79 cart path. A new bailout area will be created left of the green. The first step in the 2024 renovation involved the installation of silt fences, clearing the site, and the stripping and burying of the old Tifway 419 turf. This portion of work also included locating areas to harvest additional fill to raise the low areas that are prone to flooding. “We then moved on to reshaping the course, raising low areas by 18 to 24 inches to improve drainage and redesigning course features such as tees, bunkers and greens,” says Amy Volk, golf course maintenance at Hunters Run. “TifEagle grass will be used on greens, while Bunker Solution liner will be used in bunkers to maintain and extend the useful life of the bunker sand and, at the same time, provide more playable bunkers.” Schulties adds: “We have used Bunker Solution liner at many clubs to ensure consistency in playing conditions and maintenance.” The second half of construction involves installing a new Toro Lynx irrigation system, sodding fairways with Celebration bermuda, which will grow in ahead of reopening in January 2025. Savvides says: “In keeping with the club’s mission statement: ‘We strive to be a country club community dedicated to providing exceptional facilities and memorable experiences’, it will be a priority for the club to preserve the courses for the enjoyment of our current and future members.” REPORT Preparing to succeed During my tenure at Hunters Run, I’ve been responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of 54 holes and planning long-term maintenance. This has given me an in-depth knowledge of the property and available resources, which allows me to emphasise the primary need of keeping playing conditions at their best throughout the season. Over the past 20 years, we at Hunters Run have gained more experience with course conditioning, which has enabled us to excel, specifically in areas such as turf management and efficient irrigation practices. Using these skills, we can pinpoint challenges with soil quality, erosion and drainage problems. This is beneficial and essential as we navigate through the current East course renovation project. Our experience with past renovations has certainly been instrumental in preparing Hunters Run for this project. Each renovation brought its own challenges and learning opportunities – we can take all of that to build a better project the next time over. The East course is a significant milestone that will definitely reflect our commitment to excellence. Amy Volk, director of golf at Hunters Run, provides insight into the preparations for this renovation project Lakes have been expanded across the East course property Photo: Hunters Run Country Club
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