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Archives April 2007 Construction Update With the exception of a couple of weeks this winter and a very cold Masters weekend (temperatures in the teens!), Mother Nature has been very cooperative with the golf course construction during 2007. All major construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of April and the entire golf course should be grassed by the middle of May. Here is the status of the golf course renovation: Back Nine Tees - all seeded. Front Nine Tees - all should be seeded during April. Practice Facilities The new tees, target greens, and putting green have been rough shaped. The practice facilities should be finished and grassed by mid May. Grow-In & Opening Once all of the golf course has been grassed, the hard part starts…. the grow-in and fine tuning of the entire golf course, which can be heavily influenced by the weather. Everybody wants to know when the golf course is going to be ready. It is still too soon to accurately predict an opening date. Hard rains, which are not unusual in the mountains, can set an anticipated opening date back days at a time each time it rains. Once the golf course is stabilized, which takes 6-8 weeks after the grassing is complete; an opening date becomes more predictable. Based on the great progress with construction and the planned grassing schedule, we anticipate all 18-holes should be ready for play by late summer. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather. Mother Nature has been kind this winter; let’s hope she cooperates this spring too! Membership Plan Sky Valley Resort & Country Club will be introducing its Membership Plan in May. If you have not already signed up to receive email updates on skyvalley.com, you will need to do so if you want to be notified when membership information is available.
November 29, 2006 In 2004 Sky Valley was hit with torrential rains from Hurricanes Frances and Ivan which proved to be more than the Resort's dam could handle. The dam suffered extensive damage and was in danger of failing during the hurricanes. The Resort hired a certified dam engineer to evaluate whether the old dam should be repaired or a new dam should be built. Following preliminary engineering studies, the Resort chose to build a new and significantly safer dam for Sky Valley. The design, engineering and permitting of the new dam took a year and a half. Construction on the new dam commenced this summer. First the lake was drained, which was no easy task since the old dam did not have a drain mechanism. As a result, the lake had to be gradually drained by slowly breeching the old dam in a very controlled manner. Then the remnants of the old dam were removed along with less than desirable fill material to make room to build the new dam. Extensive testing was conducted by on-site engineers during every stage of construction to ensure all structural and soil requirements were met. The dam is now finished and the lake is once again full. The new dam structure has a 20' by 20' concrete intake that connects to two 10' by 6' concrete tunnels that run under the dam. There are also two 12" drain valves in the bottom of the concrete tunnels that enable the water level of the lake to be lowered if necessary. During the construction of the new dam several other projects were completed while the lake was drained. Structural improvements were made to the cart bridge that crosses the lake on the 18th hole. In conjunction with stabilizing the lake shoreline, three fishing landings were added along Tahoe Road abutting the lake. These landings will enable kids (of all ages) to fish all day without interfering with play on the golf course. A fourth fishing landing, which will be available early in the morning before play starts on the golf course, has been added adjacent to the lake pavilion. Now that there are some new places for kids to fish, we want to make sure they will have something to catch. The lake is going to be stocked with bass, bream, catfish and a few grass carp to control the vegetation based on the recommendation of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. In total, almost 7,000 fish will be stocked into the lake during the winter and early spring. It is our sincere hope the opportunities for fishing enjoyment will create some very special memories for granddads, dads and the other kids. Next year golfers will have an enhanced view of the lake when playing the 18th hole. While the lake was drained, a portion of the lake was moved and reconfigured as part of the dramatic redesign of the 18th hole. The new view will get your attention and is certain to create many memorable moments for family and friends to share for years to come!
October 5, 2006 The front nine closed on October 1st for the remainder of the 2006 season. Golf Course Renovation Update... The renovation of the back nine slowed down considerably the last month due to the frequent rains...it seems Mother Nature decided to remind everyone she is in charge of the schedule! Southeastern Golf and the Resort's staff have done a great job of dealing with the wet conditions and are working hard to finish the back nine. With the exception of the 18th hole and the area around the new dam on the 16th hole, all of the major shaping, irrigation and drainage work is completed on the back nine. Bunkers are now being finished, which includes installing drain lines and liners, and cart paths are being installed. We have started the process of "grassing" the back nine. The area surrounding tees and the primary roughs are being grassed (either seeded or sodded depending on the slopes) with a blend of fescue and bluegrass. The tees are being seeded with Alpha bent grass, the fairways are being seeded/sodded with L-93 bent grass and the greens are being seeded with A-1 bent grass. Weather permitting; most of the grassing on the back nine should be completed by the middle of October. Once all the grassing is complete, the really hard work begins for Steve Mason and his staff...the "grow-in" of the new golf course! Throughout the fall, winter and spring the staff will be focusing on turf condition, clean-up projects and fine tuning the aesthetics of the new back nine. During this same time, they will also be working with Southeastern Golf on the renovation of the front nine. Mother Nature will play a major role in determining the pace of the grow-in of the back nine and the construction and grow-in of the front nine...we just hope she is more supportive than fickle!
It is very important everybody (including your pets) stays off the new golf course during the grow-in. Animal and people tracks can do tremendous damage to newly seeded areas. If you see someone on the golf course other than the Resort's staff or construction personnel, please let the golf shop know immediately. The cooperation during construction has been fantastic and we want to express our appreciation in advance for your continued help. Here is what has been accomplished to date on the back nine:
August 8, 2006 The renovation of the back nine of the golf course continues to be on schedule. Here is what has been accomplished to date on the back nine: Hole #10 - The new tees and bunkers are rough shaped. Drainage is complete. Irrigation is partially complete. The new green is ready for final shaping and seeding. Hole #11 - The new tees and bunkers are rough shaped. Drainage is complete. Irrigation is complete. The new green is ready for final shaping and seeding. Hole #12 - The new tees have been rough shaped, the old fairway bunkers have been removed, and the old green has been tilled in preparation for preliminary shaping of the new green. The swale in the fairway just before the creek has been re-shaped and has been sodded. Hole #13 - The new tees and bunkers are rough shaped. Drainage and irrigation are complete. The new green is ready for final shaping and seeding. Hole #14 - The new tees and bunkers are rough shaped. Drainage and irrigation are complete. The new green is ready for final shaping and seeding. Hole #15 - The new back tees are rough shaped. The green has been rough shaped. Hole #16 - The new green is ready for final shaping and seeding. Hole #17 - Fairway drainage is finished. The new green has been rough shaped. Hole #18 - The new tees have been rough shaped. July 14 2006 The renovation of the back nine of the golf course continues to be on schedule. We lost a few days to rain in the last three weeks, but Southeastern Golf has stayed on schedule by working on the weekends. Here is what has been accomplished to date on the back nine: Hole #10 - The new tees have been rough shaped, the old fairway bunkers have been removed, new fairway and greenside bunkers have been rough shaped and the greens complex has been rough shaped. Drainage is being installed in the fairway. The green has been approved for drain tile. Hole #11 - The new tees have been rough shaped and approved for irrigation to be installed. The new greens complex has been rough shaped. The new green side bunkers have been rough shaped and drainage is being installed. Hole #12 - The new tees have been rough shaped, the old fairway bunkers have been removed, and the old green has been tilled in preparation for preliminary shaping of the new green. The swale in the fairway just before the creek has been re-shaped and has already been sodded. Hole #13 - The new tees have been rough shaped, the new fairway bunker has been rough shaped, the new green and green side bunker have been rough shaped. Hole #14 - The new tees have been rough shaped, the new fairway bunker has been roughed in, the new green has been rough shaped. Hole #15 - The new back tees have been rough shaped and the green has been tilled in preparation for preliminary grading. Hole #16 - The old green has been tilled in preparation for shaping the new green. Hole #17 - Fairway drainage is being installed and the old green has been tilled in preparation for shaping the new green. June 19, 2006 The renovation of the back nine of
the golf course is going very well. The weather has been very cooperative
for Southeastern Golf, the golf course contractor, which has helped with the
schedule. Bill Bergin, the golf course designer,
makes weekly construction visits to review the progress of the renovation and
make on-site refinements with Southeastern Golf. Here is what has already been accomplished
on the back nine in just a few weeks: Hole #10 - The new tees have been rough shaped,
the old fairway bunkers have been removed, new fairway and greenside bunkers have been
rough shaped and the greens complex has been rough shaped. Hole #11 - The new tees have been rough shaped,
the old greens complex and bunker has been re-graded and the new greens complex has
been rough shaped. Hole #12 - The new tees have been rough shaped,
the old fairway bunkers have been removed, and the old green has been tilled in preparation
for preliminary shaping of the new green. Holes #13
thru 15
- The old tees and greens have been tilled in preparation for preliminary grading. Photos of the golf course renovation work have also been
posted in the photo gallery section of the website. Dam Renovation Update……… The lake on the 18th hole has been partially drained and
construction of the new dam is anticipated to commence within the next week. Pros Corner June, 2006 I’m going to skip golf tips this week and share
a couple golf moments I had that are pretty interesting. Both these happened during the 1964 Pensacola Open at
the Pensacola C.C. in Fla. Where I was in my first apprentiship as a
PGA Professional and only 19 years old. After 36 holes Arnie and Gary were battling for the lead.
Arnie was always tinkering with his clubs, especially his putters. He
came in the golf shop after playing and asked if he could work on his
putter. The golf pro was a grumpy old coot and gave specific orders
no pros were allowed in his workshop. I told him this and since the
pro was still on the premises couldn’t allow it. He said OK and
proceeded to the putting green to practice. While he was there the pro
left and as we were closing up I had an idea. At that time I had a room
on the 3rd floor of the clubhouse and opened up each morning. I told
Arnie if he would be at the front door at 6:30 I would let him in to
work on his putter before the pro arrived, which was usually about 8:00.
Next morning guess who was at the front door at 6:30, the King himself.
I let him in and he proceed to put his putter in the vise and bang on
it with a hammer and bend it till if felt good to him. He would run
out the front door and putt a few times and come in and bang some more
till he had it just the way the wanted it. He then put one of the pro’s
new grips on it thanked me and was on his way. The secret was just between
the two of us. Now for Mr. Player. He was playing a club brand called
Shakespeare and his clubs all had black fiberglass shafts, just like
the fishing poles they make. After the second round his driver shaft
starts coming apart and he doesn’t have a spare except for a couple
of 3 woods. He asks me if we have any Shakespeare drivers for sale and
unfortunately we did not. He was in a quandary because he couldn’t
play with a steel shaft per his contract. I thought about it a while
and had an idea. After the pro left for the day I said, “Mr. Player
would you please go through the shop and pick a driver you think you
would like”, He said he would but what good would it do. He chooses
a Ben Hogan model with a brown head and steel shaft. I proceed to tape
the face and sole plate of the driver and put it in a box and spray
it with black spray paint. When done it was completely black and if
you were not close to it couldn’t tell the difference between
it and a Shakespeare. He took that driver and won the tournament with
it. Again our secret. As he was leaving he came in the shop where the
pro and I were standing and shook my hand and slipped me a $20 bill
and told the pro he had a most cooperative assistant. The pro didn’t
know what he was talking about. I met Gary and Arnie a few years ago and both remembered
those incidents from many years ago. Arnie sent me a commemorative putter
just like the one he used that day and an autographed picture thanking
me for the help. It hangs in my golf shop today. Gary was the usual
perfect gentleman and said it was one of the strangest ways he won a
golf tournament. Hope you enjoyed these little stories. Golfingly Yours May 30, 2006 Sky Valley Resort & Country
Club announced today the renovation of the golf course will start this
week. Construction will start on the back nine, which will now be closed
for the remainder of the year. The current plan is to keep the front
nine open through September. Construction work on the front nine is
currently scheduled to start this fall. Southeastern Golf, Inc. from Tifton,
Georgia has been awarded the contract for the golf course renovation.
Some of Southeastern Golf’s recent renovation projects include
Medinah Country Club (site of the 2006 PGA Championship), Sandestin
Golf & Beach Resort, Atlanta Athletic
Club, Pelican’s Nest Golf Club and Palmetto Dunes. Atlanta Golf Course Designer Bill
Bergin will be visiting Sky Valley later this week to mark out centerlines
on the back nine and coordinate initial work with Southeastern Golf. Now that the renovation of the back
nine is starting, we want to respectfully request all residents and
guests to refrain from entering onto the back nine of the golf course
at any time. The back nine is now restricted to contractors, authorized
construction personnel, and employees only. Your cooperation in this matter
is greatly appreciated. If you see any residents or guests on the back
nine we would appreciate you calling the golf shop to let the golf staff
know. Thank you! We’ll be sending you construction
pictures very soon! Bill Bergin Finalizes Golf Course Renovation Plans
for Sky Valley Resort & Country Club In 2005 Sky Valley Resort & Country Club selected
Atlanta golf course designer Bill Bergin to design and oversee the renovation
of the Sky Valley golf course. Bill Bergin was selected to oversee the renovation of
Sky Valley due to his deep appreciation for old style golf courses,
his sensitivity to golf course strategy, his unique awareness of how
golf course design affects all levels of players, and his experience
with renovation projects. Prior to starting his career as a golf course designer,
Bergin had a distinguished playing career as both an amateur and professional
golfer. He also spent 3 years as a teaching professional at Cherokee
Town & Country Club in Atlanta. Bill played college golf at Auburn
University and won the Georgia State Amateur Championship in 1981. Following
college, Bill turned professional and played in over 250 professional
tournaments worldwide, including 3 U.S. Opens, 2 British Opens and more
than 50 PGA Tour events. Playing in tournaments on golf courses such as St. Andrews
(where he shot a tournament low 66 in the 1984 British Open!), Royal
St. George’s, Pebble Beach, Olympic Club, and Baltusrol sharpened
Bill’s appreciation for classic design styles and strategies.
Spending 3 years as a teaching professional deepened his appreciation
for classic designs that allow golfers to approach greens with a variety
of golf shots. Over the last 15 years, Bill has been involved in the
planning and design of more than 40 projects, including 20 revisions.
When asked about the renovation plans for Sky Valley, Bill said, “Sky Valley has the beauty, strategic potential
and topography to be one of the best mountain golf courses I’ve
ever seen. Set in a stunning valley, framed by mountains and traversed
by meandering streams, the course will appeal to all golfers. Some
of the weakest holes today are going to become the best holes on the
new golf course. We are privileged to be working on this special renovation………it
is going to be exciting watching the transformation!” After numerous trips to Sky Valley in the winter and spring
of 2005, Bill prepared detailed recommendations for improving the strategy,
playability, agronomics and aesthetics of each hole. Bill made additional
refinements to his plans in the fall and this winter and has now finalized
the golf course design plans for the renovation of the Sky Valley golf
course. The planned renovation is going to be extensive. All tees,
bunkers and greens are going to be totally rebuilt and in many cases
relocated to improve the strategy and length of the new golf course.
All of the areas around the greens will be reshaped to provide a more
finished feel to the golf course. When completed, the new golf course
will stretch to over 6,800 yards from the back tees and play to a par
of 71. From a design standpoint, the new golf course is going
to be very traditional in style. Rectangular tees, “grass down”
bunkers and closely mown green surrounds that offer players a variety
of recovery shots will be prominent features of the new golf course.
Playability and the conditioning of the golf course has
been a major consideration throughout the planning of the renovation.
In addition to rebuilding the tees, greens and bunkers so they will
drain properly, drainage is being installed throughout the golf course
to improve the conditioning and playability of the fairways. Hundreds
of new irrigation heads are also being added to provide more precise
irrigation practices which will further improve turf quality. New cart
paths are also part of the plans. Landscaping improvements to the golf course are included
as part of the renovation plans. Specific locations for trees and other
landscaping are being planned by Bill Bergin and landscape architects
with the Jack Johnson Company. Initial plantings have already started
and the process of beautifying the golf course with landscaping enhancements
will be an ongoing process for many years. |
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