Written By Jack Creveling, Golf Course Superintendent

The golf course maintenance crew at Golden Ocala recently began work to modify the 17^th green to create a new pin location.

A 600-square foot section of the 17^th green, the back, right portion, was modified in order to decrease the slope and accommodate a fair golf hole. To make the location fair for a hole;  we adjusted the slope of the area from 4.5 degrees to 1.5 degrees, allowing for a golf ball to rest near the area where the hole will be.

An overview of the process included:

First, uprooting all of the sod carefully from the area to be adjusted, removing each piece in sequence to allow it to be returned in the exact same location.

After the sod has been removed we measure the amount of material needed to accommodate the new slope percentage.  We then add the material and continually survey the pitch of the ground to achieve the desired slope.

Once we have created a uniform mixture of materials that meets the slope goal, the material is then compacted and the crew returns the sod piece by piece.

Over the next several weeks we will continue to do agronomic processes to incorporate the green back to its original quality to accommodate a hole location.

Our goal is to have a pin location at the back, right of the 17^th green in play after the July 4th holiday.

There’s always something interesting taking place on the golf course at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club. Follow our blog to learn more about the course. Also connect with us through Twitter and Facebook.