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GOLF PROJECTS
- Progress Report -
GOLF PROJECTS
- Progress Report -
Progress Report
Please click on the Progress Report "+" below to read more about the construction updates.
Progress report 1
February 15, 2022
The planning for the Golf Projects renovations continues to make progress. As a matter of communication and keeping you informed, the below summary is intended to provide you with a brief update as to where we stand with the various projects.
Golf Course and Practice Facility
- Following the vote approval in late December, the Club finalized contracts with Nicklaus Design to complete the design plans and with Total Golf as the contractor for construction. We also signed agreements with professionals in completing plans for submittal, including engineering plans, tree surveys and the like.
- The final renovation plans and development application for the golf course and practice facility work have been submitted to the city for approval. Today, that application is under consideration by the Development Review Committee of PBG. We do not anticipate any delays or difficulties with our plans, as they are straightforward and have been reviewed in general with all of the appropriate personnel. We continue to work toward an early April construction start.
- We do plan to begin our first spray-out of the East Course on Monday, February 28th. As we get closer, we will communicate again with you to let you know what to expect and when. Just consider as we get into the first week of March, you will begin to see the visual impact of the color of the course. The greens will not be affected by this process. Please make future golf plans accordingly.
- The Golf Projects website now includes the updated Master Plan and hole-by-hole overview. There are minor changes throughout the course as the design continues to be refined and Member feedback was considered. The revisions to the plans will likely continue to take place throughout construction. You can find those plans on the projects website at ballenislesgp.org.
- One key comment to share is some of the longer holes from Blue, Silver and White tees were modified to consider Member feedback and typical playing conditions/lengths. The updated scorecards are posted on the website and some specific changes are noted to the right on that scorecard.
Learning Center
- The Learning Center building continues planning as we look to maximize the design and balance the challenges with today’s materials availability and costs.
- The Learning Center will drag behind approvals and progress from the golf projects given the later start, planning and approvals involved with the construction of this facility. We will keep you up to date as this process rolls along.
- Survey work is completed for the Learning Center, and we are about to begin engineering drawings as we finalize the proposed layout of the facility.
Comfort Stations
- The three East course Comfort Station plans and survey work are now complete. We will soon begin engineering drawings, most importantly, for the proposed relocation of the station to Hole 10/14.
The Golf Projects website includes updates to:
- The design plans and updated scorecard
- Construction Timeline of the Golf Projects
While this update doesn’t seem overly exciting and there are no wonderful photos to share, much progress has been made over the past month, and we feel good about the direction and timing of each project.
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask. We will provide further updates in due time.
The Golf Project Committee
PROGRESS REPORT 2
February 26, 2022
Dear All,
As a reminder, Monday, February 28th, will mark the beginning of preparations for the East Golf Course and Practice Facility renovations, i.e., the Golf Projects. The East course will be closed on Monday, all day, to conduct our first treatment of the fairways and roughs. This will begin the process of removing existing grasses to make way for the new. From this point forward, until the course closes on April 4th, you will experience a slow deterioration of the color and quality of the fairways and roughs. No work is being done on the Practice Facility at this time, only the East course.
As noted, the East course will be closed on Monday while spraying. No one should be on the golf course, Monday.
All spraying that will be done is under an approved process with a trained spray technician. All chemicals we use are approved and regulated by the EPA and Department of Agriculture. The specific chemicals used for this application are low in toxicity and very safe in the manner in which they are being applied. Both the process and chemicals used are the same used when we did the North course and South course projects, which were successful. The products are commonly used in the daily practice of maintaining any type of landscaping.
Following the application on Monday, additional applications will be applied on or around March 21st, depending on various factors. We will notify everyone again prior to that spray occurring.
We will continue to keep you updated on progress relating to the East course renovation as things progress. As a reminder, you can also view updates and progress reports on www.ballenislesgp.org.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
On behalf of the Golf Projects Committee,
Ryan Walls
General Manager/COO
561.625.5747
[email protected]
Progress Report 3
March 26, 2022
Dear All,
As you know, we are nearing the start of our renovation of the East golf course.
Weather dependent, we have one more spray targeted for Monday the 28th. The key factors are wind and or rain, both of which look to be in our favor at this point. The East will be closed for the day and access will be shut-off completely.
Renovation work on the East course will begin on Monday, April 4th. The last day to play the existing East design will be Sunday, April 3rd. On April 4th we will also be closing the South end of the driving range as this will be the staging area for construction. We will also change the routing for cart traffic, for safety reasons. So those who may use that South range cut-thru access, will need to watch for signage and consider alternative routes. It is imperative that you follow all directional signage during construction and when a sign says closed, it is closed for all needs, no access.
Keep in mind that construction traffic will be moving in and out of the South end of the range daily, up and down holes 1, 2 and 9 primarily to access various points of the golf course. So we need to be very diligent about traffic around these areas, no exceptions. When construction begins, access to the golf course will be closed for any and all reasons. As different areas open and close during the construction process, we will inform you, or follow the signage as directed.
The North tee and short game area will remain available until on or about May 15th. We will communicate with you as that gets closer. Construction timing will ultimately dictate when we enact that closure so work on the full newly designed practice grounds can commence.
When work begins, you will see the contractors starting around hole 17 and working backwards to 16, 15, etc. for the next several weeks. As they progress, we will keep you informed but in the coming weeks, you will see construction through all 18 holes.
A few reminders as we get closer to starting construction. Everything we are about to outline is consistent with how the same was addressed for the East, North and South course renovations, and obviously now the East again.
Your home. For those who live adjacent to the East course. The Club will have a record of the condition of fencing and the like which borders the golf course. The Club will of course take care of any damage which may be caused by construction. But we do have a no-till area up to 6-12’ from your boundary, so we don’t expect any type of damage. Your side of your boundary is your responsibility. We have reminded owners in the past that dust from construction is likely. You might alert your pool company to check your filters more frequently. But any remnants of dust/dirt in pools, yards, patios, roofs are the responsibility of homeowners. Due to the type of renovation we are doing, we do not expect it to be as impactful as a full renovation would be, so we are hopeful adjoining homeowner impacts are minimized as well.
Elevations are managed with surveys and GPS. So while during and following construction, something may seem different, we have GPS and survey data points to determine all drainage, water flow and the like. We have not had any issues on previous projects and do not expect any on this project.
Change is coming. We are renovating the golf course, meaning, things are going to change. This is why we post plans months in advance and show a detailed plan of before and after. So please prepare yourself that in some cases; trees, bunkers, greens or other features of the golf course you see today, may change when construction is completed.
The design of the golf course dictates the location of all golf course features. We have 900+ homes surrounding our three golf courses. So as common practice, we do not move features, trees, landscape or the like based upon homeowner requests. Often those are approved plans with the City as well, and that will be the case here.
We have a working Project Committee, as listed below, with a dedicated email to access that Committee and a dedicated website to keep up to date on progress or to access plans and the like.
Contact email address for the Committee: [email protected]
Website address: www.ballenislesgp.org
The Committee is made up of:
Carl Ekstein, Chairperson, Golf Committee
David Berkowitz, Chairperson, Greens Committee
David Frank, President
Jeff Fitzherbert, Director of Golf
Michael Stevens, Director of Agronomy
Ryan Walls, General Manager
Ron Despain, Project Manager
If you have an issue, question, compliment or just need to find out where the cheapest gas is, email the Golf Project Committee and someone will be in touch soon thereafter.
At any time you have a question, please do not hesitate. We are excited and pleased with the team of professionals we have gathered to update the East course and bring you an entirely new practice experience. The next eight months will be filled with excitement and no doubt a few challenges to come, but in the end, we will come out a better Club because of it. So as they say……here we go…..!
Kindest regards,
The Golf Projects Committee
Dear All,
As you know, we are nearing the start of our renovation of the East golf course.
Weather dependent, we have one more spray targeted for Monday the 28th. The key factors are wind and or rain, both of which look to be in our favor at this point. The East will be closed for the day and access will be shut-off completely.
Renovation work on the East course will begin on Monday, April 4th. The last day to play the existing East design will be Sunday, April 3rd. On April 4th we will also be closing the South end of the driving range as this will be the staging area for construction. We will also change the routing for cart traffic, for safety reasons. So those who may use that South range cut-thru access, will need to watch for signage and consider alternative routes. It is imperative that you follow all directional signage during construction and when a sign says closed, it is closed for all needs, no access.
Keep in mind that construction traffic will be moving in and out of the South end of the range daily, up and down holes 1, 2 and 9 primarily to access various points of the golf course. So we need to be very diligent about traffic around these areas, no exceptions. When construction begins, access to the golf course will be closed for any and all reasons. As different areas open and close during the construction process, we will inform you, or follow the signage as directed.
The North tee and short game area will remain available until on or about May 15th. We will communicate with you as that gets closer. Construction timing will ultimately dictate when we enact that closure so work on the full newly designed practice grounds can commence.
When work begins, you will see the contractors starting around hole 17 and working backwards to 16, 15, etc. for the next several weeks. As they progress, we will keep you informed but in the coming weeks, you will see construction through all 18 holes.
A few reminders as we get closer to starting construction. Everything we are about to outline is consistent with how the same was addressed for the East, North and South course renovations, and obviously now the East again.
Your home. For those who live adjacent to the East course. The Club will have a record of the condition of fencing and the like which borders the golf course. The Club will of course take care of any damage which may be caused by construction. But we do have a no-till area up to 6-12’ from your boundary, so we don’t expect any type of damage. Your side of your boundary is your responsibility. We have reminded owners in the past that dust from construction is likely. You might alert your pool company to check your filters more frequently. But any remnants of dust/dirt in pools, yards, patios, roofs are the responsibility of homeowners. Due to the type of renovation we are doing, we do not expect it to be as impactful as a full renovation would be, so we are hopeful adjoining homeowner impacts are minimized as well.
Elevations are managed with surveys and GPS. So while during and following construction, something may seem different, we have GPS and survey data points to determine all drainage, water flow and the like. We have not had any issues on previous projects and do not expect any on this project.
Change is coming. We are renovating the golf course, meaning, things are going to change. This is why we post plans months in advance and show a detailed plan of before and after. So please prepare yourself that in some cases; trees, bunkers, greens or other features of the golf course you see today, may change when construction is completed.
The design of the golf course dictates the location of all golf course features. We have 900+ homes surrounding our three golf courses. So as common practice, we do not move features, trees, landscape or the like based upon homeowner requests. Often those are approved plans with the City as well, and that will be the case here.
We have a working Project Committee, as listed below, with a dedicated email to access that Committee and a dedicated website to keep up to date on progress or to access plans and the like.
Contact email address for the Committee: [email protected]
Website address: www.ballenislesgp.org
The Committee is made up of:
Carl Ekstein, Chairperson, Golf Committee
David Berkowitz, Chairperson, Greens Committee
David Frank, President
Jeff Fitzherbert, Director of Golf
Michael Stevens, Director of Agronomy
Ryan Walls, General Manager
Ron Despain, Project Manager
If you have an issue, question, compliment or just need to find out where the cheapest gas is, email the Golf Project Committee and someone will be in touch soon thereafter.
At any time you have a question, please do not hesitate. We are excited and pleased with the team of professionals we have gathered to update the East course and bring you an entirely new practice experience. The next eight months will be filled with excitement and no doubt a few challenges to come, but in the end, we will come out a better Club because of it. So as they say……here we go…..!
Kindest regards,
The Golf Projects Committee
progress report 4
April 14, 2022
Total Golf is off to a great start tearing up the golf course. Completely unplayable after a week of work. We now have our approvals in place and permits in hand, which will clear the way for full works to commence in the coming week. To date they have cleared all grasses from tees and greens, working through removing sand from the old bunkers and generally completing prep work before trees and earth are moved. The first major shaping is taking place this week on 17, where the outline of the new green is now in place. The landscape is being selectively removed and stored at our new in-house nursery. After 10 days, we are pleased with the accomplishments of our teams.
Permits for work on the new East comfort stations are submitted and work is expected to begin next week in tearing down the facility located between 6 and 7 of the East. That will be the first new facility constructed. As a reminder, as noted during our update at the Annual Meeting, we are NOT reconstructing the comfort station on hole 2 of the East. At some point this summer, we will remove that facility and not rebuild it. The simple basis of that decision is not spending dollars to construct a restroom on the 2nd tee box, which makes no sense. As a reminder, that restroom is located there as it was formally the 5th hole. The money for the facility will be more wisely used where needed.
Plan submittals for the newly located comfort station on hole 10 and the new Learning Center will be submitted to the city at the end of the week, starting the approval process which we expect to take up to 60 days. We will keep you up to date as we progress. We will also post those updated plans on the Golf Projects website next week.
Total Golf is off to a great start tearing up the golf course. Completely unplayable after a week of work. We now have our approvals in place and permits in hand, which will clear the way for full works to commence in the coming week. To date they have cleared all grasses from tees and greens, working through removing sand from the old bunkers and generally completing prep work before trees and earth are moved. The first major shaping is taking place this week on 17, where the outline of the new green is now in place. The landscape is being selectively removed and stored at our new in-house nursery. After 10 days, we are pleased with the accomplishments of our teams.
Permits for work on the new East comfort stations are submitted and work is expected to begin next week in tearing down the facility located between 6 and 7 of the East. That will be the first new facility constructed. As a reminder, as noted during our update at the Annual Meeting, we are NOT reconstructing the comfort station on hole 2 of the East. At some point this summer, we will remove that facility and not rebuild it. The simple basis of that decision is not spending dollars to construct a restroom on the 2nd tee box, which makes no sense. As a reminder, that restroom is located there as it was formally the 5th hole. The money for the facility will be more wisely used where needed.
Plan submittals for the newly located comfort station on hole 10 and the new Learning Center will be submitted to the city at the end of the week, starting the approval process which we expect to take up to 60 days. We will keep you up to date as we progress. We will also post those updated plans on the Golf Projects website next week.
progress report 5
May 13, 2022
Construction begins on the short game area Monday, May 16. Approximately two weeks after, the crews will begin construction on the entire practice range. When this happens, Members will warm-up using our temporary net under the cover shots unit located in the golf staging area. We understand this is less than ideal for some and are making every effort to allow for some warm-up/practice. We will also allow short pitching and chipping around the practice greens of the North and South courses. We understand Members will still want to take golf lessons this summer and there will be dedicated space on closed holes during summer maintenance. See your instructor or visit the Golf Shop to inquire.
Please see the timeline below to plan accordingly. We appreciate your patience and look forward to the opening of an incredible new practice facility sometime in December.
Monday, May 16 - Entire Short Game Areas Close
Monday, May 16 - 22 - North Practice Tee Remains Open
Monday, May 23 - 24 - North Practice Tee Closed For Tree Removal; Warm-Up Under Cover Shots In The Staging Area
Wednesday, May 25 - North Practice Tee Reopens
Tuesday, May 31 - North Practice Tee Closes
Note: All dates are subject to change.
Construction begins on the short game area Monday, May 16. Approximately two weeks after, the crews will begin construction on the entire practice range. When this happens, Members will warm-up using our temporary net under the cover shots unit located in the golf staging area. We understand this is less than ideal for some and are making every effort to allow for some warm-up/practice. We will also allow short pitching and chipping around the practice greens of the North and South courses. We understand Members will still want to take golf lessons this summer and there will be dedicated space on closed holes during summer maintenance. See your instructor or visit the Golf Shop to inquire.
Please see the timeline below to plan accordingly. We appreciate your patience and look forward to the opening of an incredible new practice facility sometime in December.
Monday, May 16 - Entire Short Game Areas Close
Monday, May 16 - 22 - North Practice Tee Remains Open
Monday, May 23 - 24 - North Practice Tee Closed For Tree Removal; Warm-Up Under Cover Shots In The Staging Area
Wednesday, May 25 - North Practice Tee Reopens
Tuesday, May 31 - North Practice Tee Closes
Note: All dates are subject to change.
Progress report 6
May 19, 2022
Projects:
The East course construction continues to progress very well. By end of this week we should see:
Other projects:
If you are around on Monday – drive by the range and watch them move the large Ficus trees to hole 1, which will make way for the new Learning Center location. It is interesting to see; those trees are really big.
Keep your eye out for our Golf Projects team video giving you some visual updates of construction, which should be emailed next week.
Projects:
The East course construction continues to progress very well. By end of this week we should see:
- At least nine new greens, bunkers and green surrounds will be formed, meaning you can see and understand the intent of the new design
- Installation of drainage at the greens has started
- Tree relocations will be close to wrapping up on the back nine
- The lake fill on hole 15 for the new teeing ground will be complete
- Lake bank work on hole 17 will commence
- Work on the new short game area, including its pond fill expansion will be well underway
Other projects:
- The construction of the comfort station at hole 7 East is underway, please be cautious when in the area.
- The City has approved our new comfort station location at hole 10/15 on the East, which is great news. Finally a reasonable restroom stop on the East back nine.
- The comfort station on hole 2 will be removed this week as well.
- The Learning Center plans were submitted to the City last week for review. We expect this review/approval to take 60-90 days.
If you are around on Monday – drive by the range and watch them move the large Ficus trees to hole 1, which will make way for the new Learning Center location. It is interesting to see; those trees are really big.
Keep your eye out for our Golf Projects team video giving you some visual updates of construction, which should be emailed next week.
Progress report 7
July 19, 2022
As you may know, we have several projects underway so let me give you a brief update on each.
We now have two golf course restrooms under construction.
Our learning center design is about complete and it remains actively involved in the approval process with the city. We hope to see that approval in the next two weeks and we will then submit for permitting, with site prep and construction starting by mid to late August.
The practice facility is also fully engulfed in construction. While the long game area is a full construction site (aka - a total mess), the short game area is beginning to take shape with four of its six greens shaped and you can see the new size and scale of the area. It looks inviting.
The East golf course continues to unveil itself, with 14 of our 18 holes now shaped. If you live along 4, 5, 6 or 7 you will begin to see a lot more activity as the bulk earthwork makes it your way.
So a lot of new activity in the coming weeks as the course continues to take shape.
As you may know, we have several projects underway so let me give you a brief update on each.
We now have two golf course restrooms under construction.
- Our rebuilt restroom going from hole 6 to 7 on the East course is progressing nicely, the roof is complete and stucco, paint and drywall are all nearing completion.
- The new restroom that will service holes 10 and 14 on the back nine of the East has received its approval and is also now permitted. It has plumbing installed and will get a new foundation poured today.
Our learning center design is about complete and it remains actively involved in the approval process with the city. We hope to see that approval in the next two weeks and we will then submit for permitting, with site prep and construction starting by mid to late August.
The practice facility is also fully engulfed in construction. While the long game area is a full construction site (aka - a total mess), the short game area is beginning to take shape with four of its six greens shaped and you can see the new size and scale of the area. It looks inviting.
The East golf course continues to unveil itself, with 14 of our 18 holes now shaped. If you live along 4, 5, 6 or 7 you will begin to see a lot more activity as the bulk earthwork makes it your way.
- The new stone wall has started on 7 tee, replacing the failing bulkhead.
- The new green on 4 is fully engulfed in digging as the water makes its way to the edge of the green and the new stone wall facing the green will soon begin construction.
- New cart paths are poured on holes 10, 14 and 15.
- Bunker construction has begun with 15, 16, 14, 10 and 12 completed.
- Excitingly, the biggest news is we will see that green stuff again on Thursday this week as we begin sodding around 15 green, then on to 16, 14 and so on. Soon following, greens will start to be seeded (called sprigs or sprigging).
So a lot of new activity in the coming weeks as the course continues to take shape.
PROGRESS REPORT 8
August 15, 2022
Our comfort station projects are progressing well. The comfort station from holes 6 to 7 on the East course is in its final installation of countertops and plumbing fixtures and will likely finish construction in the next two weeks. The newly located comfort station at hole 10/14 of the East is framed and ready for a roof, but is currently experiencing a slight delay in delivery of our trusses. We expect that to be back on track next week.
The latest good news is that the addition of the Learning Center has been approved by the city, which is a big deal and a job well done by our professionals. This now allows us to submit construction permits, which began this morning, Monday. You should see work start in the next week or two on the final preparation of that site and we expect the permit approval process to take several weeks before actual construction begins. This project is targeted as an early 2023 completion, just so we all understand the general expectations.
The East Course continues to move along, but unexpected delays in receiving irrigation parts and subsequent installation are now catching up with us. While our teams have been doing all they can to make up lost time over the past month, there is too much to do and not enough resources available. The focus remains on progressing the back nine and North end of the practice facility to be ready to play at some point in December as originally planned. The remaining holes and practice grounds short game area will stagger behind in the following weeks. There is still a lot of time, weather and the world to consider, but know that everyone is doing all that can reasonably be done to get us open for play sooner rather than later.
Next week, the Golf Projects Committee will send out another update video that will give you a good perspective of the look of several of our holes, especially now with grass down.
For now, I’ll give you a high-level overview of what is completed. As of today:
That is the simple overview, a lot of good work has been completed but still more to go. The changes are exciting and we look forward to continuing to share those changes with you. Below are a few images taken this week for you to enjoy. Later in the week, you will see an update that will provide some great video coverage of the new back nine.
One other housekeeping note. While we have asked all along to please stay off the course while under construction, for your safety and other obvious reasons, it is ever more important now while grassing. We cannot have carts mistakenly running over newly seeded areas, especially while we are running significant irrigation. We promise to keep your curiosity satisfied.
Our comfort station projects are progressing well. The comfort station from holes 6 to 7 on the East course is in its final installation of countertops and plumbing fixtures and will likely finish construction in the next two weeks. The newly located comfort station at hole 10/14 of the East is framed and ready for a roof, but is currently experiencing a slight delay in delivery of our trusses. We expect that to be back on track next week.
The latest good news is that the addition of the Learning Center has been approved by the city, which is a big deal and a job well done by our professionals. This now allows us to submit construction permits, which began this morning, Monday. You should see work start in the next week or two on the final preparation of that site and we expect the permit approval process to take several weeks before actual construction begins. This project is targeted as an early 2023 completion, just so we all understand the general expectations.
The East Course continues to move along, but unexpected delays in receiving irrigation parts and subsequent installation are now catching up with us. While our teams have been doing all they can to make up lost time over the past month, there is too much to do and not enough resources available. The focus remains on progressing the back nine and North end of the practice facility to be ready to play at some point in December as originally planned. The remaining holes and practice grounds short game area will stagger behind in the following weeks. There is still a lot of time, weather and the world to consider, but know that everyone is doing all that can reasonably be done to get us open for play sooner rather than later.
Next week, the Golf Projects Committee will send out another update video that will give you a good perspective of the look of several of our holes, especially now with grass down.
For now, I’ll give you a high-level overview of what is completed. As of today:
- We have 5 holes fully grassed (essentially generally done with construction), which are holes 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16. The new irrigation system is functioning. Fairways and greens are grassed, teeing areas are built and grassed and bunkers are completed with sand. So you can really see the hole now.
- This week, we will complete grassing on holes 12, 13 and 17. And then next week, we do the same to holes 1 and 18. By the end of August, we will have 10 holes fully grassed, done and growing in.
- We have sprigs (basically grass seed) down on 9 greens as of today, and like sprigging fairways, we will add more to the completion list over the coming weeks, with 12 greens completed by the end of the month.
- Work is now focused on completing the new rock wall on hole 4. Hole 5 is shaped, with a significant change in the contours and elevation of the fairway. That team is now working on the general outline of the new green and surround at hole 6, while the same is being done by a different team on hole 18. When work is completed on hole 6, they will move to hole 7, being the final hole to be constructed.
- Similar focus is also on the practice grounds, current work is being done to shape the long range area to ensure it is completed for use with the North teeing area by December.
That is the simple overview, a lot of good work has been completed but still more to go. The changes are exciting and we look forward to continuing to share those changes with you. Below are a few images taken this week for you to enjoy. Later in the week, you will see an update that will provide some great video coverage of the new back nine.
One other housekeeping note. While we have asked all along to please stay off the course while under construction, for your safety and other obvious reasons, it is ever more important now while grassing. We cannot have carts mistakenly running over newly seeded areas, especially while we are running significant irrigation. We promise to keep your curiosity satisfied.
Progress Report 9
September 3, 2022
The East course construction continues, albeit not as fast as we would hope. We now have 11 holes grassed and more greens on the way next week. Construction started on hole 7 this week, which is the last hole to construct. The short game area greens are built and the new north side tee is almost shaped. We will give you a more detailed update in about 10 days as we monitor progress after the holiday.
The East course construction continues, albeit not as fast as we would hope. We now have 11 holes grassed and more greens on the way next week. Construction started on hole 7 this week, which is the last hole to construct. The short game area greens are built and the new north side tee is almost shaped. We will give you a more detailed update in about 10 days as we monitor progress after the holiday.
Progress report 10
September 19, 2022
The East golf course and practice grounds construction continues to press toward the finish line. Someone lined the finish line with molasses, but it’s a finish line nonetheless.
Our Director of Agronomy, Michael Stevens, piloted our drone Friday morning over the entire project. We have posted that overview on the website, which you can find here. Links are provided separately, hole by hole, along with the practice grounds, so you can look at what you would like to. There is no narration or otherwise, just a good flyover of each hole. Have some fun seeing if you can find the differences between the old holes and new holes, some are subtle, and other changes more dramatic. Some of you who live around the East, may just want to check how your house looks.
At the end of the month, we will do this again, but we will add some narration. Then in mid-October, we will do it once more and Jeff Fitzherbert will discuss the strategy of the new holes. That will be fun.
As you view the flyover, you will notice a stark contrast from the back nine to the front nine, where construction is finishing. So with that in mind, let me tell you where we are:
• The back nine (less 18 green) and holes 1 and 2 are fully grassed and growing-in. That is going very well. The team is already managing/mowing greens and fairways and you can see this in the videos.
• Holes 3, 8 and 9 are next in line for sod around greens and bunkers (greens are already sprigged). Holes 3 and 8 of which, sod should be done by tomorrow, Tuesday. Hole 9 is next up. Then later this week, sprigging of the fairways on the same should occur. If we have any Gamecocks here at the Club, note that the grass on holes 3, 8 and 9 is all the way from South Carolina, as we haven’t been able to get sod out of Florida this week due to rain (yes, that delayed us last week).
• Early next week, we will sprig the greens on 18 and the six practice grounds greens. That will follow up with sod around the greens and essentially wrap up major construction on the back nine.
• The final set of greens, 4, 5, 6, 7 and the putting course, will wrap up construction tomorrow and will be fumigated later this week. If that occurs timely (weather), we will see those greens sprigged by the end of the month-ish.
• Over the next two weeks, the team will complete irrigation, bunker and tee construction, final grading and then sprigs and sod on the remaining four holes. That should wrap up major construction on the 18 holes sometime around the end of the month. They will then focus on completing the long game area and south tee.
If the last two items are timely accomplished, that will put us about a month behind our original schedule for the golf course. We are increasing sprig rates on the final few holes, so they grow-in faster and the two par three holes are majority sodded as well. We then dance to bring good weather.
So enjoy the flyovers. For the first time, you can clearly see the shape of all 18 holes (mostly hole 7) and thank you to pilot Michael for not crashing another drone. See if you can find the new, and no longer there, bunkers. Lots of new tree locations are scattered around. A few holes and greens complexes have changed dramatically (per our plans). And a big component of the changes, notice the variety of the greens complexes, in terms of shape, size and direction of approach.
The East golf course and practice grounds construction continues to press toward the finish line. Someone lined the finish line with molasses, but it’s a finish line nonetheless.
Our Director of Agronomy, Michael Stevens, piloted our drone Friday morning over the entire project. We have posted that overview on the website, which you can find here. Links are provided separately, hole by hole, along with the practice grounds, so you can look at what you would like to. There is no narration or otherwise, just a good flyover of each hole. Have some fun seeing if you can find the differences between the old holes and new holes, some are subtle, and other changes more dramatic. Some of you who live around the East, may just want to check how your house looks.
At the end of the month, we will do this again, but we will add some narration. Then in mid-October, we will do it once more and Jeff Fitzherbert will discuss the strategy of the new holes. That will be fun.
As you view the flyover, you will notice a stark contrast from the back nine to the front nine, where construction is finishing. So with that in mind, let me tell you where we are:
• The back nine (less 18 green) and holes 1 and 2 are fully grassed and growing-in. That is going very well. The team is already managing/mowing greens and fairways and you can see this in the videos.
• Holes 3, 8 and 9 are next in line for sod around greens and bunkers (greens are already sprigged). Holes 3 and 8 of which, sod should be done by tomorrow, Tuesday. Hole 9 is next up. Then later this week, sprigging of the fairways on the same should occur. If we have any Gamecocks here at the Club, note that the grass on holes 3, 8 and 9 is all the way from South Carolina, as we haven’t been able to get sod out of Florida this week due to rain (yes, that delayed us last week).
• Early next week, we will sprig the greens on 18 and the six practice grounds greens. That will follow up with sod around the greens and essentially wrap up major construction on the back nine.
• The final set of greens, 4, 5, 6, 7 and the putting course, will wrap up construction tomorrow and will be fumigated later this week. If that occurs timely (weather), we will see those greens sprigged by the end of the month-ish.
• Over the next two weeks, the team will complete irrigation, bunker and tee construction, final grading and then sprigs and sod on the remaining four holes. That should wrap up major construction on the 18 holes sometime around the end of the month. They will then focus on completing the long game area and south tee.
If the last two items are timely accomplished, that will put us about a month behind our original schedule for the golf course. We are increasing sprig rates on the final few holes, so they grow-in faster and the two par three holes are majority sodded as well. We then dance to bring good weather.
So enjoy the flyovers. For the first time, you can clearly see the shape of all 18 holes (mostly hole 7) and thank you to pilot Michael for not crashing another drone. See if you can find the new, and no longer there, bunkers. Lots of new tree locations are scattered around. A few holes and greens complexes have changed dramatically (per our plans). And a big component of the changes, notice the variety of the greens complexes, in terms of shape, size and direction of approach.
Progress REport 11
September 23, 2022
Please stay off the East golf course in your golf cart. Do not cut across the areas by the South tee and hole 9 of the East. Please note the signage is there for everyone’s safety. When accessing the cart storage area and practice mats behind the Clubhouse, for the next couple of weeks, it is best to enter and exit through the west entry on the opposite side of the building. There is a significant amount of activity going on in these areas as the practice areas are being grassed. That general area from along hole 9, near the South tee and up to the practice area will remain very active, especially the next few days as we rush to get sod down before the impending storm next week.
Speaking of the East course, we have posted the updated videos of holes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 as of the 21st, showing the completion of the green construction on 4 thru 7, sod work on 3 and completion of mass grading on hole 7. We will post further updates on Monday as sod and springing are completed on holes 3 and 8 (today), sod around the greens on 9 and 18 (complete by tomorrow) as well as a start of sodding at the short game area. You can find those videos here.
As a reminder, you can find all the information about the Golf Projects, including photos and videos, on our Golf Projects website, which you can find here: www.ballenislesgp.org.
Please stay off the East golf course in your golf cart. Do not cut across the areas by the South tee and hole 9 of the East. Please note the signage is there for everyone’s safety. When accessing the cart storage area and practice mats behind the Clubhouse, for the next couple of weeks, it is best to enter and exit through the west entry on the opposite side of the building. There is a significant amount of activity going on in these areas as the practice areas are being grassed. That general area from along hole 9, near the South tee and up to the practice area will remain very active, especially the next few days as we rush to get sod down before the impending storm next week.
Speaking of the East course, we have posted the updated videos of holes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 as of the 21st, showing the completion of the green construction on 4 thru 7, sod work on 3 and completion of mass grading on hole 7. We will post further updates on Monday as sod and springing are completed on holes 3 and 8 (today), sod around the greens on 9 and 18 (complete by tomorrow) as well as a start of sodding at the short game area. You can find those videos here.
As a reminder, you can find all the information about the Golf Projects, including photos and videos, on our Golf Projects website, which you can find here: www.ballenislesgp.org.
Progress Report 12
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
The newly located comfort station on hole 10/14 of the East course has drywall up and is coming along very nicely. Both comfort stations on the East will be completed in plenty of time for the reopening of the golf course.
The construction fence for the Learning Center will go up early next week. The storm has held us back this week from progressing too quickly, but we expect to see progress in that area next week as they prepare to pour footers. We expect the timeline for this construction to run in the 6 to 7 month range.
The expanded Pilates room is done with construction. It is light and bright and bigger, so now we simply need to put the room back together later this week and we will be ready to roll. We will also have some furniture and art arriving in the later part of November for that room.
The activities room refresh will get a final clean at the end of this week as well and then that room is ready for use. Like other areas of the Sports Complex, we have furniture and art to arrive in November.
The Sports Complex interior painting is wrapping up this week with only punch list items remaining. Over the months of October and November, we will install new carpet on the upper level and you will see new furniture, decor and artwork arrive in various areas upstairs and downstairs (arrival times are all over the board over the next several weeks).
The Golf Projects saw a lot of sod go down this past week. Michael flew the drone again and those updates are posted on the golf projects website. This latest update will show the newly fully grassed 3rd and 8th holes. Sod around 18 green and the majority of the short game area, which will be finished up once the storm passes. The team is now gearing up to sprig the remaining greens of 4, 5, 6, 7 and the short game greens next week, and then complete grassing on fairways and surrounds of holes 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9.
The newly located comfort station on hole 10/14 of the East course has drywall up and is coming along very nicely. Both comfort stations on the East will be completed in plenty of time for the reopening of the golf course.
The construction fence for the Learning Center will go up early next week. The storm has held us back this week from progressing too quickly, but we expect to see progress in that area next week as they prepare to pour footers. We expect the timeline for this construction to run in the 6 to 7 month range.
The expanded Pilates room is done with construction. It is light and bright and bigger, so now we simply need to put the room back together later this week and we will be ready to roll. We will also have some furniture and art arriving in the later part of November for that room.
The activities room refresh will get a final clean at the end of this week as well and then that room is ready for use. Like other areas of the Sports Complex, we have furniture and art to arrive in November.
The Sports Complex interior painting is wrapping up this week with only punch list items remaining. Over the months of October and November, we will install new carpet on the upper level and you will see new furniture, decor and artwork arrive in various areas upstairs and downstairs (arrival times are all over the board over the next several weeks).
The Golf Projects saw a lot of sod go down this past week. Michael flew the drone again and those updates are posted on the golf projects website. This latest update will show the newly fully grassed 3rd and 8th holes. Sod around 18 green and the majority of the short game area, which will be finished up once the storm passes. The team is now gearing up to sprig the remaining greens of 4, 5, 6, 7 and the short game greens next week, and then complete grassing on fairways and surrounds of holes 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9.
Progress report 13
Monday, October 17, 2022
The learning center construction is starting to take shape as we look to pour the foundation this week.
The new restroom at hole 10/14 is looking great and progress has been swift. The new pathways accessing the building were poured this week, interior tile work is nearly completed and surrounding paver install will soon begin.
Grassing on the golf course will finish this week, finally. We are excited by that, but it is muted because the time it has taken to get to this point. We will have more details to share this week, but in short, the final four greens were sprigged on Friday. The last of the sod is being laid through Tuesday on holes 5, 6 and 7 and the final two fairways of 5 and 7 (plus many small spots here and there) will be sprigged on Wednesday this coming week. Pending weather and access to grass. On the flip side, the back nine is fantastic. Our agronomy team continues to mature the course, now mowing fairways lines on our most advanced holes.
The learning center construction is starting to take shape as we look to pour the foundation this week.
The new restroom at hole 10/14 is looking great and progress has been swift. The new pathways accessing the building were poured this week, interior tile work is nearly completed and surrounding paver install will soon begin.
Grassing on the golf course will finish this week, finally. We are excited by that, but it is muted because the time it has taken to get to this point. We will have more details to share this week, but in short, the final four greens were sprigged on Friday. The last of the sod is being laid through Tuesday on holes 5, 6 and 7 and the final two fairways of 5 and 7 (plus many small spots here and there) will be sprigged on Wednesday this coming week. Pending weather and access to grass. On the flip side, the back nine is fantastic. Our agronomy team continues to mature the course, now mowing fairways lines on our most advanced holes.
Progress report 14
December 14, 2022
Dear All,
The Golf Projects continue to make good progress, and we are going to use the word “OPEN” in this update, so if you are a golfer, please take a moment to read this.
The Club’s goal when introducing the Golf Projects was to have the golf course and practice facilities open in December. We are going to partially accomplish that goal, which we are satisfied with given the adversity the project faced in the market, primarily with materials availability. The Learning Center we always knew would be a spring opening, and that remains on track.
The short story is:
The Practice Grounds
Long Game (driving range) area will OPEN on both the North and South ends on the hitting mats only, on Monday, December 19th. Hours will be limited during the day to allow our staff to retrieve range balls safely.
Hours of Operation: Monday – Sunday 7:00 am until 3:00 pm
Please note that given the new facility, weather and other factors may change opening times and the golf staff will communicate clearly to you, or check the daily course conditions on ForeTees.
Short Game (chipping and putting greens) area will remain closed until the first week of January. The greens need a couple more weeks to mature and we don’t want to open them to the busy holiday period before us. We believe the short game area is more difficult to control/limit access and do not feel the risk of damaging new greens is worth the two weeks of wait.
The East Course
The Back Nine of the East Course will open for play on Monday, December 19th for Member play only. No guests will be allowed on the East course to help minimize traffic. We will reconsider this as play levels are understood and the course matures. The Back Nine will play as a stand-alone nine holes of golf, of which you can book consecutive rounds on to play 18 holes by making a note in the ForeTees system.
The Back Nine will be played as Cart Path only. Push carts will be available and you may use your own personal electric cart. Plenty of sand bottles will be available, please care for the course kindly.
The Front Nine of the East Course we are still targeting for a late January opening.
The practice putting green at the first hole of the East course will also be available ONLY for warm-up practice putting for those playing golf on the East course.
You may go to ForeTees to make your tee times for the East course Back Nine, effective immediately. When making your tee time, please make a note in the field notes if you want to play 9 or 18 holes and the golf staff will accommodate.
Comfort Station
The new comfort station located between the 10th tee and 15th tee WILL NOT be open on Monday, but will be soon. Construction of the building is ready, but specific plumbing valves required by Seacoast for connection to sewer lines are delayed in shipping. With that, we have no water or sewer yet, so that building will remain locked until those valves arrive and are installed.
The Learning Center
The Learning Center construction is progressing nicely with no major delays to date. We are still targeting a late March to early April opening.
The longer story is:
The Practice Grounds
The Long Game area floor area, while sprigged with Bermuda grass, was also overseeded with Ryegrass for the winter season to give us a good stand of grass to allow practice balls to be retrieved easier. As the weather cools, we expect a slowing of Bermuda grass growth, so this quick resolution of a good Ryegrass stand (which likes cooler weather) will get us on the practice grounds sooner. You will noticeably see the brighter green color of the Ryegrass on the range floor, in comparison to the Bermuda grass growing on the tops of the target greens.
The North Tee is divided into an upper tier and lower tier, with the practice mats in between. The upper tier of the North range was sodded and will be ready for use in the not to distant future, which we will likely use only on special occasions until the other turfed areas are ready for play. The lower tier was sprigged with Bermuda grass and will be put in use likely toward the end of January to early February.
The South Tee is all one level and was sodded about two weeks ago. With favorable weather, we hope to see that in use by the end of January to early February along with the other turfed areas of the Long Game area.
Understanding the new Practice Grounds
Below are some fun notes about your new Practice Grounds you will begin to experience on Monday. Your practice should start to become more focused. You will soon learn to practice specific shots, rather than simply hitting the ball.
Near the target greens, you will see bunkers to help provide realistic practice shots to greens. That is not real sand, but white color matting to give the look of bunkers, but that allows us to more easily retrieve balls.
Over the coming weeks you will begin to see aiming corridors/fairways, being mowed in finer detail on the Long Game area floor. You will see two fairways on the North tee from the right and left, and one fairway from center of the South tee, generally forming a Y pattern if looking at the floor of the driving range from above. The intent is to allow you to practice hitting long shots, drives, and aiming at and hitting a fairway, rather than a large field.
Both the North and South ends of the Long Game area will eventually be equipped with technology, called Flagd, via a small device located on each hitting bay which denotes the exact yardage to each target green. On Monday, the North tee will have this device available and the South tee will be installed in early January.
The South end of the Long Game area will have some added bonuses as well. The most exciting is the addition of Toptracer to our hitting bays. Via the Toptracer Range App that you will download on your phone or tablet, (that we will help you learn) Toptracer Range technology will track your ball flight for each shot you hit, and give you immediate feedback on ball flight, distance traveled and some other fun stats. Once you learn the device, you can play games against friends, and truly take your practice experience to an entirely new level.
Jeff and the golf team will be sending you more information on the Toptracer technology, how to download the APP and instructional video on how to use the system.
The South end of the Long Game area will also have:
The East Course
When playing the Back Nine of the East Course, remember that with any new course, the greens will always be very firm for generally the first year, so play your shots accordingly. Overall, the Back Nine is ready to go, especially holes 10 thru 16. You may see some spots here and there that are still filling in, but overall it is very playable and beautiful. Holes 17 and 18 were the last two holes completed on the Back Nine. You will notice that when playing, they are not perfect, so play them with a smile on your face and enjoy the updated design. Hole 17 was hit hard by rain and wash-outs late in construction, so you will see some fresh sod still maturing and as you drive down the fairway that is also a result of the bumpiness you will feel. And we suspect that 17 and 18 greens will putt a tad differently. Hole 18 is mostly grown in well, but you will see some new course scars here and there. Those will mature in the coming weeks. 18 green is ready to play in the center of the green, but you will notice some thin areas still maturing on the sides of the green. We felt this option was better than a temporary green and we don’t feel playing the green will set us back. So go enjoy your new Nicklaus Design East Course - Back Nine. Learn to play the holes as your strategy, position and approach is important. Play the correct tees and enjoy beginning to learn the slopes and subtleties of your new, fantastic, greens complexes. It truly is a spectacular course. And yes, it will play different than the old design, some harder, some easier, but certainly overall more fun and golf that will engage your thinking on each shot.
The Learning Center
The Learning Center is taking shape and in the next week you will see the trusses go up and the roof structure soon to follow. The name of the center will be the 71’ Learning Center, which is both the address and paying homage to our famed year of golf in 1971.
Separate from the Learning Center project, but complementary to and as part of our 2023 annual capital, the Club has submitted plans to the City of Palm Beach Gardens to add a restroom facility, cart parking, small putting green and food truck outdoor dining area to be added to the Learning Center site. We expect that construction to start in the coming months. Utilizing our Food Truck for dining, a restroom nearby and adequate parking, this will complete an enjoyable practice complex and experience for all to really enjoy as we plan events and activities around the space and truly focus the Practice Grounds 71’ Learning Center as an entertainment venue unto itself.
Exciting times. Enjoy.
On behalf of the Golf Projects Committee,
Ryan Walls
General Manager/CEO
561.625.5747
[email protected]
Dear All,
The Golf Projects continue to make good progress, and we are going to use the word “OPEN” in this update, so if you are a golfer, please take a moment to read this.
The Club’s goal when introducing the Golf Projects was to have the golf course and practice facilities open in December. We are going to partially accomplish that goal, which we are satisfied with given the adversity the project faced in the market, primarily with materials availability. The Learning Center we always knew would be a spring opening, and that remains on track.
The short story is:
The Practice Grounds
Long Game (driving range) area will OPEN on both the North and South ends on the hitting mats only, on Monday, December 19th. Hours will be limited during the day to allow our staff to retrieve range balls safely.
Hours of Operation: Monday – Sunday 7:00 am until 3:00 pm
Please note that given the new facility, weather and other factors may change opening times and the golf staff will communicate clearly to you, or check the daily course conditions on ForeTees.
Short Game (chipping and putting greens) area will remain closed until the first week of January. The greens need a couple more weeks to mature and we don’t want to open them to the busy holiday period before us. We believe the short game area is more difficult to control/limit access and do not feel the risk of damaging new greens is worth the two weeks of wait.
The East Course
The Back Nine of the East Course will open for play on Monday, December 19th for Member play only. No guests will be allowed on the East course to help minimize traffic. We will reconsider this as play levels are understood and the course matures. The Back Nine will play as a stand-alone nine holes of golf, of which you can book consecutive rounds on to play 18 holes by making a note in the ForeTees system.
The Back Nine will be played as Cart Path only. Push carts will be available and you may use your own personal electric cart. Plenty of sand bottles will be available, please care for the course kindly.
The Front Nine of the East Course we are still targeting for a late January opening.
The practice putting green at the first hole of the East course will also be available ONLY for warm-up practice putting for those playing golf on the East course.
You may go to ForeTees to make your tee times for the East course Back Nine, effective immediately. When making your tee time, please make a note in the field notes if you want to play 9 or 18 holes and the golf staff will accommodate.
Comfort Station
The new comfort station located between the 10th tee and 15th tee WILL NOT be open on Monday, but will be soon. Construction of the building is ready, but specific plumbing valves required by Seacoast for connection to sewer lines are delayed in shipping. With that, we have no water or sewer yet, so that building will remain locked until those valves arrive and are installed.
The Learning Center
The Learning Center construction is progressing nicely with no major delays to date. We are still targeting a late March to early April opening.
The longer story is:
The Practice Grounds
The Long Game area floor area, while sprigged with Bermuda grass, was also overseeded with Ryegrass for the winter season to give us a good stand of grass to allow practice balls to be retrieved easier. As the weather cools, we expect a slowing of Bermuda grass growth, so this quick resolution of a good Ryegrass stand (which likes cooler weather) will get us on the practice grounds sooner. You will noticeably see the brighter green color of the Ryegrass on the range floor, in comparison to the Bermuda grass growing on the tops of the target greens.
The North Tee is divided into an upper tier and lower tier, with the practice mats in between. The upper tier of the North range was sodded and will be ready for use in the not to distant future, which we will likely use only on special occasions until the other turfed areas are ready for play. The lower tier was sprigged with Bermuda grass and will be put in use likely toward the end of January to early February.
The South Tee is all one level and was sodded about two weeks ago. With favorable weather, we hope to see that in use by the end of January to early February along with the other turfed areas of the Long Game area.
Understanding the new Practice Grounds
Below are some fun notes about your new Practice Grounds you will begin to experience on Monday. Your practice should start to become more focused. You will soon learn to practice specific shots, rather than simply hitting the ball.
Near the target greens, you will see bunkers to help provide realistic practice shots to greens. That is not real sand, but white color matting to give the look of bunkers, but that allows us to more easily retrieve balls.
Over the coming weeks you will begin to see aiming corridors/fairways, being mowed in finer detail on the Long Game area floor. You will see two fairways on the North tee from the right and left, and one fairway from center of the South tee, generally forming a Y pattern if looking at the floor of the driving range from above. The intent is to allow you to practice hitting long shots, drives, and aiming at and hitting a fairway, rather than a large field.
Both the North and South ends of the Long Game area will eventually be equipped with technology, called Flagd, via a small device located on each hitting bay which denotes the exact yardage to each target green. On Monday, the North tee will have this device available and the South tee will be installed in early January.
The South end of the Long Game area will have some added bonuses as well. The most exciting is the addition of Toptracer to our hitting bays. Via the Toptracer Range App that you will download on your phone or tablet, (that we will help you learn) Toptracer Range technology will track your ball flight for each shot you hit, and give you immediate feedback on ball flight, distance traveled and some other fun stats. Once you learn the device, you can play games against friends, and truly take your practice experience to an entirely new level.
Jeff and the golf team will be sending you more information on the Toptracer technology, how to download the APP and instructional video on how to use the system.
The South end of the Long Game area will also have:
- A small warm-up putting green (open in early January)
- A practice fairway bunker (open)
- A rough and uneven lie practice area (not all shots are played from a tee or fairway!) (open in early January)
- A Wedge Target Range to practice dialing in distances from inside 100 yards. Three practice hitting areas off of mats will allow you to hit shots to targets greens, that are sized smaller to larger in 15-yard increments starting from 30 yards away. (open)
The East Course
When playing the Back Nine of the East Course, remember that with any new course, the greens will always be very firm for generally the first year, so play your shots accordingly. Overall, the Back Nine is ready to go, especially holes 10 thru 16. You may see some spots here and there that are still filling in, but overall it is very playable and beautiful. Holes 17 and 18 were the last two holes completed on the Back Nine. You will notice that when playing, they are not perfect, so play them with a smile on your face and enjoy the updated design. Hole 17 was hit hard by rain and wash-outs late in construction, so you will see some fresh sod still maturing and as you drive down the fairway that is also a result of the bumpiness you will feel. And we suspect that 17 and 18 greens will putt a tad differently. Hole 18 is mostly grown in well, but you will see some new course scars here and there. Those will mature in the coming weeks. 18 green is ready to play in the center of the green, but you will notice some thin areas still maturing on the sides of the green. We felt this option was better than a temporary green and we don’t feel playing the green will set us back. So go enjoy your new Nicklaus Design East Course - Back Nine. Learn to play the holes as your strategy, position and approach is important. Play the correct tees and enjoy beginning to learn the slopes and subtleties of your new, fantastic, greens complexes. It truly is a spectacular course. And yes, it will play different than the old design, some harder, some easier, but certainly overall more fun and golf that will engage your thinking on each shot.
The Learning Center
The Learning Center is taking shape and in the next week you will see the trusses go up and the roof structure soon to follow. The name of the center will be the 71’ Learning Center, which is both the address and paying homage to our famed year of golf in 1971.
Separate from the Learning Center project, but complementary to and as part of our 2023 annual capital, the Club has submitted plans to the City of Palm Beach Gardens to add a restroom facility, cart parking, small putting green and food truck outdoor dining area to be added to the Learning Center site. We expect that construction to start in the coming months. Utilizing our Food Truck for dining, a restroom nearby and adequate parking, this will complete an enjoyable practice complex and experience for all to really enjoy as we plan events and activities around the space and truly focus the Practice Grounds 71’ Learning Center as an entertainment venue unto itself.
Exciting times. Enjoy.
On behalf of the Golf Projects Committee,
Ryan Walls
General Manager/CEO
561.625.5747
[email protected]
progress report 15
December 18, 2022
Dear Members,
These are very exciting times as we have one day left until opening the back nine of the East and the Long Game areas. The golf course is awesome with tons of character. Remember to play on the teeing ground that best suits you and keep in mind that there is a lot more strategy to this course which will make it more fun to play. The practice grounds are amazing, allowing you to work on every possible shot. As we have mentioned, the course and practice grounds are still maturing and will continue to evolve with growth and definition. We have installed our Flag digital yardage units to each apple crate on the north tee and are awaiting a full complement for the south tee. These should arrive soon.
Please see below for things to know prior to arriving at either the course or practice grounds.
Golf Course
Practice Grounds
Comfort Station
Toptracer
Exciting times. Enjoy.
Jeff Fitzherbert
Director of Golf
561.625.5750
[email protected]
Dear Members,
These are very exciting times as we have one day left until opening the back nine of the East and the Long Game areas. The golf course is awesome with tons of character. Remember to play on the teeing ground that best suits you and keep in mind that there is a lot more strategy to this course which will make it more fun to play. The practice grounds are amazing, allowing you to work on every possible shot. As we have mentioned, the course and practice grounds are still maturing and will continue to evolve with growth and definition. We have installed our Flag digital yardage units to each apple crate on the north tee and are awaiting a full complement for the south tee. These should arrive soon.
Please see below for things to know prior to arriving at either the course or practice grounds.
Golf Course
- Tee times begin off #10.
- Cart paths only.
- Push carts available at the north practice tee.
- Please pair up and leave extra carts at the back of the north practice tee or staging areas.
- Sand mix and bottles are at the 10th tee.
- Fruit and snacks are at the 10th tee.
- Please care for the course by filling in all divots, fixing your ball marks on the greens and raking bunkers.
Practice Grounds
- North and South tees will open at 7 AM and close at 3 PM.
- Short game areas are closed.
- Small putting green on the south end is closed.
- The small putting green and short game areas will open in early January.
- The practice putting green at the first hole of the East course will also be available ONLY for warm-up practice putting for those playing golf on the East course.
- Practice off mats only - mats will take some time to firm up through natural activity, rain and sun.
- We will keep the hitting mats and CoverShots in the staging area for those that would like to use them in the later afternoons.
- Proper dress code for practice areas required, including shirts tucked in.
Comfort Station
- The new comfort station located between the 10th tee and 15th tee WILL NOT be open on Monday, but will be soon. Construction of the building is ready, but specific plumbing valves required by Seacoast for connection to sewer lines are delayed in shipping. With that, we have no water or sewer yet, so that building will remain locked until those valves arrive and are installed.
Toptracer
- We are excited to bring you the Toptracer Range. You received an informative email on Saturday with an interactive video explaining how to use it. The most important thing to do is to download the app prior to arrival. Once on the south tee, you will open the Toptracer app and locate your position. If you plan to use this cool feature, I would recommend reading through our email.
Exciting times. Enjoy.
Jeff Fitzherbert
Director of Golf
561.625.5750
[email protected]
progress report 16
Dear Members,
We would like to wish you and your families a very happy and healthy holiday season. It is so great to see many of you enjoying the new Practice Grounds and East course. Both have received very good reviews since opening on Monday. The comments on the golf course from a broad scale of golfers has been extremely positive. The most common comment thus far is that the course gives you better options to advance your ball onto the greens. This truly is a course with a lot of character and so enjoyable to play. A huge thank you to everyone involved in the project, including Chris Cochran, Senior Design Associate of Nicklaus Design for his incredible vision to bring this course back to one the best in Florida.
Guest Play On East
We said we would possibly reconsider allowing guests to play the course after evaluating course usage. The course has been moderately busy during the first few days with many open tee times. With that, we have decided to allow guests only accompanied by a Member. This will go into effect on Friday, December 23. There will still be a limited amount of players that can play the East course, but this will alleviate some compaction on the other two courses and help a bit with tee times. Normal guest restrictions apply. If requesting to play the East course, please let us know if you intend to 9 or 18 holes by making a note in the ForeTees system.
Please make sure to care for the course by filling all divots, fixing your pitch marks on the greens and raking bunkers after use.
Comfort Station update
We have added a portalet at the restroom on 10/15 as we are awaiting a firm date for power install and running water. We will supply bottled water, fruit and snacks at this location during this time.
Golf Rules and Dress Code
Please make sure your families are aware of certain golf rules and dress code.
Course Rating
The new ratings are in the GHIN system. You will see they are similar in many cases when comparing old to new. Some went down slightly while others went up slightly. Remember to look at the yardages of each tee to see which one suits your game. We added three combo tees for the men and two for the women, giving us plenty of yardage options. As for the ratings, a huge positive is that the rating stayed pretty close to the former. This is a testament to all involved to make this course playable, while maintaining the toughness of a true championship course.
If you play a round of golf, whether it is 9 or 18 holes, you should post your score. If you intend to play a non-postable round by definition, please let the starter know prior to play. If you play the full 18 holes, you should post concurrent 9-hole scores using the back nine rating.
Practice Grounds Hours
We will continue with our hours of operations 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on the practice grounds. It is currently taking us close to three hours to pick the floor of the range each day, so this gives us just enough time to clean up before sunset. We will leave the net in the circle for those wanting to use after hours.
Please know that hitting from in front of the mats is prohibited. Also, tees goes directly into mats.
Toptracer
Many of you have been enjoying the new Toptracer technology, located on the south tee. Some Members are having an easier time connecting than others as well as locating themselves on the app. On the connectivity portion, if you have not rebooted your phone in a while, please do so prior to opening the app. Please turn on your location services on your mobile device. Also, make sure you have a good connection to the wifi once on the tee-line. On locating yourself on the tee, it is important that you find out where you are on the tee-line by hitting a shot with a wedge and watching your ball flight and quickly looking back at your phone to determine that it was you that hit the shot. In some cases, you may need two shots. Couple of tips here: 1) If a section of the tee-line is crowded, consider moving to an area with less activity. 2) Enlarge the screen on your phone so the numbers in the bubbles are easier to see. Toptracer is also working on some features in their warm up section of the app and has caused some intermittent connectivity issues to this feature. We are well aware as is Toptracer and soon we will be fully operational. There are also other features coming soon, like long drive and closest to the pin. The “My Practice” feature has been popular thus far and received many great comments. Like any new technology, the more you use it the better you get at it. We will continue to provide as much help as we can with the presence of our Professionals and other team members.
Exciting times… Enjoy your families, the holidays and your golf.
We would like to wish you and your families a very happy and healthy holiday season. It is so great to see many of you enjoying the new Practice Grounds and East course. Both have received very good reviews since opening on Monday. The comments on the golf course from a broad scale of golfers has been extremely positive. The most common comment thus far is that the course gives you better options to advance your ball onto the greens. This truly is a course with a lot of character and so enjoyable to play. A huge thank you to everyone involved in the project, including Chris Cochran, Senior Design Associate of Nicklaus Design for his incredible vision to bring this course back to one the best in Florida.
Guest Play On East
We said we would possibly reconsider allowing guests to play the course after evaluating course usage. The course has been moderately busy during the first few days with many open tee times. With that, we have decided to allow guests only accompanied by a Member. This will go into effect on Friday, December 23. There will still be a limited amount of players that can play the East course, but this will alleviate some compaction on the other two courses and help a bit with tee times. Normal guest restrictions apply. If requesting to play the East course, please let us know if you intend to 9 or 18 holes by making a note in the ForeTees system.
Please make sure to care for the course by filling all divots, fixing your pitch marks on the greens and raking bunkers after use.
Comfort Station update
We have added a portalet at the restroom on 10/15 as we are awaiting a firm date for power install and running water. We will supply bottled water, fruit and snacks at this location during this time.
Golf Rules and Dress Code
Please make sure your families are aware of certain golf rules and dress code.
- No golf carts to be given out to non-golfers.
- Only two people allowed in a golf cart.
- Proper dress is required for golf course and practice grounds.
- Men: Tucked-in collared shirt for men, and hats on forward. No athletic shorts.
- Women: Shirts with sleeves or collar. Must have one or the other.
Course Rating
The new ratings are in the GHIN system. You will see they are similar in many cases when comparing old to new. Some went down slightly while others went up slightly. Remember to look at the yardages of each tee to see which one suits your game. We added three combo tees for the men and two for the women, giving us plenty of yardage options. As for the ratings, a huge positive is that the rating stayed pretty close to the former. This is a testament to all involved to make this course playable, while maintaining the toughness of a true championship course.
If you play a round of golf, whether it is 9 or 18 holes, you should post your score. If you intend to play a non-postable round by definition, please let the starter know prior to play. If you play the full 18 holes, you should post concurrent 9-hole scores using the back nine rating.
Practice Grounds Hours
We will continue with our hours of operations 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on the practice grounds. It is currently taking us close to three hours to pick the floor of the range each day, so this gives us just enough time to clean up before sunset. We will leave the net in the circle for those wanting to use after hours.
Please know that hitting from in front of the mats is prohibited. Also, tees goes directly into mats.
Toptracer
Many of you have been enjoying the new Toptracer technology, located on the south tee. Some Members are having an easier time connecting than others as well as locating themselves on the app. On the connectivity portion, if you have not rebooted your phone in a while, please do so prior to opening the app. Please turn on your location services on your mobile device. Also, make sure you have a good connection to the wifi once on the tee-line. On locating yourself on the tee, it is important that you find out where you are on the tee-line by hitting a shot with a wedge and watching your ball flight and quickly looking back at your phone to determine that it was you that hit the shot. In some cases, you may need two shots. Couple of tips here: 1) If a section of the tee-line is crowded, consider moving to an area with less activity. 2) Enlarge the screen on your phone so the numbers in the bubbles are easier to see. Toptracer is also working on some features in their warm up section of the app and has caused some intermittent connectivity issues to this feature. We are well aware as is Toptracer and soon we will be fully operational. There are also other features coming soon, like long drive and closest to the pin. The “My Practice” feature has been popular thus far and received many great comments. Like any new technology, the more you use it the better you get at it. We will continue to provide as much help as we can with the presence of our Professionals and other team members.
Exciting times… Enjoy your families, the holidays and your golf.
Progresss report 17
12.30.2022
Golf Projects
We are all glad to hear so many of you are enjoying the new practice grounds. As it continues to grow-in, it will just get better and better.
We are targeting January 6th as our opening of the new short game area, which includes the large putting course/green and five chipping and pitching greens. As with other newly opened spaces, you will see areas on the greens that need to grow-in, but 90% of the surfaces will be ready to play, and those edges that are thin, will fill in slowly over time. The longer grass greens surrounds are good, but keep in mind these are newly sodded areas, so it will take several months of growing and topdressing to get it really good, even and smooth.
We hope to have some positive news in the next couple of days from Seacoast in getting our new restroom open on the back nine. The delay has nothing to do with the bathroom, and everything to do with the sewer line that has been there forever. That is one of the issues we run into when the new construction adjoins with the old.
Golf Projects
We are all glad to hear so many of you are enjoying the new practice grounds. As it continues to grow-in, it will just get better and better.
We are targeting January 6th as our opening of the new short game area, which includes the large putting course/green and five chipping and pitching greens. As with other newly opened spaces, you will see areas on the greens that need to grow-in, but 90% of the surfaces will be ready to play, and those edges that are thin, will fill in slowly over time. The longer grass greens surrounds are good, but keep in mind these are newly sodded areas, so it will take several months of growing and topdressing to get it really good, even and smooth.
We hope to have some positive news in the next couple of days from Seacoast in getting our new restroom open on the back nine. The delay has nothing to do with the bathroom, and everything to do with the sewer line that has been there forever. That is one of the issues we run into when the new construction adjoins with the old.
Progress report 18
1.6.2023
We opened the Short Game area of the Practice Grounds (most of it)! That’s a big deal. It isn’t 100%, let’s say 85%, but it is useable and you’ll enjoy it. As the CEO, I am to set goals and expectations for the Club. So with this new addition to the Practice Grounds, I expect everyone’s handicap to drop by two shots over the next month! You are all going to become short game experts. Let me tell you a bit about it.
The new Short Game area encompasses four acres of putting, chipping and pitching. The key feature is the 25,000 sq. ft. Putting Course. If you have a difficult time hitting a particular shaped putt, you can practice it on this green. Rights, lefts, ups and downs, it has it all. Take on your spouse on the 18-hole Putting Course, or just practice in peace, plenty of space for everyone.
The area also has five new chipping and pitching greens. They too should offer every opportunity to bump, flop, chip, pitch, sand and putt, up and down slopes and hit any and every short game shot you should experience on the course. Of the five new greens, we opened four of them today. We left one closed as the shade from a nearby oak tree has proven it difficult to grow grass in one corner and will soon be moved. That green will open not too long afterward.
When on the greens, you will see edges and slopes that are still growing-in, thin. The slopes are the slowest and last to grow-in as the conditions of growing grass vary on those slopes. The bulk of the greens are good though, so you’ll enjoy it. May we suggest walking around those thins areas, instead of walking through those thin areas.
Some other notes:
Our next goal in the opening of the new Practice Grounds is moving you onto the turf, which we look to do by the end of January, with continued good weather. The final piece will then be the '71 Learning Center.
We hope you are enjoying all the new Practice Grounds has to offer.
We opened the Short Game area of the Practice Grounds (most of it)! That’s a big deal. It isn’t 100%, let’s say 85%, but it is useable and you’ll enjoy it. As the CEO, I am to set goals and expectations for the Club. So with this new addition to the Practice Grounds, I expect everyone’s handicap to drop by two shots over the next month! You are all going to become short game experts. Let me tell you a bit about it.
The new Short Game area encompasses four acres of putting, chipping and pitching. The key feature is the 25,000 sq. ft. Putting Course. If you have a difficult time hitting a particular shaped putt, you can practice it on this green. Rights, lefts, ups and downs, it has it all. Take on your spouse on the 18-hole Putting Course, or just practice in peace, plenty of space for everyone.
The area also has five new chipping and pitching greens. They too should offer every opportunity to bump, flop, chip, pitch, sand and putt, up and down slopes and hit any and every short game shot you should experience on the course. Of the five new greens, we opened four of them today. We left one closed as the shade from a nearby oak tree has proven it difficult to grow grass in one corner and will soon be moved. That green will open not too long afterward.
When on the greens, you will see edges and slopes that are still growing-in, thin. The slopes are the slowest and last to grow-in as the conditions of growing grass vary on those slopes. The bulk of the greens are good though, so you’ll enjoy it. May we suggest walking around those thins areas, instead of walking through those thin areas.
Some other notes:
- The Putting Course will open at 7:30 am each morning, due to the complexity of daily set-up. If you have an early time, each course has a warm up putting green to dial in your feel before your round.
- The east side of the chipping area, nearest the first tee of the East course, is still growing-in. This area was seeded, rather than sodded. Please do not use this area. Keep your practice to the areas of solid grass.
- The clock needs a power source still, which will feed from the Learning Center area, where we have no power right now. So twice a day, our giant clock is accurate.
- Over time, we will grow out some longer grass areas around the greens so you can practice chipping out of the rough. Right now all is being maintained at a lower mowing height as we grow-in the area.
- In time, tees will be added so you can move around a small chipping/pitching course.
Our next goal in the opening of the new Practice Grounds is moving you onto the turf, which we look to do by the end of January, with continued good weather. The final piece will then be the '71 Learning Center.
We hope you are enjoying all the new Practice Grounds has to offer.
Progress report 19
1.18.2023
Golf Projects
We will extend the hours of operation at the Long Game area beginning this Friday, January 20th. The Long Game area will be open until dusk, except for Monday and Thursday, when it will close at 4:00 pm for mowing preparation.
We have set January 30th as our opening date of the front nine of the East Course, which will begin with our official Grand Opening Ceremony at 10:00 am followed by our inaugural golf event. More to come, as we will send a separate communication specific to that opening, expectations and other good information.
We will continue to be cart path only, at least through the end of April. We will continue to offer walking, pull carts, electric pull carts and caddies to help you get around.
Also starting January 30th, we will move you onto the grass teeing area on the Long Game area of the Practice Grounds, for at least four to five days a week. Given it is new turf, we will move you around a bit while the sod continues to heal and we grow new grass. Jeff and his team will communicate frequently on timing.
So with that, as of January 30th, we will have the full new Nicklaus Design BallenIsles Practice Grounds and East Golf Course open for play, fun and enjoyment. This is exciting, a wonderful addition to our Club and hopefully worth the displacement during construction. And while not timed as we had hoped, this project will finish on the member-approved budget. Thank you again for your support.
The '71 Learning Center will be the last piece of the Golf Projects additions. That construction continues to plow forward unhindered. This week you will see roof tiles, interior framing, doors and windows. Next week you should see a completed roof and fully stuccoed building. This project continues on time and on budget.
Finally, it is fun to see so many walking on the back nine of the East course. Jeff has rolled out some newly acquired electric pull carts. We also have a few more on the way and will continue to test before adding more. One item to keep in mind is while pulling your buggies, try to avoid rolling them over the tops of the greens. Normally, fully matured greens would not have much issue with a pull cart, but our newer greens are still “soft” and pull carts can leave markings/indentations on the greens. Work your way around the sides of the greens with the pull carts, please.
Golf Projects
We will extend the hours of operation at the Long Game area beginning this Friday, January 20th. The Long Game area will be open until dusk, except for Monday and Thursday, when it will close at 4:00 pm for mowing preparation.
We have set January 30th as our opening date of the front nine of the East Course, which will begin with our official Grand Opening Ceremony at 10:00 am followed by our inaugural golf event. More to come, as we will send a separate communication specific to that opening, expectations and other good information.
We will continue to be cart path only, at least through the end of April. We will continue to offer walking, pull carts, electric pull carts and caddies to help you get around.
Also starting January 30th, we will move you onto the grass teeing area on the Long Game area of the Practice Grounds, for at least four to five days a week. Given it is new turf, we will move you around a bit while the sod continues to heal and we grow new grass. Jeff and his team will communicate frequently on timing.
So with that, as of January 30th, we will have the full new Nicklaus Design BallenIsles Practice Grounds and East Golf Course open for play, fun and enjoyment. This is exciting, a wonderful addition to our Club and hopefully worth the displacement during construction. And while not timed as we had hoped, this project will finish on the member-approved budget. Thank you again for your support.
The '71 Learning Center will be the last piece of the Golf Projects additions. That construction continues to plow forward unhindered. This week you will see roof tiles, interior framing, doors and windows. Next week you should see a completed roof and fully stuccoed building. This project continues on time and on budget.
Finally, it is fun to see so many walking on the back nine of the East course. Jeff has rolled out some newly acquired electric pull carts. We also have a few more on the way and will continue to test before adding more. One item to keep in mind is while pulling your buggies, try to avoid rolling them over the tops of the greens. Normally, fully matured greens would not have much issue with a pull cart, but our newer greens are still “soft” and pull carts can leave markings/indentations on the greens. Work your way around the sides of the greens with the pull carts, please.
Progess report 20
1.28.2023
On Monday, we will open the front nine (F9) of the East course, giving us the full 18 holes of our newly updated championship course to enjoy. With play starting, we wanted to help set the expectation, as we did when we opened the back nine (B9) for play.
The basics are, the course will play as a new course and not as advanced as the B9 was when that opened. It will be cart path only. The greens will be very firm as you have experienced on the B9 as well. You will see several areas where the course is still growing-in and you will see some inconsistency from hole to hole, which we discuss more below. It’s 80% ready to go. If you play it with a smile on your face and enjoy it for the new design, you will enjoy your round. It’s really, really good by the way. Going to give you a lot of variety, fun, tough, but very playable. For example, when you play hole 4, your knees will knock. Just remember the center of that green is pretty much in the same location as the old center of the green. Just aim there and don’t look at everything else. (wink)
Below is a link to our traditional video overview that will show you the layout and talk strategy. As with the B9, you need to think about each shot on several holes. Like the B9, the F9 will draw some favorites, and not so, and we want that. We want a memorable course. We really won’t get the full appreciation of how good this course is until the greens settle and conditions are less “new.”
Walking will continue to be available albeit we expect a bit less than we see on the B9, as the F9 is simply a longer walk. We hope to see many of you take a cart on the F9 and walk the B9 to keep that healthy activity going, but it is of course up to you. For those who do walk the F9, we will have a shuttle getting you from hole 9 green to hole 10 tee.
On the F9, because of the late sprigging of several holes, we overseeded holes 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 with ryegrass in the fairways and some tees. Holes 4 and 6 are par 3 holes, so other than the tees, really shouldn’t have any effect on how the hole plays as the greens and surrounds are bermuda. Holes 1, 5, 7 and 9 fairways are really good in spots and just OK in spots. You will see patchy areas where the team is still working hard each day to get ryegrass to grow. Play around those areas and know they are unsightly but will go away over the next month. The ryegrass overseeded fairways are also going to play a bit different than the other all bermudagrass fairways. So holes 5, 7 and 9 fairways you will likely see conditions be just a bit softer, maybe less roll on your ball in the fairway, and grass in the roughs will definitely play a little different, longer.
The greens are good, not great, but good. Holes 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 are really good. They were sprigged early and should play generally consistent to the B9 greens. Holes 4, 5, 6, and 7 were the last in the group to be sprigged. Those will be pretty good in the center of the green, and then you will see the edges of the greens, especially on the slopes, where they are still filling in. Like you see on the short game practice greens and hole 18 when we opened. They aren’t pretty, but will fill in overtime and should not stop us for opening for play.
In some fairways, like hole 3, you will see various patches of grass that are off color where we sodded late to repair areas of washouts from heavy rains. Similar to what you experienced on hole 17 when we opened. Those areas should not impact your play, they just look off and we will continue to maintain those areas to smooth them out over time and that sod will come to life and color.
On the edges of the cart paths, you will see several rough patches, ruts, puddles and the like that we will clean up in the coming weeks. Remember that because we are still working hard to grow grass right up to Monday, we are still putting out a lot of water. When combined with the larger vehicles we have out daily doing trimming, mulching, laying pine straw and the like, those ruts and rough patches are inevitable. But again, temporary new course grow-in kind of stuff.
Keep in mind, we want the golf course to be perfect when we open it. So the picture I am painting may be more than needed, but I want our expectations to be aligned. What is left to get better, will get better in time.
So, if you haven't seen the video below from November, enjoy it as Jeff walks you through how to play the new holes and some of the changes you will experience. We plan to have updated drone video footage next week to accompany Jeff's tips and strategy on the front 9. We are proud of this new course.
The new bathroom on 10 should open next week after a successful review by Seacoast yesterday. Some minor adjustments to be done on Monday and then if a positive review by the Board of Health next Wednesday, we will be ready to open.
Exciting times. A month short of two years since Jack and Barbara Nicklaus joined us to celebrate the 50-year anniversary and we announced our plan. We hope you enjoy the new course and practice grounds as much as we have enjoyed creating it.
On Monday, we will open the front nine (F9) of the East course, giving us the full 18 holes of our newly updated championship course to enjoy. With play starting, we wanted to help set the expectation, as we did when we opened the back nine (B9) for play.
The basics are, the course will play as a new course and not as advanced as the B9 was when that opened. It will be cart path only. The greens will be very firm as you have experienced on the B9 as well. You will see several areas where the course is still growing-in and you will see some inconsistency from hole to hole, which we discuss more below. It’s 80% ready to go. If you play it with a smile on your face and enjoy it for the new design, you will enjoy your round. It’s really, really good by the way. Going to give you a lot of variety, fun, tough, but very playable. For example, when you play hole 4, your knees will knock. Just remember the center of that green is pretty much in the same location as the old center of the green. Just aim there and don’t look at everything else. (wink)
Below is a link to our traditional video overview that will show you the layout and talk strategy. As with the B9, you need to think about each shot on several holes. Like the B9, the F9 will draw some favorites, and not so, and we want that. We want a memorable course. We really won’t get the full appreciation of how good this course is until the greens settle and conditions are less “new.”
Walking will continue to be available albeit we expect a bit less than we see on the B9, as the F9 is simply a longer walk. We hope to see many of you take a cart on the F9 and walk the B9 to keep that healthy activity going, but it is of course up to you. For those who do walk the F9, we will have a shuttle getting you from hole 9 green to hole 10 tee.
On the F9, because of the late sprigging of several holes, we overseeded holes 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 with ryegrass in the fairways and some tees. Holes 4 and 6 are par 3 holes, so other than the tees, really shouldn’t have any effect on how the hole plays as the greens and surrounds are bermuda. Holes 1, 5, 7 and 9 fairways are really good in spots and just OK in spots. You will see patchy areas where the team is still working hard each day to get ryegrass to grow. Play around those areas and know they are unsightly but will go away over the next month. The ryegrass overseeded fairways are also going to play a bit different than the other all bermudagrass fairways. So holes 5, 7 and 9 fairways you will likely see conditions be just a bit softer, maybe less roll on your ball in the fairway, and grass in the roughs will definitely play a little different, longer.
The greens are good, not great, but good. Holes 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 are really good. They were sprigged early and should play generally consistent to the B9 greens. Holes 4, 5, 6, and 7 were the last in the group to be sprigged. Those will be pretty good in the center of the green, and then you will see the edges of the greens, especially on the slopes, where they are still filling in. Like you see on the short game practice greens and hole 18 when we opened. They aren’t pretty, but will fill in overtime and should not stop us for opening for play.
In some fairways, like hole 3, you will see various patches of grass that are off color where we sodded late to repair areas of washouts from heavy rains. Similar to what you experienced on hole 17 when we opened. Those areas should not impact your play, they just look off and we will continue to maintain those areas to smooth them out over time and that sod will come to life and color.
On the edges of the cart paths, you will see several rough patches, ruts, puddles and the like that we will clean up in the coming weeks. Remember that because we are still working hard to grow grass right up to Monday, we are still putting out a lot of water. When combined with the larger vehicles we have out daily doing trimming, mulching, laying pine straw and the like, those ruts and rough patches are inevitable. But again, temporary new course grow-in kind of stuff.
Keep in mind, we want the golf course to be perfect when we open it. So the picture I am painting may be more than needed, but I want our expectations to be aligned. What is left to get better, will get better in time.
So, if you haven't seen the video below from November, enjoy it as Jeff walks you through how to play the new holes and some of the changes you will experience. We plan to have updated drone video footage next week to accompany Jeff's tips and strategy on the front 9. We are proud of this new course.
The new bathroom on 10 should open next week after a successful review by Seacoast yesterday. Some minor adjustments to be done on Monday and then if a positive review by the Board of Health next Wednesday, we will be ready to open.
Exciting times. A month short of two years since Jack and Barbara Nicklaus joined us to celebrate the 50-year anniversary and we announced our plan. We hope you enjoy the new course and practice grounds as much as we have enjoyed creating it.
progress report 21
1.30.2023
Grand Opening East Course
Grand Opening East Course
Progess report 21
3.23.2023
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the '71 Learning Center this morning. The facility is officially open for business!
Wanted to let everyone know that we will continue to have bagels, donuts and danish available throughout the day. If you would like to stop by and see the new facility.
The BallenIsles food trailer is also open today in its new home located at the ’71 Learning Center and is serving tacos and hot dogs for today and starting its full chef-inspired street food tomorrow.
You can buy a sandwich, golf balls, or beer, book a lesson or a fitting, try out some new putters, or simply hang out and talk to the Pro. Stop by and enjoy yourself and thank you once again to anyone and everyone who had anything to do with the opening of our great new facility.
Reporting live from the greatest golf practice grounds in the history of the universe.
Ryan Walls
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the '71 Learning Center this morning. The facility is officially open for business!
Wanted to let everyone know that we will continue to have bagels, donuts and danish available throughout the day. If you would like to stop by and see the new facility.
The BallenIsles food trailer is also open today in its new home located at the ’71 Learning Center and is serving tacos and hot dogs for today and starting its full chef-inspired street food tomorrow.
You can buy a sandwich, golf balls, or beer, book a lesson or a fitting, try out some new putters, or simply hang out and talk to the Pro. Stop by and enjoy yourself and thank you once again to anyone and everyone who had anything to do with the opening of our great new facility.
Reporting live from the greatest golf practice grounds in the history of the universe.
Ryan Walls
BallenIsles Country Club
100 BallenIsles Circle
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
Phone: 561.622.0220
Fax: 561.626.3941
ballenisles.org | [email protected]
100 BallenIsles Circle
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
Phone: 561.622.0220
Fax: 561.626.3941
ballenisles.org | [email protected]