The tenth hole of the Melville Golf Club will have a new look next year. Following up his building of new greens for numbers 18 and 14, golf course superintendent Mark Mohart's latest project will be a new putting surface for the first hole of the back nine.
Even with some greens on the front nine needing some work, Mohart has turned his attention toward the back nine of the course.
"The back-nine is so under built as far as green size. That's why I want to concentrate my efforts on the back," Mohart says, with the project already underway with the end of this year's season fast approaching.
While some people might contend a green would be easy to build, Mohart says it isn't the case, and a lot of thought goes into making a new putting surface. The superintendent has his own set of criteria when it comes top creating a new putting surface.
"First I look at aesthetics and safety. Then I take into account shot value and ease of maintenance. In other words is the green going to be easy to take care of with the small staff we have."
Once Mohart has surveyed the site for the planned green, he tries to come up with a design which will fit on the course best, with the least disruption to the existing infrastructure.
"I don't want to have to be moving a lot of water lines or anything like that. I want the green to fit as easily as possible."
Next on the agenda is a little help from a computer program which can tell him precisely the amounts of fill, cut, drainage, seed, fertilizer and irrigation, which is invaluable to keep him within the constraints of a tight budget.
"I might make a few design changes in the field but staying true to the original values is very important," says the graduate of Fairview College, who builds his greens to the same standards as the United States Golf Association.
First off is the base which is made of clay. The reason for that is twofold.
"To get started you must use a material that will retain its shape. Then you can run drainage, usually through sub-surface drain tile, or pipe. The clay will support this."
When it comes time for the top of the green or the root zone, Mohart says he'll use a finely sieved sand which is 1.5 millimeters per grain or smaller, and then the next step involves chemistry and growing media for the turf. The same is then done for the green's apron, or fringe area and nutrients and water are then supplied as needed.
Due to the size of the sand grains and the 12 inch depth of the root zone, the system and turf can be maintained at a high level. With 750 truck loads of material on the way, Mohart says the new green will be two and 1/2 times the size it used to be, and Mohart says even though the green will be larger and facing more of an oblong path than the long, narrow green which was there previously,
"Before you always had to be pin-point accurate with your shots, because of the size of the green. Even though this green will require accuracy to hit in in regulation, it will be easier than before. But then you'll have to contend with the putt."
