As we get closer to the dog days of summer I would like to elaborate on Jill’s member update about the upcoming projects we will be taking on this summer that will help us keep WBVGC a great place to play.
 
On May 10 construction will begin on the north practice tee at the Vistas GC. The tee will be leveled and expanded towards the middle of the driving range. The shaper will also expand the chipping green in the same fashion. Once the shaping is complete the tee box will be approximately 20% larger in size and the chipping green will be twice as large as it currently is.

After the construction crew is done with the practice area they will begin reconstructing Vistas #4 tee box. The tee box will be leveled and increased in size. It will also be brought out to the very edge of the cart path. When completed the tee box will be similar in size to Vistas #16.

When the construction crew completes Vistas #4 they will then adjourn to the Lakes GC and begin work on #3 tee box. The black tee box will be lowered and the blue/white tee box will be raised to make one big tee for all three markers. Doing so will add approximately 1200 sq ft. of usable tee space.

We expect to have all tee boxes shaped and leveled by May 20. Evergreen Turf will then come in on May 25 & 26 and sod all three tee boxes with Tif Tuf Bermuda grass. Tif Tuf is a newer variety of Bermuda grass that has a darker green color and is more drought and cold tolerant than the other varieties of Bermuda we have been using. It is currently being used by several high end courses in the valley with great results. Our staff will assist both parties during the projects but will primarily focus on keeping the course in good shape. We will renovate several tee boxes annually as time and funds allow.

On June 1 the maintenance staff at the Vistas GC will begin installing the new green side sprinklers. Adding these sprinklers will allow us to control the amount of water we apply on and around the greens. This will allow us to save a significant amount of water. We will do a test run on hole #18 on May 11. The goal is to get the project coordinated so we can be as efficient as possible. We hope to complete the green side sprinkler project in four weeks with as little disruption as possible.

Also in June we will begin the expansion of the Lakes chipping area. This will be done in house and will include the addition of a practice bunker. The project will take approximately four weeks to complete.

On one last note I would like to thank Robert Jungbluth and Dwight Groves and the many volunteers that are a part of the divot repair teams. Their hard work and dedication filling divots and repairing ball marks is a tremendous help to club and golf course maintenance staff. The help of these volunteers allows my staff to do other assignments that help our courses be what they are today. We truly can say it’s a team effort.

Vistas Course Volunteers
1    Sonny Younger, David & Barbara Corn
2    Linda Sisterman
3    John Holt. Dick DeRoche
4    John Holt, Rob & Barb Thurman, Don Munson
5    Randy Norton, Dwight Groves
6    Kurt & Sally Kimmerling, Gerry Dakin
7    Phil Crisp, Bill Saba
8    Mike Christian, Jim & Judy Cooke
9    John & Kelly Finch, John Snyder
10    Mike & MaryAnn Porter, Bill Allen
11    Tony & Mary Kinson
12    Lee & Kathy Theisen, Dan Tennessen
13    Chalres Lehman, Mike Deboski
14    Joe Riha, Steve & Nancy Archibold
15    John Mullin, Betty Ashby, Cathy Raich, Di Gadow
16    Randy Korodi
17    Rob & Kay Hill, Pat Dixon
18    Steve Laws & Dan Theisen

Lakes Course Volunteers
1    Bachman/Carr
2    Lodge/Ward
3    Shin/Deemer
4    Wiedeman/Rheingans
5    Wohlf/Porter
6    Prondzinski/Corn
7    Benefiel/Crotts
8    Lindell/Cole
9    Thaggard/Allen
10    Trine/Eylander
11    Magee/McCarthy
12    Bowden/Geiger
13    Casmus/McLennan
14    Laumann/Sellnow
15    Nowak/Lund
16    Krueger/Volkerding/Herem
17    Fuss/Lancione
18    Jungbluth/Ingersol/Benz/Peterson

With that being said I hope everyone has a safe and happy summer.

David Escobedo, GCS