Here is the latest info on the course, common inquires, and its future availability.
When will the Front 9 open?
The Front 9 will open this coming Wednesday, June 24th.
When again?
Yes, Wednesday, June 24th!
What is it going to look like out there?
There is a lot of Ground Under Repair (GUR). Similar to the back 9, the front will have lots of stakes and signage out there. We need everyone to stay off of these areas in order for long term success. All bentgrass and bluegrass areas at this time will play as Ground Under Repair - Free Relief and Drop outside of that playing area. These areas are massive and marked with white paint but when in doubt, play it as GUR!!
When is #10 Green going to be a normal green?
Only Mother Nature knows! That's the short answer, the long answer is that we are doing different cultural practices each week to fully establish the green in order to push the limits once it's ready. Sodding a new green is very tricky as typical "green" mowing heights would severely hurt the health of the new sod establishment. For now, plan for #10 green to play unlike the other greens for the foreseeable future.
What is going on with the front of fairway areas?
Originally, all of the front of fairway areas were planned to be seeded. First, we need to talk about the types of grass. There are two main types of grass or sod used on the project. The first is bluegrass sod. It is used for all bunker banks and surrounds of the greens. Bluegrass sod is readily available at sod farms unlike bentgrass sod. Bentgrass is on the shorter cut turf areas on the course like, greens, tees, fairways and approaches. Similar bentgrass varieties to what we have at OGC is not readily available at sod farms. This is why we've used the front of fairways to harvest bentgrass for the project areas. Recently, the Board approved to sod bluegrass to much of these areas as we could instead of seeding. This allows for quicker establishment and allows for play to resume sooner. In the end, the only holes to be seeded will be #14 and #15 fairways. These areas cannot be walked in, drove, stepped, etc., so if a ball lands in these areas for the foreseeable future, leave the ball and we can return them to Susan as conditions allow us to go in these areas.
#10 Bentgrass harvested and prepped for bluegrass sod.
Bentgrass harvesting in progress, final product = a "swiss cake roll" of bentgrass.
Bluegrass sodding on #10 and #16.
Rain or shine, bluegrass sod installation on #9!
What's going on with the naturalized areas between #5/#7 and right of #9?
These areas were where the old bunker sand, sod, rocks, and whatever else they found.😁 These areas have been shaped and will be seeded when conditions permit. These areas are also areas to stay clear of when searching for those golf balls...
Teamwork! Sod delivery, check, pouring rain, check.
Here are the OGC grounds and the Hollembeak teams, putting down bluegrass sod on #9 in the pouring rain. Rain or shine, we have been here working each day on the Front 9 this Spring to ultimately give you a fully revamped Front 9. The OGC grounds team has also spent time this Spring revamping the green collars on the front. We utilized bentgrass that would have otherwise been thrown out, and repurposed it for the green collars. These new collars are wider and more consistent with bentgrass than before.
This is how stuff gets done!
Green Collar removal and install on #2 green!
