Practice green prepped for a welcome facelift

Practice green looking west, where lower portion has been raised.

As the restoration of Savannah Harbor’s greens advances into Week 5, the project is right on schedule. New irrigation has been installed, sod has been laid on the fringes, and new root zones have been prepared on 13 holes, and counting.

Course superintendent Lynn Childress reports there have been no significant glitches, delays or unusual circumstances – unless you count the discovery of a sizeable water moccasin, not far from the 7th tee box, which was summarily beheaded and disposed of. (That’s the headless serpent in the photo below, displayed by a member of the construction crew.)

If the weather continues to cooperate, sprigging of the new TifEagle grass on six holes could begin as early as next week.

Work also has begun on the practice green, where a big change is noteworthy. The west end of the green has been raised, thus eliminating the steep falloff that caused putts to trickle down toward the No. 1 tee box. Practice green users tended to shy away from holes cut in that area, preferring not to chase after errant 10-foot putts that turned into uphill 35-footers.

Moreover, there was no point hitting severely uphill putts during warmups since nowhere on the course are players confronted with similar circumstances.

“Now the entire green can be used,” says Childress. That means there will be less wear and tear on the entire practice surface since players can spread out and use all the available hole locations.

A pristine practice green that truly reflects what golfers will find on the course sets the tone for every round. It also makes a favorable impression on visitors, including those attending the frequent weddings at Savannah Harbor. Those folks are important, since weddings are a major contributor to the facility’s bottom line. And a healthy bottom line means – theoretically, at least – there should be plenty of money available for course maintenance.

Workers tossing sod for the collar at the second hole. The greens resoration process is labor intensive.

Looking back toward the tee at the third hole. After touch-up grading and a few more days of compaction caused by watering, the putting surface will be ready for sprigging.