Well to-do

I must first begin by apologizing for not posting in some time.  The course has been very busy with projects and just getting the condition up to par for the upcoming summer season and this weekend's invitational.  I have been spending a great deal of time far away from my desk.  As most of you can see, there has been a lot going on.

First of all, the new concrete work at the clubhouse is in, and the asphalt tie-in will be completed today.  We will follow suit by upgrading the plant materials in the entrance flower bed for a much more polished appearance as you enter the clubhouse.  While the concrete was being placed at the clubhouse, we decided to extend the cart path on #18 bridge.  This area was a constant eyesore between our member cart traffic and the tournament traffic and the concrete bridge approaches were uneven and difficult to drive on.  Overall a nice improvement that should last decades.

The old approaches were removed such that a smoother transition from path to bridge could be poured.

Workers pouring the new path leading up to the bridge

We are removing the old plants, most of which were in poor condition.  Also, we are installing sprinklers to help  the bed perform much better.  

The hollies in the entrance flower bed were different varieties and were in various states of death probably due to the winter time and perhaps some of last year's drought conditions.  They have been removed and new evergreens will be put in their place.

Aside from that the drilling of the well has finally begun!  Drillers are on-site and have commenced drilling the hole for the 10" pipe that will keep the soil portion of the hole from caving in.  I spoke with the driller today and solid bedrock was hit a mere 10 feet below the surface.  This means that due to regulations, our well pipe will have to be at least 30-35 feet deep to ensure there is no caving in and no contamination can enter the aquifer.

Once the pipe is set, they will then use a smaller bit to drill inside the pipe.  The wall of the bedrock will then act as our pipe from the bottom of the actual pipe to the bottom of the well.  Given recent well records in this area, we anticipate getting our best flow somewhere between 150-200 feet.  I hope to get no less than 400-500 gallons per minute.

Assuming everything goes well, the pipe should be set by tomorrow sometime, and we may start to see water as soon as Friday evening.  For sure, Monday will be likely to start seeing some more significant water.  Once we reach a depth that we suspect will provide the needed flow, the drillers will hook a large pump up and test the wells ability to provide water.  This will give us a very good idea of exactly what we've got to work with.

Finally, the first step towards securing good, clean, and (hopefully) plentiful water for the golf course has begun.

Drill Rig poised to mess things up

Here is the drill bit that will bore out the hole for our pipe.  Nasty!