XGD Systems

Making An Impact With XGD Fairway Drainage

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:01:00 +0000

XGD has been very fortunate to get a winter project on the fairways at the highly acclaimed Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas. Initially, they signed on for over 20,000 lineal feet of XGD fairway drainage. After we got one partial hole completed in December, the club has significantly increased the scope of work, and we have had to mobilize more staff to the project.

XGD Projects Manager Matt Magarian has been on site and with his new iphone, I have been pestering him for more telling pictures and video of our unique subsurface internal drainage process, and he has come through with flying colours, as can be seen by the following picture exhibiting the striking difference between a drained fairway area and an undrained area:

If you look closely on the right half of the picture you can see the XGD fairway drainage laterals terminating just short to the middle of the picture.
The dark colour of the zoysiagrass fairway on the left exhibits how wet they truly are, as the gravitational groundwater table is right at the surface. Also, notice Matt terminated the XGD laterals at the base of the slope, as initially we went after the wettest areas of these fairways. Yet, even after a heavy precipitation event, the surface water may have runoff the top of the slope, but the groundwater sure has not.

Over the holidays the management staff and owner of the Alotian Club, drove out on the fairways with golf carts after a 2" rain event. As evidenced above on this hole, they could only drive on the areas where Matt had drained, and couldn't drive on some of the normally higher ground areas, as the water table was at the surface. Hence, the proof was in the pudding so to speak, and their desire to have more consistent playing conditions drove them to increase the scope of work.

One final note, one flaw of zoysiagrass might be that once it gets wet it is highly unmanageable as compared to most other warm and even cool season grasses, especially so during dormancy, as is the case during our project at Alotian. Matt's photo certainly illustrates the impact our XGD fairway drainage can have, so please feel free to contact us or the Alotian Club if you desire some of the finest turf conditions at your club or sports field. For more information, on the specific spacing and techniques used at Alotian please review my December blog on XGD Fairway Drainage Results which details the specifications we used at Alotian.

Over and Out, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

The Longue Vue Club EXisting Greens Drainage

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:42:00 +0000

I wanted to show a few pictures of this grand old club in the Pittsburgh area, The Longue Vue Club . This sleeper of a club also boasts one of the golf worlds top 10 clubhouses, for those that are in to that kind of thing. Most of my readers are in to golf course architecture, and this club boasts a virtually untouched(greens) A.W. Tillinghast gem:

The above pic shows a work in progress, but notice the mild berm/mounding around the back of the green which does continue around the entire left side. Several of these types of greens exist at Longue Vue which serve to cut off the surface water from the surrounding hilly terrain before it gets close to the greens surface. As well, the club has already installed interceptor drains inside the mounding to try and cut off the gravitational groundwater which is causing sidehill seepage on to the greens surface. But, that has not even proved to solve the entire problem, as the club has chosen to move forward with our internal, subsurface greens drainage system as the last step in their process to firm up their classic putting surfaces for the long term.

This finished pic above illustrates the walk down from the cart path where I took the pic. There is no berm or mounding encircling this green as the terrain behind is only rising 10', and not close to 100'. However, an interceptor drain is still needed here in the collar to prevent the subsurface groundwater from bleeding on to the greens surface between our XGD laterals.

So again, reach out to us as hundreds of other clubs have, to discuss a possible solution to your clubs drainage issues. And stay tuned as I show some more miraculous fairway drainage pictures where we have allowed clubs to provide premium playing conditions immediately after heavy precipitation events. Lets face it, for the sport of golf to continue sustainably, the ability to provide more playable golf days on the calendar will serve both public and private facilities well over the long term.

Bye for now, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

XGD Fairway Drainage Results

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:42:00 +0000

We received this video yesterday from superintendent Jim Colo from the ultra-exclusive Alotian Club near Little Rock, Arkansas. It is pretty well self explanatory:

Matt Magarian and his crew, just arrived here a few weeks ago after being frozen out up in Chicagoland. The fairways at Alotian are zoysia and that explains the dormant look. In these particular heavy clay soil conditions, we chose to use an 8' spacing for our 2" XGD laterals, installed at a minimum depth of 16", and back filled with a free draining sand percing at about 18"/hour, with sod lift and relay. The only thing left do at this point is to install some rodent guard protection at the outlet pipe to ensure the long term success of the drainage system.

This internal subsurface drainage system's main thrust is to remove the useless gravitational groundwater, which in turn lowers the groundwater table, allowing for movement of surface water into the subsoil and in to the soil between our laterals, and ultimately in to the XGD drainage lateral from the bottom up, not from the top down. This simple drainage theory allows us to return the sod over top of the XGD laterals, and we don't get caught up in impeding surface water flow, by reinstalling the sod folks, again, groundwater drainage is bottom up and not top down, despite what you may believe, or learned in turf school. I will quantify that statement by acknowledging that fairway drainage systems with solid pipe and surface inlets and/or catch basins installed in hollows or low spots is top down drainage. But, that has produced some of the problems they are experiencing at Alotian, and we have been contracted to supplement this type of "top down" drainage with our XGD System. We are also pulling out several catch basins, and perforating them and back filling around them with pea stone to alleviate the soggy conditions immediately around these basins, caused by the trapped groundwater.

Matt will be returning in the new year to complete the rest of this winter project, with the scope of work including over 20,000 lineal feet of 2" XGD, and some 4" interceptors and mainlines, with some catch basin repair and enhancement.

So please reach out to us so we might be able to help you bring your fairways up another notch, and help provide those firm, fast, sustainable turf conditions, that ultimately will require less inputs in the future.

Bye for now, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Installation Crew Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:46:00 +0000

Here it is today, December 12, and all six of our crews are still hard at it, although the end may be near for three of them any day now. Matt Magarian's Chicagoland crew has downsized and moved to The Alotian Club, near Little Rock, AR and they have been working on a fairly substantial fairway XGD project that will take them through the end of February:

These dormant Zoysiagrass fairways are a tough cut with the Miltona sod cutter, but as you can see the detail this sod cut provides is world class.
There is a great story behind this highly exclusive golf club built in 2004 by Little Rock billionaire Warren Stephens, and designed by Tom Fazio. The Alotian Club's name is derived from a group of wayfaring golfers, including Stephens, who set out to play the best courses in America. The trips became known as the "America's Lights Out Tour"(ALOT). Over time, members began calling themselves Alotians, hence the name of this golfing gem.

Mark Rowan's crews just finished most all of the greens at Elmwood Country Club and moved to Fenway GC, also in Westchester county, above NY. They may have hit a snag here though as the greens sod is proving too frozen to cut. The club has covered a few greens in anticipation of holding some heat in, and we will try again tomorrow morning. Both Elmwood CC and Fenway are both classic old A.W. Tillinghast tracks.

Jim Phelps and crew just put a ribbon on a six green/approach project on Long Island at North Hills Country Club , this club originally formed in 1927, and moved to their current location in 1961 when Robert Trent Jones built their new facility. Jim has since moved on with his crew this week to assist in finishing up at Fenway.

Finally, Tom Hundley and his crew are just about completing their internal subsurface greens drainage installation at Talbot Country Club on Maryland's eastern shore. As in most of the turfgrass business this past year, it has been a long and trying time to try and complete most all projects on time and in our usual precise manner. But, we couldn't be happier, as we have been able to service most all of our scheduled clients, save for some projects being pushed to the spring, which happens most years anyways.

Regards, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Late Season XGD

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:25:00 +0000

Matt Magarian and Jesus Bautista just wrapped up this five green project at River Forest Country Club in Elmhurst, IL in the western suburbs of Chicago:

Matt's other crew wrapped up at the Old Elm Club over the holiday weekend, and both crews are working hard at all the greens at Hinsdale GC trying to finish before the December freeze up.

Sort of in the mid Atlantic to Midwest Region XGD Crew supervisor Tom Hundley is putting a bow on the 9 greens in Pittsburgh at the Longue Vue Club, a real sleeper of a club designed by A.W.Tillinghast. Later this week he heads to Marylands Eastern Shore to begin greens at Talbot CC.

Up in the Northeast, Mark Rowan has been busy completing XGD fairway drainage projects at Hartford GC and Mount Kisco CC in upper Westchester county.Along with installing some internal subsurface greens drainage at Bedford Golf & Tennis Club, before beginning all the greens at Elmwood Country Club. Further east in the Hamptons, Jim Phelps and Trent Bartman tackled some greens at the The Maidstone Club and Noyac CC, before heading back west to the Queens area and beginning a project for the North Hills GC.

Now, as you can see we are trying to cover a lot of ground over the next few weeks here at XGD, and drop us a line if you might like to stop by some of our installs to get a first hand peak at our process to determine if our unique subsurface drainage operation might aid your facility in bringing your greens to the next level.

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Hinsdale Golf Club Classic XGD

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:39:00 +0000

Matt Magarian's Chicagoland XGD install crew led by Jesus Bautista recently began their 18 green/approach project at this historic old tract in the West suburbs about a week ago. This club originally broke ground in 1898 right beside their present location. Popular architect of his time, Herbert J. Tweedie, laid out the original 9 hole tract before the the last 9 holes emerged a few years later.

Interestingly enough, TDIGolf completed a bunker restoration here about five years ago with architect Billy Fuller and they look like they were just completed, a real testament to superintendent Bob Maibusch and his stellar staff. However, after two straight dreadful summers weather wise, Hinsdale GC was looking to take their old pushup greens to another level. This is when they contacted us, and several of our Chicagoland clients, to see if our internal subsurface greens drainage process might be the answer they were looking for. As you can see by the video below, taken just two hours after we left #1 greensite, that it appears at least the playability of the green after the non-invasive XGD surgery is no longer in question:

Once Matt's other crew finishes up their project at Old Elm, they will be joining up for a two crew assault on the 18 greens at Hinsdale after Thanksgiving.
So please reach out to us if you might want to stop by some of our installs taking place in your part of the world, as we presently have a crew in Pittsburgh and 3 crews in the NY Met area as well.

Regards, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Mount Kisco CC XGD Fairway Drainage Install

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:48:00 +0000

I took it upon myself to change it up on here today and focus your attention to an XGD Fairway Drainage Installation project at Mount Kisco Country Club in upper Westchester County in New York.
Please take the time to check out their site and their unique club history involving timing of original golf architect Tom Winton on 1928, and following up with a maintenance upgrade by A.W. Tillinghast in the late 1930's.

As is evidenced by the picture below the intensity of our process at an 8' drainage lateral spacing:

These internal subsurface 2" XGD fairway drainage installation will make a huge impact on the maintenance and playability of the golf fairway. With the above average rainfall occurrences over the last two years the club felt it was time to upgrade their fairway drainage infrastructure. The above XGD drainage laterals are tied in to mainlines and offer quick easy surface and subsurface characteristics for the XGD client on their problem fairways.
The backfill sand used in this project from DeLea Sod Farms is percing around 15-20"/hour, so with the narrow trench width above of 3.5 inches, the existing fairway grasses can grow over the trenches quickly, and provide drainage for this golf hole for the long term.

So reach out to us review your fairway drainage needs so we can complete your worst hole at your facility to show how the XGD process can aid in the golf playability and maintenance issues you may be experiencing with the weather extremes these past few years.

Thanks, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Wet Dirt Trench Profile

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:52:00 +0000

I was looking for some XGD projects pics on my phone and just came across this pic of an XGD trench profile above:

It certainly is one of the more interesting and telling photos of what happens when funds are not targeted in a long term greens improvement program.
There really is only about three inches of horrific layering going on in this greens profile.That light brown material beneath the layering is native, compacted clay that has not been amended in forever. The fact that there is significant turf tillers on the surface is a testament to the superintendent and an ability to manage with what he was given. Most definitely these types of soil profile conditions pose a long term agronomic challenge, and the fact they are beginning to amend with our internal subsurface greens drainage project is a huge leap forward in their greens management approach.

The blackness of the layering is probably the biggest issue. Both near the greens surface and above the original clay layer. Both of these black layers are essentially suffocating the turf roots, and allowing in little to no oxygen resulting in greens failure. Just by installing XGD, any facility is amending approximately 5% of their greens profile in a meaningful way, just by swapping out the above picture with a higher sand content greensmix backfill material suggested by XGD. That number is a quick and easy way of introducing life/oxygen in to your green's soil profile.

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Ridgemoor CC XGD Installation Update

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:36:00 +0000

If you can tell I am getting a little low on original material, than this picture may illustrate that much more positively. This picture of some internal subsurface greens drainage install is from a slightly higher angle them my previous post but it shows more of the green in total and as always catches the team in not always their best looking condition. I might say the picture is not unlike the hair style of a "mullet", all business up in the front of the green and ready for play, while the rear is long, wavy and prepared for nothing:

Some ominous looking weather in the background never materialized during my few hours spent on site at venerable,old Ridgemoor Country Club. As you can see above the green Jesus Bautista is working on is our XGD version of the herringbone drainage system. The only tool we may plagiarize from this archaic layout is the installation of the mainline in the lowest point through the green. Our laterals are not angled like a true herringbone typical in a USGA green construction, rather they are more perpendicular to subsurface groundwater flow, and therefore always working hard for each green's XGD investment.

Jesus and crew have the last three greens of a 10 green project left to complete this week for superintendent Peter Hahn, before they move on to other Chicagoland projects. So if you are curious in Chicago, and want to come out and take a look at one of our crews in action, it is as easy as picking up the phone, and letting us know when you would like to come out. Even bring some other members from your club with you. The more eyes we get on us, the easier it is sell our process to your club, and help guarantee the long term agronomic success of your treasured old putting surfaces.

Later,Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Chicagoland XGD

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:17:00 +0000

Just downloaded a few pics from my Chicago trip from a week ago and this first one is from Ridgemoor Country Club in West Chicago. This is a real sleeper of a classic old club maintained by Peter Hahn and Bob McCallum. We are completing the final 10 greens at this club, and this picture also captures some pretty serious weather that stayed to the North of us that day:

This crew is managed by Matt Magarian, and in the field by Jesus Bautista. Some of the greens at Ridgemoor lend themselves to thoughtful layouts and the one above is no different. Our internal greens drainage layout professionals were still able to achieve the direction of our XGD subsurface drainage laterals in a way perpendicular to the golf holes line of play and most importantly, perpendicular to the flow of subsurface groundwater and surface water flow. We complete these industry leading layouts wherever possible to provide all of our clients with lasting, impactful investment they can manage and accent over several years, not several months. Perhaps, that is the XGD Difference, we have been at it for 20 years, and will continue to provide cutting edge installation technologies to our customers.

This last picture is a little dirty looking, but indicative of what we leave a client,after completing in and around a few gully washers. But most noticeably, please review the fine 60:30:10 topdressing we are leaving at Exmoor Country Club near Highland Park,IL on Chicago's Northshore area:

I must say this sod was cut by our longest serving XGD Supervisor Cristobal Gayosso. You just cannot cut sod by hand any straighter than that, end of discussion. Cristobal has trained most all of our staff and has been with us nearly 10 years now. The above green is really in the process of drying out a little more before we attack it with some backpack blowers.

So contact us as we move around the country this fall and probably at club near you.We presently have the two crews in Chicago, another just began at Oak Hill CC, NY and the balance of the last three crews are in Hartford and Danbury,CT before they descend upon the Met and Long Island areas in November.

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Water in the Ditch

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:27:00 +0000

Gravitational groundwater that is. Yes, all water is not created equally. It can originate from all kinds of sources, and mostly when you least expect it. XGD Projects Manager took this shot last weekend from the Knollwood Club above Chicago in Lake Forest,IL:

This gorgeous facility is built on well over 200 acres in 1924 and designed by the world famous firm of Colt and Alison. It was renovated in 1973 by Lawrence Packard, before Keith Foster and TDIGolf completed a major bunker restoration a few years ago. One of the greenpad expansions is draining poorly as well, so that is in our scope this time as well as a complete green and the putting green shown above.

The property at Knollwood has gentle movement and rolls, and as such is prone to high water table conditions throughout the property, but when these types of high groundwater table conditions persist in a greens cavity, that is when XGD is called in to review if our internal subsurface greens drainage system might be the answer to the above mentioned issues. Many clubs across the continent are experiencing drainage issues in places they have never seen them before. After 2 years of above average rainfall events in many locales, groundwater problems will rear their ugly head and force clubs to review their issues with industry professionals like XGD Systems.

In closing, the picture above always re-enforces in my mind the root cause of most all drainage problems: high groundwater table issues, not the volume of the water Mother Nature is raining down on us, but more importantly, the groundwater pressure all of the rainfall creates. After all, that water has to percolate in to the ground somewhere, and that being the case, in these saturated conditions, may "percolate" to the surface in some undesirable locations, such as the putting green above.

Matt and his two crews are all about Chicagoland this fall, so reach out to us if you might want to view a patient "under the knife", or view several of our other crews stretching from the midwest to the northeast.

Bye for now, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Busy, Busy XGD Installation Window

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:42:00 +0000

It is always about our busiest time of year right now, but this year especially so with two years of extreme weather conditions wreaking agronomic havoc on fine putting surfaces everywhere. At this time we are also expanding out to six full XGD installation crews. These crews are fairly evenly spread from the upper northeast to the upper midwest, and one crew in the middle of each. So, the purpose of this blog is not only to inform where we are, and where we may be going, for XGD viewing opportunities for our potential clients, but to also inform all internally at TDI/XGD where we are as well. It has been fun, and challenging to keep track of before and after logistical issues that pop up from time to time.

I will lead with a shot of this just finished #12 green at Ridgeway Golf Club sent to me by Projects Manager Matt Magarian. The link above to Ridgeway GC ties in to golf course superintendent Steve Blake's turf blog.
Once Matt finished up in Neenah,WI on Saturday his double crew split for Chicagoland where he will begin with a few greens at Exmoor Country Club and Knollwood CC on the North side and begin the final 10 greens at Ridgemoor Country Club on the West side simultaneously.

Over in New England XGD Operations Manager Mark Rowan is wrapping up at Charles River CC and Manchester CC last week and will begin a greens drainage/fairway drainage project at Hartford Golf Club in CT. Still in eastern MA, XGD Project Manager Jim Phelps is wrapping up a few greens at Walpole Country Club, before heading to eastern CT to begin several greens at Richter Park Golf Course. Oh, and if that isn't enough XGD action for you XGD Supervisor Tom Hundley is completing the bunkers/greens drainage at Springvale GC in OH before heading to Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY to complete the final greens there in advance of the PGA Championship in 2013.

In finishing up I urge you to contact us if you might be interested in viewing some greens under the knife near you. If we know someone is coming out we can make sure it is set up to view all of the XGD operations in action at once.

Talk Soon, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Midland Hills Country Club,MN XGD Classic Drainage Install

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:15:00 +0000

I wanted to share a shorty video of one of our XGD Supervisors Jesus Bautista kicking out greens drainage sod production. A whole assortment of XGD installation events took place before Jesus got to this stage. It is all the previous preparatory work that occurred before this for Jesus to make this part of our install operation so easy. At first glance it appears he is slapping the sod back in to place, but to the trained eye he is being extremely efficient and conscientious towards our clients and giving them an extremely high quality product when Jesus leaves any green.

I also wanted to share some info on this client as we completed its #14th Punchbowl green as designed in 1920 by acclaimed golf architect Seth Raynor. While he was building another local club in St Paul, Somerset CC, he came over and signed on to build another set of fantastic greens for Midland Hills. They also have a very good club history insert on their website for those that are in to that at Midland Hills Country Club .

Matt Magarian and staff have several 2-4 green projects in the Twin Cities area over the next few weeks so please contact us directly if you are in the vicinity of Oak Ridge CC or MN Valley CC as we would love to have any and all over at these fine facilities to view an XGD green "under the knife". Matt and his two very large crews will then begin in earnest in the Chicagoland area to finish off their extremely busy XGD installation window. In Chicago please reach out to us at Bob O'Link GC on the Northshore, and Ridgemoor CC and Hinsdale GC on the west side. Thanks, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

The XGD Pipe Difference

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:55:00 +0000

I took these 2 cool XGD shots at Charles River CC, just outside of Boston. This classic old club has some true old, pushup greens exemplified by the soil profile shot below. The gravel type material near, and above the bottom of our mainline/smile trench at about 18" deep, is fascinating in that it was probably placed there about a 100 years ago for the subgrade of the initial greens construction. This layer was fairly constant at this depth across most of this old green.
Also, in the pic below, you can detect the skiff of sand/greensmix that we bed our drainage tile in. Before backfilling this tee/trench area, a heavy tamper will be placed on this section of pipe to ensure it is firmly placed in the bottom of the trench which will close the very slightly open perforations in the micro-slit tile:

This 50sand:20soil:20peat:10maturecompost mixture from AA Wills is percing in our desired XGD range at around 3"/hour. Choosing the proper backfill is ultra important to any successful internal subsurface greens drainage project. Across the country XGD Systems has preferred backfill suppliers that we know and trust, and can suggest for you.
This next picture illustrates that same pipe in its lateral position across this huge greens complex(8400sqft), created by the Donald of classic golf architecture himself Mr. Ross:

As one can see above, once we meticulously place each lateral pipe in its home above, and firmly hand tamp in to place there is no reason to believe that with XGD's installation methods why this installation shouldn't last for more than 25 years at the least?
After one of Mother Nature's natural flushes(heavy rain above 1"), these XGD laterals and mainlines flush themselves of any silts/fines that may or may not have been building up in an XGD conduit. Any that have been dug up by yours truly over the past 20 years have all been spectacularly clean. A testament to the unique design of this special product that is really now only used for greens/fairways and sportsfield underdrainage purposes.

These kinds of exacting installation techniques are what set XGD Systems apart from others trying to do the same thing. As you can tell at XGD, we have moved on and now it is all about the pipe, while others in this industry are still struggling with providing proper layouts. As some of our older clients switch back to XGD, it is not about the money, rather about the installation techniques,layouts,quality etc.

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Charles River Country Club XGD Install Final Phase

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:28:00 +0000

As we embark on our final phase of Classic XGD this week at Charles River Country Club in Newton,MA just outside of Boston, I was fortunate to come across these great two pictures that capture the essence of our greens/approach subsurface internal greens drainage installation at #2 green from our first 2 green install here about two years ago this week:

The above out and in shots exhibit what this classic old Donald Ross is aspiring to achieve, and that is a dry firm ground approach game even after significant precipitation events. Our greens drainage infrastructure upgrade provides Charles River CC players with a ground game option in the true old spirit of the game, to play a running up type of approach shot. Be sure to check out the above link to a great review of Charles River with lots of great pictures of this fantastic layout.

Our firm will miss this every late September, when we have been gearing up to mobilize to this Boston treasure. It has also been a pleasure to work with course superintendent Paul Blanusa and his great staff at Charles River. This progressive group of turf managers have been instrumental in maintaining our drainage process on their greens with extremely little visibility of the XGD laterals in stressful periods of time.

So stop on by Charles River CC over the next few weeks while we are in the Boston area, and myself and all our great staff would be happy to show you why many clubs are choosing the XGD difference.

Bye for now, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Why Choose XGD Systems For Your Next Golf Restoration Project?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:53:00 +0000

I know that the blog title is a mouthful, but I was reminded recently of the XGD Difference if you will. I mean let's all be real in the moment here and ask this question if you are a prospective client of ours, why not save a few pennies and opt for a different greens restoration contractor for your next golf green update?

If you keep reading I will attempt to show you why, and or win you over. In a few simple words, our huge number of experienced, precision, sodding experts is what "Sets Us Apart" from any other group trying to complete our stellar, precision services on golf greens across the continent. While the points/processes leading up to the final sod project are important, leaving the golf green or fairway in a more pristine condition than when we walked on it is our ultimate goal that we achieve on a daily basis.

Have a look at these precision sodding experts from our ongoing internal subsurface greens drainage installation at North Olmsted, OH, at the Springvale Golf Course, where we are completing a bunker/green restoration project to upgrade the infrastructure with golf architect Barry Serafin from Columbus and you may grasp why XGD is #1:

XGD Projects Manager Matt Magarian is on site here after a short hiatus with the parent firm TDIGolf, and we are happy to have him back in the fold for our crazy busy fall installation period in 2011. Not only are we thrilled to have Matt back but so will our Midwest XGD clients who have begun to rely on Matt's attentive install services. The above video also showcases the productivity in sod replacement that can be attained with a highly organized staff that we employ at XGD. The video shows that the sod cannot be brought to the XGD lateral fast enough for Jesus to lay it, while Jose is just busting it, trying to keep up with the sod placement for the install.

It is this type of attention to detail and production that have positioned XGD Systems as the industry leader in all facets of greens restoration.
So reach out to us here at XGD as we would entertain any type of discussion as to how our unique Precision Services may aid your facility in some way.

Best Regards, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Interlachen CC XGD Installation

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:26:00 +0000

Again, I was going through some old photos,videos and came across a great XGD video from our installation last October at the Donald Ross designed Interlachen CC in beautiful Edina,MN. Our parent firm TDIGolf completed a bunker restoration here about five years ago under the guidance of golf restoration specialist Brian Silva in preparation for the 63rd US Women's Open hosted at Interlachen. This video showcases one of our crews in action at this fantastic golf venue:

The highly acclaimed subsurface internal greens drainage installation here on their three worst greens has also spurred on several other clubs in the Minneapolis area to investigate our unique process further to see if it might be a fit at their respective facilities. Of course, a unique combination of heat and precipitation during this past summer has initiated this investigation of our all of our services as well, as we have also sent out several regrassing estimates to MN. These regrassing estimates have also been popular really across the entire country as clubs strive to preserve their most valuable asset, their original greenpads.

At XGD, we feel we can be a great partner with any club as they look to modernize their classic greenpads, through the use of our Classic XGD process, or in conjunction with a regrassing effort to update or change old turf species, to more climate tolerant varieties, be it in the north with poa to bent conversions or the southern regions, which may update their bermuda species with a modern mini-verde variety like XGD did for Trump International in West Palm Beach,FL.

So drop us a line, if we might be able to visit your facility, and provide some budget numbers for your next greens restoration.

Regards, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Springvale GC,OH Greens/Bunker Restoration Project

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:59:00 +0000

I wanted to update you all on our recent project start up for The City of North Olmsted, OH at Springvale Golf Course just southwest of Cleveland. After a summer of record rainfall and above average temperatures the municipality embarked on a greens/bunker/fwy drainage restoration with yours truly at XGD and overseen by golf course architect Barry Serafin .
Project scope includes the surgical installation of our subsurface internal greens drainage process in to most all of the greens at Springvale, bunker sand replacement and select bunker renovations, and with some new fairway drainage infrastructure to top it off.
Superintendent Phil Bova has been a pleasure to work with as well, and all parties with the city are thrilled to be getting a nice face lift for the golf facility, which will aim to keep it current and much more playable than other clubs in the area.

Below is a pic of XGD Project Supervisor Tom Hundley with the plans imparting some form of "dirt wisdom" to his attentive staff members:

The subsurface XGD install process is well underway with a real great staff completing about a green a day here. This whole golf course restoration is being completed with the course fully open for play, except for the specific XGD green we are installing on. Another challenge at Springvale is also nightly golf league play. XGD staff work closely with the golf course staff to ensure that we are possibly finishing up with a green between 4-6pm, and have that completed green immediately open for play as shown below on the sixth green, as the guys are "working the brooms', getting that final sand skiff buried in the golf green, and smoothing ball roll before opening this green for play in about 10 minutes time.

Also in the background of the above pic you can see some birdbath areas being topped up with the greens spoils from our XGD trenching operation. All the while providing sustainable conditions with few inputs, and leaving the dirt as close to the original site/footprint as possible, reusing it in a constructive manner. To this point, we find our XGD clients may use less chemical inputs to leave the greens in a playable manner than other non XGD pushup greens in the same climate.
Let's face it in the near future, less and less inputs to the course will be the blueprint to sustainable, affordable golf for generations to come.

Bye for now, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

The Glen View Club and some retro XGD

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:25:00 +0000

As is sometimes the case I was going over some classic pictures I have from some older installations of our internal subsurface greens drainage systems, and came across some nice pics from The Glen View Club in Golf,IL. Superintendent here Tony Frandria and crew perform a stellar job under unusually challenging situations(flooding). The club has a great few lines on the history of the club and let me highlight a few:
i) built in 1897
ii) hosted 1904 US Open
iii) 1922 redesign by William Flynn
The club converted the greens to bentgrass about 10 years ago or longer, and in my pics from spring 2007, you can see the loose look of the bunker faces, along with our precision install techniques:

I also dig the above shot on the trench profile, and you can see back in 07 Tony had a pretty good sand topdressing layer on his old push up greens, and I am sure he has probably poured on another inch over the last 4 seasons. This type of cultural practice is paramount to getting the "most bang for your buck" out of the XGD Systems investment. I always mention in my meetings the importance of these practices between our greens drainage laterals, and beyond the upper 4" of the greens rootzone. This really aids in the lateral groundwater movement to our XGD pipes. Other practices, such as drillnfill and deep tining help achieve this and aid in the soil oxygen balance, that XGD helps provide our clients.

So reach out to the team here at XGD Systems, and we would be glad to provide your club some numbers on our Classic XGD service, as well as our vast array of other golf restoration services we offer such as regrassing.

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

XGD Happenings

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:08:00 +0000

I wanted to keep all informed on some recent project developments here at XGD Systems:

Next week we begin on all the subsurface internal greens drainage, and a bunker restoration at Springvale Golf Course in North Olmsted, OH. This is our first project with golf course architect Barry Serafin out of Columbus,OH. I am heading down to the Cleveland area next week to help initiate the project and will have my camera at the ready to show some before and after shots of our progress here.
Both Mark Rowan and Matt Magarian will be on site on this project, and Mark will be breaking away after Labour Day to take care of some Northeast clients and begin in earnest on the last 8 greens/approaches at Charles River CC , just outside of downtown Boston during the latter part of September. Here is a video of one of the XGD crews in action last September at Charles River:

With the intolerable summer we are experiencing for most all of our clientele the Greens Drainage Hotline has been humming right along. I believe too that also stems as much from the back to back unreal summertime golf green conditions that Mother Nature has sent out across much of North America. So I ask that everyone try and be patient as the sales staff at XGD tries to get out to see you most each and every one of you. It is a shared passion at XGD, as we all have an admiration for old classic golf courses and hand-in-hand, old classic golf greens, that would be a total shame to rebuild.
So, I ask that if you are looking to complete a greens restoration, contact us here at XGD and we can begin the process by giving you some budget numbers on greens drainage/regrassing options for your facility.

Later, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Golf Members Are Expecting Firm,Fast Conditions After Torrential Rains

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:58:00 +0000

I have been taking a lot of calls recently on the title of this blog. Of course it speaks to golfer expectations, but now is the time to give them an answer on why the greens are not lightning fast after 9" of precipitation over a four day period, and the greens are still wet a week out?

Joe Member, our precious golf club has no internal, subsurface greens drainage to provide much needed insurance to our greens management program, to get our greens through July and August relatively unscathed.

In most normal weather event years, there is only a few more weeks left until September, and typically Mother Nature will provide relief to the high temperatures of the summer. But, the greens need to be nursed through these last 3 weeks or so, and more and more clubs are finding out that our unique subsurface greens drainage program can really aid them in doing so. By removing the damaging gravitational groundwater present in the hot,musty summertime soils we give your greens a fighting chance to reach September and begin a recovery of sorts, if need be.
So here is a few pics of one of our greens having been taken to the next level if you will with an XGD installation, what's next you say?
Probably a regrassing scenario to help fight ice damage?
These are pretty typical scenarios facing most golf clubs over the past two summers for sure.

As you can see, these true pushups suffered from minor winter damage, and were really hard to restore due to cool soil temperatures kept cooler without an internal drainage system to help keep the soil warmer faster in the spring and fall and help maintain cooler greens soil temperatures during the heat of summer as well.

So reach out to us at XGD, as we are probably installing, or just plain visiting your part of the world very soon.

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Toronto Golf Club Greens Drainage Follow Up

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:58:00 +0000

I must say my blog posts are becoming tough to slip in the time to pull off, so as I was looking for something to write about in this media one always looks to photos to 1) use as content for the blog itself or 2) stimulate blog topic ideas/content.

This look back at some pics from our install period at this historic golf layout by Harry S. Colt that is revered as one of the top golf clubs in North America. Toronto Golf Club is also the third oldest full 18 hole facility in NA.
XGD Systems was fortunate to drain all 18 greens here in the summer of 2009 as TDI Golf was performing a major links type restoration on this sandy soil site just off the shore of Lake Ontario. The pics below illustrate the inherent natural beauty that is around you all the time working on this timeless gem.

This picture shows the sod ready for lay back and the finely tuned sod bed prepared by this highly skilled Cdn XGD staff. Also, keep in mind we used this native spoils(dirt) you see above and below as the backfill material for the internal subsurface greens drainage system. While normally we would use a blended organic greensmix in most old soil clay soil based pushup greens across the entire world, at TGC the native sandy loam was perfect for our organic based XGD compaction procedures(heavy sweating involved).

This picture shows some our high precision XGD finish work on superintendent Al Schwemler's greens. All greens are open and highly playable immediately following a 2 day non-invasive surgical procedure by the install technicians of XGD Systems.
Favourable results are in on the greens at TGC, and they are performing admirably for the Toronto GC, and as in all XGD Classic Greens Drainage installations, will continue to do so for the better part of our lifetime at the minimum..

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Soil Temperature Control Utilizing XGD Systems

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:47:00 +0000

In the spring you may have noticed my blogs focusing on rapid soil temperature warm up through the use of internal subsurface greens drainage, which removed the cooling gravitational groundwater that inhibited early season turf growth.

Well, these days the opposite is occurring as we embark on some of the hottest temps of the golf season. If your pushup greens have no internal drainage, and you will be receiving heavy rain in conjunction with high air temperatures, then your soil temperatures are going to skyrocket. As in the spring, all that groundwater will only help aid in keeping the soil temps high. The only way to have a fighting chance is to somehow introduce oxygen in to the soil profile. Now, this can be achieved with venting or needle-tining right? Sure, that will help, but it doesn't get hot water out of your soil does it?

Our XGD process is not a panacea for reducing soil temps, but we feel it is one of the most important tools in a superintendent's arsenal. Especially so, if your greens soil gets pushed to field capacity after a heavy rain. In these scenarios, a very quick water table draw down occurs in about a half hour, as the gravitational groundwater is removed it is replaced with oxygen and gives the green a fighting chance. I have even heard one client call it a "huge sucking sound", as the greens soil now has a more optimal soil/air balance and the green can breathe once again.

As night time temperatures don't drop enough this summer to provide the proper soil cooling needed, insurance like XGD Systems, has given our clients the opportunity to sleep through the night and awake more refreshed knowing full well an internal greens drainage system will be working 24 hours a day to help provide a more balanced soil/water relationship for your pushup greens.

Lastly, I just wanted to remind all superintendents that the picture below isn't as far off as one would believe as night time temps begin to lower as we move in to the last few weeks of August. So hang in there, and reach out to us at XGD if we can help you sleep a little better during the dog days of summer.

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Hollywood GC Hosts 91st New Jersey State Golf Association Open Championship

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Here is a link to a great article describing the unique Hollywood Golf Club in Deal,NJ, and its hosting of the NJ Open during the week of July 11th: 91st New Jersey State Open Championship

As the article states XGD Systems has played a role in aiding superintendent Michael Broome provide the firmer, faster conditions the club has been desiring since it last hosted this event in 2006. Although we have only completed seven greens the club is looking to complete the balance of their greens over the next few seasons.

Also, next week XGD Regional Operations Manager Mark Rowan will be assisting the maintenance staff and volunteers helping out in anyway he can.

So please reach out to us if we might be able to help your club bring its green to the next level.

Regards, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer

Your Hired, Better Than "Your Fired" from the Donald

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Luckhardt@XGD) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:53:00 +0000

Check out this link from the Guelph Mercury form Saturday with some more behind the scenes action on Geoff Corlett's phone call with Donald Trump.

As the article mentions, the extreme lavishness of this club was a big player in its development. From minor details such as the plethora of on course waterfalls, to the landscaping, to the creek dissecting a few holes, to this course having the highest elevation changes/vistas in south Florida, you name it Trump International Golf Club pretty much has it all, and then some:

A fantastic entrance is critical to any club right?

The rear view is important as well. Here we were last Saturday checking final grades on the first green to be completed, the putting green. Adam Francis and Mark Rowan are checking critical finished grade points to aid in the final float of the greens surface and subsequent tie-ins to the secondary surfaces.

I would be remiss not to show a little landscaping sometimes evident here. Sure is pretty.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with the the staff at Trump International GC and superintendent Andrew Kjos to regrass this Jim Fazio marvel. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures from this gorgeous greens restoration project, and reach out to us see how easy it is for XGD Systems to get you your facility a budget number on greens regrassing or general restoration project you may be considering.

Cheers, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer