Golf course construction on track despite rains

With the recent rains, you may be wondering whether the team at King Collins Golf Course Design has been able to continue their renovation of the Overton Park golf course on schedule. We checked in with them for an update on what you can expect to see happening on the course over the next few weeks.

Despite the mud, work is ahead of schedule on the project. Winterberry Irrigation LLC is burying irrigation lines around the course, after which they test and flush each line. Passersby can expect to see what look like large hoses sticking out of the ground and gushing water. After the line test, the crew cuts off the water, caps the line, and then moves to the next pipe or golf hole. They expect to complete this work in two to three weeks.

Following irrigation testing, the next step will be to populate the course with a variety of grasses. Buy Sod Farms will begin with several native grass areas, then continue to sprigging the fairways and greens. This process involves loading small bits of grass (Bermuda for the fairways, Mini Verde for the greens) into a machine with a hopper that feeds the grass sprigs along the ground. The machine’s blades cut the earth and push the sprigs in.

After sprigging, the fairways and greens will be irrigated, which pushes the earth back together, helps secure the sprigs, and provides them the proper medium for growth. This computer-controlled irrigation will look dramatic but is a normal part of the process. Keeping the grass damp for a period of time encourages it to grow quickly. Weather permitting, the sprigging process should take about a week to complete 30 acres. Look for this sometime in April.

Following this process, we will sit back and watch the grass grow for about four months, after which it will be established enough to support play. We ask for everyone’s patience in allowing the grass to grow—we know it will be hard to wait to play this exciting course, but it will be worth it!