Work progressing on new nine at golf course

Sara J. Thompson
Contributor

Work to bring Oak Harbor Golf Club into the 21st Century by expanding to an 18-hole course is going well. Construction started late last fall on the new nine.
The new construction includes gently rolling landing areas of generous width; attractive water features on all nine holes; bunkers that provide strategic, directional and aesthetic value; greens of modest size with undulating surfaces and a full service practice facility to provide enjoyable and productive learning/practice opportunities.
Huge progress has been made this summer in constructing the new nine and it is impressive. The entire project is completely roughed in, all 14 ponds have been completed, fairways and greens are done and all T‚s have been elevated. The course will now feature a five-tee system that will provide golfers of all skill and ability levels with fair, enjoyable and exciting golf experiences, as well as speed play.
Contractor, Terry Johnson, is now shaping the T’s and Greens and leveling the fairways. After that he will tile the greens and bunkers, lay all greens mix and put in the bunker sand. Volunteers will be installing the irrigation system in the coming weeks and they should be seeding by late this fall. Golf Course Superintendent, Steve Timm said, „As soon as the new grass comes in and it appears ready to play, the new nine will open.‰ Timm predicts that to be the mid to late summer of next year.
The old nine
With the commitment to expand to 18-holes, it was apparent that the old nine needed some updating as well. Early this summer, volunteers took to the course to install a completely new irrigation system. Dozens of course members volunteered their time digging trenches, laying pipe and covering it up again. Wet weather early this summer played a huge roll in delaying the project. The volunteers and workers were shut down for weeks at a time. The dry conditions throughout July allowed the project to continue. Now the irrigation system on the old-nine is nearly complete and the system should be watering the old nine with-in days. The system will pump 1100 gallons of water per minute.
The irrigation system is not the only improvement that has been made to the existing course. Hole five has been almost completely re-vamped to make it a more enjoyable and playable hole. A pond was dug on the corner of hole five and the fairway was raised nearly 24 inches to create drainage. New women‚s T-boxes are being built on a number of holes as well.
Fundraising and Volunteers
Oak Harbor Golf Club is a non-profit organization. Funding for this project has come from donations, fundraising events, low-interest loans and membership cooperation. Currently the members are selling a Cash Calendar to help raise funds. The Cash Calendar features cash drawings every week for one year, and special drawings on Holidays. The drawings begin October 1, 2005; continue through September 30, 2006 and total nearly $4,000.
Another event that the Course is looking forward to is the Second Annual Lake of the Woods Fishing Derby. Last year there were over 250 people fishing the tournament and over 850 tickets sold. Another derby is planed for this winter. It will be held Saturday, March 11, 2006. Over $10,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded.
Volunteers are still needed for work on the irrigation system. If you would like to learn -more about how you can help, call Oak Harbor Golf Club at 218-634-9939.