposed contours. Locations of irrigation, shelters, cart paths, roadways, etc.

Surveying and Staking  A centerline is located and placed down the center of each golf hole and staked.  A permanent benchmark is established for the property and used for grade changes  The perimeter of each hole is then staked (stakes should be used to mark greens tees, fairways, etc)

Erosion control Most areas have regulations to minimize erosion and siltation on a construction site The projects civil engineer will prepare a plan to that includes devises such as:  Sediment basins  Silt fences  Hay bales These devises are installed before the clearing and grading operations begin

Identify and Develop Utility Sources  Electricity must have if distance is very far cost could be high  Water where is the water going to come from

Land Clearing  Everyone needs to be agreement on the final course design and layout before clearing starts  Specimen tree should be marked  This phase should be done in stages to prevent any irreparable damages

Land Clearing Cont.  Clearing should begin along the centerline for a width of 20 to 50 feet  Vegetation is stocked pilled, burned or removed from the site  The architect then walks each hole to visualize how the hole fits with the terrain and how the hole will play

Land Clearing Cont.  Clearing is then done to the perimeters of each hole  Trees that are not going to be removed need to be protected  Areas out of play should be left undisturbed to provide habitat for wildlife

Land Clearing Cont. After vegetation has been removed  Stumps, roots, rocks and stones need to be removed to a depth of 12 to 15 inches (Grubbing)  Do not bury organic materials

Rough Grading  All major contours and features of the course’s subgrade are set to shape within 6 inches of the final grade (this often requires heavy earth moving equipment)  Topsoil is often stock piled and spread back over the coarse  Grade stakes are utilized trough out the hole to indicate where the subgrade needs to be cut of filled based on the plan for the course's construction  Shapers are often used to acquire the mounding often used of golf courses today

Rough Grading Cont.  Seed bed preparation is begins once the subgrade is completed  The subgrade should mirror the final grade  The subgrade should result in positive surface drainage with a 1-2 % grade  Rough grading is finished when all top soil is properly placed back in position

Soil Cultivation  After rough grading is complete the soil is often severely compacted  The soil can be cultivated using chisel plows, subsoilers, disks, harrows or plows

Drainage  Drainage Drainage Drainage!  Storm water drainage must be designed to conform with local regulations regarding upstream and down stream watersheds  100 year rain fall maximums are used

Water- Retention Facilities  Lakes, ponds, dams, spillways etc are part of the storm water management and irrigation source  Created concurrently with the rough grading phase  Usually located at the low end of the course or throughout the course

Surface Storm Drainage  Rapid and easy way to remove excess water from the course  2-3% slope ideal less than 1% too slow  Swales, ditches and over flow structures that connect water-retention facilities  Water in active play should not have to move more than 150 feet in either direction

Subsurface Drainage Management of storm water infiltration and percolation of water trough the soil profile  Must have if subsoil has a clay profile or an impermeable hard pan  Consist of surface catch basins connected to a network of pipes that intercept an move water away from the playing surface  Commonly used on greens, tees, fairways, and bunkers

Subsurface Drainage Outlets  Must have an adequate outlet for storm water  Such as: ditches, ponds or larger drainage lines  Sump and pump

Subsurface Drainage  If the coarse is located in a area with a high water table then it may be necessary to place the lines deeper to lower the water table  Trenches should be 6-8 inches deep an can be up to a foot wide  With a minimum slope of ½ percent

Subsurface Drainage  Types of pipe: clay tile, concrete, or flexible corrugated plastic  Drainage line patterns: gridiron, herringbone  Design is typically place diagonally to the grade  Must have a continuous downward slope  Spacing should be no more than 10 feet in any direction

Construction and Shaping of Features  Greens  Tees  Bunkers Greens and tees 75% of the strokes and 5% of the area

Greens  USGA Construction  Refer to handout

Tees  Concentrated use most of the abuse on the golf course  Should be well drain and nearly flat with out any depressions  Tees should have a 1% slope from front to back  Tees should also have a 1% slope away from the point where the tee is entered by the golfer

Tees Cont.  Some times constructed like a USGA green  At least should have the top 6 inches with an amended soil and the use of subsurface drainage lines

Tees Cont.  Can’t build too big!  Tees should have 100 square feet of usable space per 1000 rounds of golf  All par 3 holes and the first and tenth hole should have 200 square feet of usable space per 1000 rounds of golf  Shade problems

Bunkers  Used to force strategic play on the golf course  If constructed improperly costly maintenance and unsightly bunkers will occur

Bunkers Cont. Sand selection  Sand should drain well and play well (no fried eggs)  Sand selected based size of particles, purity, shape, composition, and color  Angular sand works well

Bunkers Cont.  Surface water needs to be diverted from running into the bunker  This can be accomplished by swales on the high side of the bunker  Bunker erosion and sand contamination are often time consuming and costly to repair

Bunkers Cont.  Interiors should have a 2-3% slope to ensure drainage  Herring bone or gridiron along with a smile drain should be installed during construction  A 2 inch gravel blanked is then installed over the drain pipe and the surface of the bunker  4-6 inches of compacted sand is then added

Irrigation System  Could be up to 25% of construction budget  Installation can begin once the subgrade is within a few inches of the finish grade  Major drainage lines need to be installed first  Quality plans and installation is a must

Irrigation System Cont.  System is staked out first this includes the locations of all lines controllers and valves and other key irrigation features  Plans should be followed as close as possible  Individual sprinkler heads need to be staked as accurately as possible following design specifications

Irrigation System Cont.  Depth and width of trenches varies according to pipe size (10 inches depth for every 1 inch of diameter)  Trenches should be free from rocks  Trenches should be back filled by hand until a minimum of 1 foot of back fill material covers the pipe

Irrigation System Cont.  Once the pipe has been installed it needs to be connected to the water source (pump system)  The systems then needs to be flushed  The sprinklers can now installed but above grade  The system can now be pressure tested  Be sure to get an as built irrigation plan

Seedbed Preparation  May be completed before the irrigation system is installed  Top soil is spread over all areas except greens, tees, and bunkers  Take precautions to insure that the contours of the coarse are not altered  6 inches of topsoil needs to be added to all fairways, tee and green surrounds  4 inch minimum of topsoil added to the rought areas

Seedbed Preparation Cont.  Once the topsoil is in place cultivation needs to be done to a depth of 6 inches  The soil is then raked to a depth of 4 inches and any rocks larger than ½ inch diameter needs to be removed  The soil is the ready for any amendments that may need to be added

Soil Modification  Sandy soils  Clay based soils  Soil should be modified to a depth of at least 6 inches

Soil Modification  Soil pH and Fertility amendments  Soil sample  Easily done before planting when they can be incorporated into the soil  Fumigation

Final Grading  Smoothing the seed bed to remove any depressions or rough areas  Breaking up large clods of dirt  Removing rocks larger than 2 inches  Removing roots and stems  Smoothing low and high spots  And conditioning the seedbed for planting