Wolf Creek Village Sewer and Water installation Complete!!!
Even with a couple of weeks of near -50 degree weather we still managed to complete the main services before the end of Feb. Pidherny's did an excellent job on the development as their crews worked through the cold weather to complete the sewer and water. Further to this the main installation of the Septic plant is now complete and ready for hookup to our main lines, the connection will be directionally drilled under the road to the south course. The remaining utilities are approved for installation and scheduled to begin this month. Once the frost gets out of the ground we start the final grades of the road to the gravel base stage. |
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Large crane moving 110,000 liter septic tank in below ground position |
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Wolf Creek Villa's to start in the spring!!
Starting this spring the first of 10 Villa's will be going up in the new Villages development. These luxury homes will be available to pre-purchase this spring, please review the attached brochure to get more information. |
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From the Golf Shop
The staff is just starting to get into the swing of things, currently we are in full cleaning mode as the rugs are being shampooed and logs being washed down. The new product line has been coming in daily with great new lines such as Adams, Puma and Sun Mountain. In the next few weeks the shop will start to take shape as we get ready for what we hope to be a early spring.
We are taking tee-times for the season either on-line or by phone, to avoid disappointment for your favorite date please do not hesitate to give us a call. The shop is usually open from 9:00 - 4:00 pm on weekdays or book direct on-line:
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From the Clubhouse-Executive Chef Michael Card
To start our year off we will begin with our big Easter Smorg Dinner on March 23rd. Two seatings at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
Space is limited, Please get your reservations in early to avoid disappointment.
$17.99 per person children 12 and under $9.99 |
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Job Fair
Wolf Creek's job fair will be held on Saturday March 29th at the club house from 11:00am to 3:00pm. All departments will be there looking for new employees for the 2008 season. |
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Golf Course Construction the Wolf Creek Way
By Tyler Patroch Assistant Greens Superintendent
When first experiencing the Wolf Creek Golf Resort in Alberta one realizes quickly that it is unlike any other golf course; the rolling terrain, pot bunkers and sandy roughs are uncommon to Canadian golf. Soon after arriving four years ago I met the people responsible for building the course and this past year I had the opportunity to participate in their unique method of golf course construction. The vision was and still is The Vold Family, the owners of the facility. The course was designed by Ryan Vold's childhood friend and golf course architect Rod Whitman and has had only one superintendent; Rick David. In 1984 the original eighteen holes was completed, a few years later the south nine opened and next year a fourth nine will open with a seven hole practice course.
The latest project began a Saturday morning in April two thousand and six. Before an ounce of dirt was moved Rod Whitman and a handful of excited employees walked the future course. There was no map of how things might look, Rod showed us his layout and explained what flavor of golf he wished to create.
During our walkabout he pointed out greens, tees and fairways. The minimalist design called for little cutting and filling. The major earth moving consisted of mining sand from a seam underneath the future eleventh fairway, of which the first two hundred yards had to be dropped by almost thirty feet. This sand was tested to be ideal for greens construction and was continuously mined and stockpiled for over a year. During this time green complexes were stripped of topsoil and filled with sand, lots of sand.
After the sites were prepared the most exciting part of the project arrived, Rod allowed key people to get on the bulldozer and attempt to create something special. Later he would return to inspect the work. He kept what he liked, tweaked what he thought would improve the hole and bulldozed the rest. "I wouldn't have thought of that” is how Rod referred to one of the greens, providing him a different perspective was our goal. A similar exercise proved to be successful when building the original course in the early eighties. A group of people contributed to what Rod calls "his best set of greens".
Regarding the bunkers Rod wanted to take advantage of the sandy terrain. There was to be a Pine Valley influence; a mixture of rugged wild edges, sand blowouts and lightly grassed expanses. To help achieve this Rod's friend Dave Axland came north for a week to provide some guidance. Dave is an accomplished designer himself and one of Coore and Crenshaw's key men. From his experiences he encouraged us to anticipate how wind might erode a sandy landscape and to create natural looking hazards. Working with Dave's low key personality, enthusiasm for golf and experiences made it a highlight of the summer.
Eventually the new project will become the back nine of the existing south course. Although on a different quarter sections of land they will share the same pumphouse. To accommodate the increased water demands we upgraded to two VFD 75 Hp pumps in November 2006. We upsized the mainlines in the spring, re-attached all the laterals then continued on to the new nine. Rick's experiences designing and installing systems on the south nine and at Blackhawk G.C. in Edmonton helped us become competent quickly. Although everyone knew how fortunate Wolf Creek was to be built on sand we truly appreciated it while installing the irrigation.
Once the irrigation was tested we began finishing and prepping for seed. We attempted to hold the seed on the sandy bunker faces by hydro-seeding our fescue mixture. To simplify the grow-in we seeded a group of holes at once. Tees and fairways were seeded to a bluegrass blend and the greens to an equal blend of A2, A4 and G1 respectively. This selection was based on Tee 2 Green's Nu Penn blend hoping to create a stand resistant to multiple stresses. The sandy terrain emphasized a need to increase seeding rates and how difficult it can be to maintain adequate fertility levels in sandy soils. Unfortunately due to the short season in Alberta we were only able to seed six holes although the remainder is finished and ready to be seeded in early spring.
Future projects are already planned for the resort including building a new tournament house and luxury lodges. To meld the south nine with the new course its greens will undergo resurfacing, possibly reshaping and the bunkers will receive a major overhaul.
As the seemingly endless days come to an end and the finished product begins to materialize a feeling of satisfaction develops that you contributed to every aspect of building a golf course. Although the summer wore us down - the hot days, hard work, camaraderie and cold beer at the end of the day are looked upon with great fondness. Thanks to Brian Atkinson, Brad Dupuis, Cameron Kusiek, Brian Mass and John Cookson for your hard work. |
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View from #15 tee-box over sandy wasteland Par 5- 628 Yards |
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| contact us: wolf creek golf resort 403.783.6050 www.wolfcreekgolf.com |
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