Course Condition and Projects

[The Bird Father]

Tons of work has taken place on the Prairie over the last couple months but there are still several things that can keep improving the course out there, hopefully we can get some of these items finished before the Big "O" in August.

Be sure to check with Bob or get in touch with me and I will talk with Bob before doing too many major items as the P&R of Olathe can be touchy at times.

Course Sign - I fixed the hinge last night but I did not have a new latch with me to put on so it is still held closed with screws.  I hope to get the fixed this weekend.  Either way Ice Bowl flyers are up in it now also so hopefully people check it out.  Tom and I discussed a new course map and hopefully we can get that in there by this spring.

Hole #1 - Erosion around the backside of the pad is getting worse every year, just some dirt or mulch would help out.

Hole #2 - The new long tee box is a hit with everyone from what I hear, but it also needs some mulch, grass seed or a couple hay bails to cover the mud till we can get grass established this spring.

Hole #3 - Good Condition

Hole #4 - Good Condition

Hole #5 - Some Erosion is taking place around the tee pad but nothing too major yet.

Hole #6 - P&R put some mulch in front of the short tee pad but it wouldn't hurt to get more and seed in the spring.

Hole #7 - Good Condition

Hole #8 - Erosion around the tee pad and the long pad will be practically unusable in when leaves get on so possibly trimming back some branches would help.  The long tee doesn't get used as much as I think it should, maybe the possibility of relocating it could be looked at.

Hole #9 - Good Condition, but possibly a new pin location or longer tee pad would help with "The Birdie Hole" of the park.  Pretty easy shot for almost anyone.

Hole #10 - Good Condition, possibly another longer pin placement to the east of the long placement now.

Hole #11 - Good Condition, this would be the first hole I would add a longer placement to, there are several great locations closer to the street or towards 10's pad, possibly across the street adding an OB to the hole.

NEW Hole #12 - Alley ways Tom and I cut in the trees for the long placements are getting trompt down nicely and spring leaves should bring back some more skill to these shots.  Bob also starting clearing out the location for the new long placement below were old 16 tee pad was.  This will be a great shot once in place due to the ball field being OB.

NEW Hole #13 - Needs a long placement clear in the corner about 5 to 10 feet off the OB lines on each side would add diffaculty to this shot, not to mention the 2 trees P&R planted by the box that will create a very small alley once they get a couple years on them.

NEW hole #14 - Great shot, but getting a placement closer to the water or possibly in the corner of the dam would make it better.  Last I heard Bob was still trying to get P&R to let us clean up the whole dam and use it for this hole.

NEW #15 - The long tee pad has been leveled out by P&R just need to get it poured and backfilled.  Also there has been a ton of talk about putting another pad in to the west further making the over the water shot twice as far, but this will need some careful planning due to the tree line on the opposite side of the pond.  Hopefully in the spring P&R will mow a larger area around the pins to make for a bigger fairway.  This hole has a ton of potential, just needs more work.

NEW #16 - New pin placements are still be pondered for this hole, hopefully we will decide on one soon.  Still need some brus clearing on the left of the fairway for the short placement as to make the fairway more player friendly.

Hole #17 - Good Condition

Hole #18 - Good Condition, I like the idea of playing this to the island for tourneys but it would probably make it a par 4 if we did.

Thanks goes out to all the people who helped make this transition of the new holes go smoothly.  I'll be excited to see how these holes shape up when the P&R mowers can get in there and smooth fairways up more also.  Either way the pond area looks so much nicer all cleaned up and usable now, hopefully when its finished it won't be the trash collector it has been up till this year.

[The Bird Father]

One other thing Bob has mentioned is getting a universal locking system for all the baskets.  Basically one key and 18 locks....if anyone out there is a locksmith or knows one can we get some prices and or atleast an idea of what this will take.

[DJayhawk]

One other thing Bob has mentioned is getting a universal locking system for all the baskets.  Basically one key and 18 locks....if anyone out there is a locksmith or knows one can we get some prices and or atleast an idea of what this will take.

How is this done at the other courses?  18 different pad-locks with same Key Code?  I'm not even sure you can have a locksmith change a pad lock  :?  I would imagine it being quite a PITA though if you have a bunch of different keys when it's time to move baskets around :shock:

[Kevin Montgomery]

This situation is simply due to the type of lock that was put in at PC. They are the cylinder locks you would see on boat trailers and the like. Each one is keyed unique. At all other courses we use a steel pin bent at one end so it won't go all the way through with a hole for a padlock drilled into the other end. These are manufactured by the brothers Cashen for us. If we were to change PC over to the same scheme used elsewhere in town we would need them to make us a set of those pins and then purchase keyed alike padlocks in the quantity necessary.

[The Bird Father]

Actually some of them are trailer locks and some are bent pins with master locks.  Basically a big cluster of everything....I do think there are enough bent pins to make it all 18 we would just need new locks...possibly a handful of new bent pins.

And yes it's a huge PITA when you try to change baskets, especially when some holes have up to 3 keys, one for each pin placement....

This is definately one thing that needs to be on top of the wish list.

[Kevin Montgomery]

Yeah, those trailer locks have been a PITA since they were first used there. A guy had to carry around a giant ring of keys and then keep track of which one was which. Not sure who to talk to about getting a good deal on the common jkeyed locks. Maybe someone else seeing this will chime in with that info. Penney, Jack?

KM

[jack]

We have spent more $$$$ on the locks at Olathe and the basket covers and the tee signs than we have at any course.  We bought the Tee signs with a promise by the then CC to get sponsors to pay for them, never happened, the former CC wanted to have the $25 pin covers on all placements, that was done, the locks were also chosen I believe by the same CC.

As it stands right now, we can replace the locks with Bent pins for $25/each, and then buy locks, with longer than what we bought last year for BV and Cliff, (my mistake was not aware of how the shorter locks would be such a PITA, and I consulted a "pro" ) who doesn't read this thread.......  We can do so, but at a cost of close to $600.  Gavin did a bang up job of plastic covers that should work well at Rosedale for a cheaper version of the pin protector that should be more cost effective, though not as solid a product.

Jack

[DJayhawk]

We can do so, but at a cost of close to $600.  
Jack

Maybe we to have a donate a Lock League night wow $600 :shock:

[The Bird Father]

I don't think that pin covers or anything like that are necessary.  I'm just looking for a couple more bent pins to make up for the holes that do not have them, which may by 2 or could be 8???  Then a common locking system with one key, I'll be chekcing more into this the next couple days but I think $600 is way too much....might as well stick with the big "O" ring of keys if it costs that much.

[jack]

Locks are going to be  ~$200 (~$6/each), the Bent Pins themselves are $25/each.  We can talk about the lock purchase but I think that it makes sense it has been a proble for awhile, maybe we can sell the existing locks for those that may want them to defray part of the cost.

[robertalan]

First and foremost we definitely need covers for the pin placements.  Have you ever tried to clean out a pin placement that some kid has dumped rocks and dirt in?  It's definitely not fun.  I'll check with a locksmith and Pete Cashen and hopefully come up with an affordable solution.  It would just make my job a whole lot easier to have one key and the same lock on every placement out there.  I agree with Andy's wish list.  This, however is VERY IMPORTANT.  I don't want anybody doing ANY WORK out there without checking with me first.  I more than appreciate any good intentions that people may have.  Olathe parks and rec MUST be informed first of any work to be done out there.  I am going to check first with Olathe parks and rec on any work that needs to be done around the existing tee pads or anywhere else for that matter.  They were more than happy to help us with the course changes out there and I'm sure they'll be happy to help us out again this year.  I've got a good working relationship with them, I don't want to jeopardize this.   I expect really good things to happen at PC this year.  The number of golfers has dramatically increased the last few weeks.  Later-Your course coordinator Bob Hayett

[jack]

Actually the covers out there were a Cashen Design for the rocks that you speak of ($25/each for the cover years back).  If you get to Rosedale, look at what Gavin made using PVC where I think he did most of the pin covers.  I think that anyone that has had to move teh Cashen lock with rocks, twigs knows how hard it is.  I hate moving baskets at Rosedale in the winter with Frozen ROCKS in the pin that you are getting ready to move, nothing WORST.

Thanks Bob!

[Tom]

Ned always said when we were first putting in the course, "If you build it, they will come". He was right.

[Mike Penney]

I would agree moving a basket to a pin placement that is filled with one object or another is no fun. The covers that Gavin made at Rosedale are great, but they have one draw back and that is how they are rigged to stay in place. They need bent pins with locks. It would be much easier. Expensive, yes. But it would be much easier to move a basket if all you had to do is open a lock ( and carry the heavy thing). I don't know why these bent pins cost so much. Maybe we could weld some large washers to a bolt with a hole drilled in it.

[colonelklank]

Played Olathe last weekend, or rather, it played me.  The wind was brutal, but the terrible score was mostly attributable to operator error.  Could I put in a recommendation for not placing the basket for 16 to the left, near the baseball diamond?  My tee shot went into the thorn bushes, and I received several gouges trying to retrieve my wayward disc.  My suggestion is that until the brush is cleared, the basket should be kept in the placement further west,  which I think would help most throwers avoid this hazard.  I could be available to help clear this stuff, depending on the day.