The driving range is the forward chapter to the golf experience for most rounds, and for most guests the first green grass interaction with a facility. Several issues were identified as reason for change at the Maidstone Club: a unlevel surface, unlocking the maximum hitting area a desire for a more resilient turfgrass surface. The project scope ultimately included tree removal, moving the ball storage shed, laser leveling the surface, new irrigation, drainage, regrassing the surface with low-mow kentucky bluegrass, mounding between the 18th fairway and the range and new practice green. The project architect was Dave Zinkand and worked was completed by the Tilleli Construction Group.
Work began after Labor Day Weekend with a target to reopen for the following Memorial Day Weekend. While the work commenced we were able to leave one half of the range open for use until that area was under the knife. The first step was to remove the existing grass surface to prevent layering organic material which would impede drainage in the future. To reduce expenses we created our own tee mix on site. Trucking in sand and mixing it into the existing topsoil, this mix was then stock piled and the sublayer was leveled to match the desired grade. French herringbone drainage was installed in sections across the tee surface then the mix was put into place. As this work was happening on the tee surface our in house team of Assistant Superintendents and Interns prepared for the irrigation install by fusing runs of HDPE pipe that would make up the new irrigation system.
The driving range and 18th fairway was previously separated by a flat 10-15 yard strip of native grasses. This demarcated a boundary but did not visually separate the areas. With the leveling work generating excess material mounding was built up in this area blending with existing contours present in the 18th hole. As the range deck was moving lower in the leveling process the mounds were not as extreme in height on the 18th fairway side and with the incorporation of fine fescue and little bluestem the end result was a subtle but complete separation of golf course and practice area. A fairway bunker on the 18th hole was expanded into the mounds which focuses the eye on the hole when teeing off and ties the work in seamlessly.
Once the work was completed on the tee surface and grown-in we began aerifying as soon as rooting would allow. Along with several top dressing treatments seams in the sod meshed together and set up the turfgrass surface a successful summer debut. The mounds were hydroseeded with a native fine fescue mix with chunking of native grasses to add immediate definition, the traditional seedheads came up nicely in the second growing season. The chipping approach was grown from aeration cores and seeded with creeping bentgrass. The end result was well received and the tee deck nearly doubled in size.
A small putting green was added behind the existing hitting shed. It has minimal pitch to allow for practice on a virtually level surface. The green was built in the ‘california style’ with the area cored out, drainage laid and then a engineered mix was installed. The green was sodded from our in-house nursery to provide a similar surface to the golf course greens. It was a good use of the space that was otherwise just a walkway from the parking area.
