May 12 - Golf Course Project Update

We are officially 2 weeks into our renovation project here at Isla Del Sol. If you are here in town, you most certainly have seen the activity. The steps taken so far include:

• Removal of sod around greens on holes 1, 3, 8 and 11 as well as 17 tee
• Completed shaping of surrounds and bunkers on holes 3 and 11
• New drainage and irrigation installation on greens in progress
• Shaping in progress around the greens on 1 and 8 as well as 17 tee
• Sod installation on #3 complete
• Sod installation on #11 in progress

Sod Removal on #1

Our focus over the next few days will be sod installation on the holes that have been disrupted so far. In addition, we will begin work on the green surrounds and bunkers on holes 10 and 17 along with the tee on hole 11. 

Irrigation Installation #3

Sod Installation #3

The golf course will be closed May 17- 21. This week will be the peak of disruption to the golf course. The week following the closure, we hope to begin opening some of the holes that were sodded first. We expect all of our construction to be completed the week before Memorial Day with all holes back open for play in early-June. 

Sod-lined Bunker #11

One of the most common questions I have been asked is "Are we making grass bunkers?" The answer is no. We install sod in the bottom of the bunkers to create a barrier between our native sandy soil and our clean bunker sand. This helps to prevent our bunkers from becoming contaminated with seashells and the less desirable beach sand. Without a barrier, a single thunderstorm could be enough to mix the two sands and deteriorate a bunker. We used this process in our 2018 and 2019 projects and have had great success so far.

Filling bunkers with sand will be the last step and should occur mid-June. We wait to fill these bunkers in order to allow the sod barrier to establish itself and create a dense barrier between the native sand and bunker sand. 

We thank you for your patience and all the positive comments you have shared.

2021 Golf Course Renovation Project

April 28th marks the official start date for the 2021 golf course renovation project. This is Phase III of projects originally started in 2018 focusing on renovating green surrounds, bunkers and tee boxes. This year we will be working on green surrounds/bunkers on holes 1, 3, 8, 10 , 11 and 17 along with new tees on 11 and 17. As in previous years, once construction begins on a hole it will become necessary to shorten that hole and play to a temporary green during construction and grow-in. The work will first begin on the 11th green and 17 tee which means these areas will be moved to temporary on day 1 of the project. It is estimated they will remain as temporaries for approximately 3 weeks until ready to reopen. This timeframe is true for all features being renovated. Once closed, it will take approximately 3 weeks until a hole is fully reopened. This allows time for the new grass to root in and be healthy before we start impacting it with foot traffic. 

#2 Under Construction in 2019

The golf course will be closed the week of May 17th. This week will be at the peak disruption point of the project. We will use this time to renovate the cart path on hole 7 as well as perform other applications on the golf course that require closure. 

It is our goal to complete the work as quickly as possible without compromising quality. Please be patient as we perform our work as it will be completed before you know it.

Scores from rounds played at Isla should not be posted for handicap purposes while the golf course has temporary greens.

Out With The Old... Flowers

You will notice some changes around the entrance and clubhouse this week as our Grounds team focuses on these areas. First, this has been one of the best years we have had with our winter flowers. I have received numerous compliments from all of you. However, these annual flowers are different than perennial shrubs and have a limited life expectancy, typically lasting only a season. Due to their large size, we are beginning to see these flowers blow over, break off or wilt due to increased water needs. Like you, I hate to see these flowers go, but in order to avoid watching these beautiful flowers deteriorate, we will be changing out our flower beds this week.

Second, as a result of the Sugarcane Mosaic Virus affecting the area's Saint Augustine grass, we killed off what was left of our infected grass and encroaching weeds last fall. In order to keep the lawn green over the winter we seeded it with ryegrass. As summer approaches, the ryegrass will be susceptible to death from the inevitable high heat and humidity. Over the next two weeks, we will be replacing the overseeded turf with new bermudagrass sod. We also plan to extend the concrete around the center circle to minimize damage caused by the numerous semi-trucks that service the club and neighboring condos. Due to timing, the concrete work will occur later this summer.