Oak Park

[Dirty Dave]

I don't mind helping out if its not to late in the day. After league on Sunday would suck during the winter.

[Schoen-hopper]

Ben Wiggins said he could get a truck. More would help, but that's a start.

We are basically talking about putting down chips in the wooded areas where they won't blow away or any muddy areas and also digging around some tees to put some flagstone or "pavers" in to help with erosion/ growing grass. Having the truck(s) to transport materials is the biggest help. Big scoop shovels, square shovels, and leaf rakes are the next thing. And people to help, of course.

When can people help? This weekend is Colwich work weekend. Next weekend is Wellington Food Drive on Saturday, but I'm going to be running league anyway, so it would work for me after league at HH to go to Oak. Monkey Island on the 14th, but nothing on the 15th. Nothing scheduled the week after that.

[Schoen-hopper]

The plan is for this coming Thursday. Starting at 4:00pm. Don't know if we'll have chips by then. We may try to work on that over the weekend. The idea for Thursday is getting a couple of tees taken care of. We'll be planting some stone and a grid for trying to help with growing grass to battle the erosion... on a couple of tees. Please come if you can.

I'll post back on the chips. We'll need people, shovels (bigger the better), rakes, and some pickup trucks to get this done. Focus will be on the wooded tees and trails.

[Schoen-hopper]

There was a mix up and this got switched to Wednesday, tomorrow, at 4pm. I got to check with Josh Hull & Ben Wiggins to make sure this will work. Chips should be delivered by this weekend.

[Schoen-hopper]

I think the Parks Dept will be working with Josh some time this afternoon on a couple of tees. Not sure if we'll have chips out there today. May schedule a workday for that this weekend. We may have material to do more tees though, so if you want to help, come on out. I'll be out there around 4pm.

[Ring]

You guys are doing a great job
keep up the good work

[Schoen-hopper]

Josh, Buddy, & I put that flagstone in on tees 6 long & 16 short. Looks great, enjoy.

Also, put in 8 "pavers" (12" x 18" plastic honeycomb grids that should help with soil retention & growing grass) in on tee 2 short and covered with soil and seed.

Plan is for the Parks Dept. to drop off 50 more of these and a load of good chips before the weekend. We'll do about 7 tees with these. Pretty much the ones with erosion problems that are not in the woods. Mostly the "old nine" holes. And we'll sling the chips in the wooded areas: 1's pin, 2's long tee & trail, 2's pin, 3's long tee & trail, all around 5's tees and trails. We'll need trucks and shovels and people. Plan on working after league on Saturday and perhaps again after league on Sunday if needed.

[Schoen-hopper]

I got wrangled (or is it strangled?) into working Saturday. All day.

That means I need someone to run league Saturday. Anyone interested please contact me. 612-7896. If you call on Saturday, I'll be at work. PM me if you want my work number.

I also won't be able to organize the work day Saturday. Josh said something like he could work out at Oak before league at HH, but not after. I told lots of people we would be doing work on Saturday around 1pm and after, so if anyone can work, here's what needs done.

There will be 50 pavers delivered. Green plastic honeycomb. On the tees with heavy wear (like 1 long, 3 short, 4 short, 5 long, 17 short, 18 short come to mind), these things should be buried below the soil about 1 inch below flush with the tee pad. Chop up all the dirt clods and fill these in with dirt up to grade. Josh will seed them and maybe even throw some top soil on them.

For the chips, need them on wooded holes 1through 7. Anywhere there is bare dirt. As a general rule, at least 1 pickup load full of chips per hole. Thicker is better, espescially areas like 2's green, the trails for 2, 3, & 5, and around 5's long pad.

Obviously need trucks and shovels for this. Whatever isn't done Saturday, we'll do after league on Sunday.

[Schoen-hopper]

Wow, huge help today working on the course. We threw all the dirt & chips on the course in no time. Most of the pavers were installed, but about 25 or so left. We buried those on 1 short, 3 short, 4 short, & 17 short. 5 long & 18 short could still be done, perhaps others. I hid the pavers behind a tree in the woods on hole 5. Josh will throw down some seed. Perhaps we'll get more dirt and go over it again.

Kelly Parsons put in limestone on the back of tee 7. That was cool. Perhaps more of that in the future.

I'll request more dirt and many more chips to be delivered. Looks like we'll have no problem getting them on the course. Perhaps next Thurs. or Sunday we could do this again. Thanks everyone.

[disclizard]

Played Oak saturday . Picked up about 20 cans before i ran out of room in my bag. Only got to pick up over 6 holes. Mostly natty light and Miller LITE cans. Yall need to pack out your cans you bring the courses look like crap all the time. Brought a bag to herman sunday.

All though the course is full of trash the work you guys are doing looks great. I think the pavers are the way to go . grass seed isn't going to help with the traffic we get out there even with the honey comb laid down. JMHO

[Schoen-hopper]

The pavers ARE the plastic honeycomb. And yes, I believe it may be an exercise in futility. They may help some. Just shaking up the dirt and seeding will help some. I think we may be putting these in too deep to do much good.

The main benefit from this however, is that the Parks Department will directly know how much work we've put in. They'll evaluate how it's working. There is even some talk of them putting in Bermuda plugs. The did throw some dirt on the course for us. And check out the new drop zone pad on 18! We are building a working relationship with them that will result in a better course for us.

[disclizard]

Yes the drop zone pad is way cool . to bad I didn't see it till after I threw across and hit the edge and took my drop at that spot.lol ok as far as the pavers i thought you were talking about the stone at the end of the pad on 16. way cool and just about every short pad and most long pads on the old nine could use them . The old nine gets used so much that i really doubt any grass is going to work. Why don't we sugest to the city (parks department) that we would like to save them money and have the stone put in right away. Save the money wasted on the honeycombs and dirt and grass seed. save that stuff for the new nine and go strait to stone on the old. with the economy why waste money when its not needed. they are throwing enough money away repaving a perfectly good parking lot at herman already.lol

[Schoen-hopper]

That's the whole issue: money. The parks department will be taking a huge cut in 2009 and a way bigger one in 2010. That flagstone they gave us that we used on 6 & 16 was all they had. We want to put a limestone retaining wall near 17's pin and possibly a couple other locations, but we don't have any stone. Railroad ties or anything else wouldn't be allowed.

If anybody can come up with something we could use, bring it on. Josh was saying even broken up concrete would work. Probably the best (worst) example of people wearing away the grass would be hole 1 long.

[Schoen-hopper]

I talked to the Parks Dept again. After seeing the success of our last workday and the need for more dirt & chips, I asked them to bring more. They said they'd get more dirt and twice as many chips delivered by Thursday. We still have the honeycomb pavers, which I hid by a tree near 5's green. City has an unlimited supply of those, but I don't think we need many more.

Plan is this: anyone who has a truck and shovels can help whenever. We want to do basically the same thing we started last Sunday. If I can, I'll show up early Thursday before league and work on this. Bring shovels & pickups if you can come early. Maybe we can get together on Sunday again and finish the project?

*On the pavers, we want to bury these only an inch below tee level on the holes with erosion problems (no grass growing & bare dirt). Partial shade to full sun areas. Anywhere there is even the remotest chance of getting any grass to grow. Even if it gets killed, the roots and the honeycomb will help keep the soil in place. Growing grass will be a battle, but if we don't fight it, we'll lose more ground.

*Dirt. Let's drive over the course and find the tees with some low spots in front or behind. Like those tees on the back nine where woodchips are useless because they will just blow away. Perhaps basket locations on hillsides like 12 & 15 could use some dirt. And lets save some to sprikle over the paver locations after we seed all of them (still to be done, though we do have grass seed in our possession).

*Woodchips. Let's go THICK with them on holes 1 through 7. Wooded tees, paths, pins, anywhere there is bare dirt. #18's basket and the practice basket could use some too, though they don't last in those locations.

Thanks for all the help making the place look nice.

[mrsenortyler]

These pavers seem pretty cool. They can withstand heavy foot traffic (even light vehicular from what I have read) without really compacting the soil. Now I am just trying to think of somewhere where I can put some.