Grass tees at driving ranges are increasingly rare, yet they offer a superior and more realistic playing surface that golfers truly appreciate. To maintain quality, sufficient space must be allocated to allow tee boxes to be cycled as the grass recovers from repeated divots.
On September 23, 2024, D’Arcy Ranch Golf Club began a significant renovation of its driving tee area. The primary goal was to expand the grass tee area from approximately 25,000 sq. ft. with 33 stalls to just under 40,000 sq. ft., expanding capacity to 44 stalls. In addition, the chipping and putting greens were relocated to the opposite side of the driving range. This was a large-scale project initiated late in the season, which introduced many challenges.
The renovation took just over five weeks. The first two weeks involved the teardown and lowering of the existing tee by nearly three feet to provide fill for the expanded areas. Due to this significant grade change, the irrigation system had to be completely redone, as the original piping was no longer at the correct elevation. This work, along with paving for the new range mat area, was completed during the second and third weeks.
Once the new tee surface was leveled, sod was delivered by Eagle Lake Turf Farm & Landscape Supply. A total of 40,000 sq. ft. of “fairway-cut” big-roll sod was installed in-house over four days on the tee deck. While the sodding was underway, the prep crew simultaneously regraded the surrounding areas—a process that took an additional three to five days.
After the tee surrounds were completed, another 20,000 sq. ft. of “rough-cut” big-roll sod was delivered and installed by the D’Arcy Ranch team. This sod added excellent contrast against the shorter, groomed appearance of the fairway-cut turf.
The final phase of the project began as the rough-cut sod installation was underway. In mid-October, the shaping crew started construction on the new bunker and green area. This portion took approximately one week, with final shaping completed by October 20.
As anyone familiar with Calgary knows, snowfall is possible in almost any month—and in October, it’s nearly guaranteed. On October 20, Calgary received a blanket of snow. Nonetheless, Eagle Lake was able to deliver the final truckloads of sod—both fairway- and rough-cut—allowing the project to be completed. Remarkably, the in-house crew laid the final sod directly on top of 1–2 inches of snow, which proved to be an effective way to lock in moisture for the freshly cut turf.
To lean more about our proven Fairway cut sod product click here.
Some projects call for ingenuity throughout from design to delivery and installation.
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