Last year we began working on improving the overall appearance of our golf course when we renovated the front sign on Harrison Bay Road. Front Entrance Face Lift Part 1and Part 2 This year in continuing the work to make your experience even better we chose to renovate the old split rail fencing along the front entry road, surrounding the main parking lot, and along the back of the native planting bed which runs along #1 tee.
The project was a fun and exciting one that allowed us to hone old skills and tap into new talents some of us didn't know we had. We began the project on January 22 and finished up today, February 15th. In total we installed 249 4"x6" pressure treated posts with 2' buried in the ground. We drilled and screwed in 2,304 3" galvanized bolts into 532 2"x6" pressure treated rails for a total of 4,256 linear feet of fencing. Yes we counted it all. 😁
Here is a video we put together of the project. Hope you like it.
Special thanks go to Bill Greene, Willie Hamby and Shane Shelton for their commitment and hard work on this project. If you like the finished product and see them on the course let them know. They suffered a few cuts and splinters along the way to make this project such a success.
Spring is just around the corner and we can't wait to get everyone back out on the links and enjoying the course that we all love caring for so much. See you out there soon.
In an earlier post, Front Entrance Facelift Part 1 we detailed the renovation of the rather sad looking sign at the front entrance to the course. I have been wanting to dress up the front sign for some time and without any major projects on the course this winter it seemed like the perfect time. Willie and Bill did a fantastic job with the block work and the stone wrapping and this week we were able to put the finishing touches on the project.
Maybe it was the Masters tournament or just because I thought they would look nice but I chose to use azaleas in front of the sign to give it some color when they bloom. The mulch is made from recycled pallets which are chipped and painted twice. Since the wood used to make the pallets has been kiln dried they do not degrade as quickly as regular ground mulch and the paint will allow the color to stay for several years. It does cost a little more up front but not having to remulch areas for 4-5 years makes up for it in the long run.
In addition to the stone work, repainting of the sign, the new plants and mulch we also were able to install a flood light on the sign which will help our early morning golfers and guests find the course easier and makes it look nice. Special thanks to Volunteer Electric Cooperative and Mr. Wayne Hullander of Ooltewah Electric for helping out with the power and electrical connections.
We were able to install the new sod in front of the planting area today and with that I believe this project is done. Sometimes what you envision for a project works out and sometimes not but this project turned out better than I thought. Thanks to all the agronomy team for stepping outside of their comfort zones to take on this challenge and learn new skills. I think the work was well worth the effort and we hope everyone enjoys the new front entrance.
