Crews are making steady progress on our new $1.4 million irrigation system at the Sugarloaf Golf Club, and with work wrapped up on the back nine, they’ve now shifted to the front.

Our irrigation crew demonstrated some of the new functionality for us yesterday on the tenth hole, and it was impressive. The entire system can be operated remotely using radios, and can be programmed to specific areas at specific times (the crew could water the entire back nine overnight, for instance).

It’s a drastic improvement over the old irrigation system, and the results are strikingly noticeable already. The tenth hole (which was the first hole completed) is already looking healthier than it has in years.

Work is underway on our new $1.4 million irrigation system, and has been progressing as scheduled, one hole at a time. Crews are nearly finished with the tenth hole, and will be moving on to the eleventh next week.

As you can see in the first image here, once the crew has finished digging, installing the new pipe, and recovering the affected area with sod, the impact to the hole is quite minimal.The new system will turn on hole-by-hole as it is completed, allowing our course crew to continue watering the entire course throughout the project.

Though construction is happening on just one hole at a time, leaving 17 holes open and unaffected, the work has proven to be more disruptive to the overall golfing experience than we had originally anticipated. As a result, we’ve lowered greens fees to just $59 until disruptions are reduced to a more acceptable level.

Check out our latest Course Report for the details.

Today we held the official groundbreaking ceremony for our new, $1.7 million irrigation system at the Sugarloaf Golf Club. The new system will replace the existing one, which was antiquated and in severe need of an upgrade, according to Superintendant Bob Bruce.

“The old system was antiquated and beginning to fail,” Bruce said. “With the new irrigation system, we will be able to pinpoint the exact areas that need water, and avoid over-watering areas that don’t need as much. This will end up saving water and electricity costs, and will be much better for the course in the long run.”

The project will continue one hole at a time throughout the summer. For current project status be sure to check out our Course Report, which will be updates with the latest information throughout the summer.

In our last post, we mentioned that last fall the town of Carrabassett Valley and Sugarloaf invested in a new type of protective green covering, which the course crew used to protect 13 greens during the winter months.

This week we began to pull the covers off of a number of holes, and found just what we were hoping for - lush, green grass. So lush, in fact, that the course crew is already mowing several greens, which is almost unheard of this early in April. The photos above were taken this morning on holes 9 and 11.

We’ll have to see quite a bit more warm weather before fairways and rough start to perk up, but with so many of the greens this far along already, we’re off to a promising start for the 2012 season.

Summer at Sugarloaf revolves around the Sugarloaf Golf Club, and consequently, it plays a major role in the Sugarloaf 2020 vision. The future of the course took a huge step in the right direction recently, when Carrabassett Valley residents voted overwhelmingly in support of a new $1.7 million irrigation system, which will be installed this summer.

The cost of the system will be split between Sugarloaf and the town of Carrabassett Valley, which owns the course.

In the most recent issue of “The Sugarloafer,” course superintendent Bob Bruce spoke about why the new system is so important for the future of the course:

“The old system was antiquated and beginning to fail,” he said. “With the new irrigation system, we will be able to pinpoint the exact areas that need water, and avoid over-watering areas that don’t need as much. This will end up saving water and electricity costs, and will be much better for the course in the long run.”

The old system was installed when the course was first constructed 27 years ago in 1985. Bruce said that the typically life expectancy for that type of system is 25-30.

Work on the new irrigation system will begin later this spring, and will continue, one hole at a time, until all 18 holes are completed. The project is not expected to significantly impact play at the course, as only one hole will be closed to construction at a time, and only during midweek days.

Additional course improvement projects will also be completed around the course this spring, including

• New drainage work on the 12^th fairway and in the rough around the Number Two forward tees.

• A new bridge on the 12^th hole, to replace the bridge that was washed away during Hurricane Irene last summer.

• New decking and cribbing on the bridges for the 14^th and 15^th holes

• Improvements to the greenside bunkers on holes 10 and 11.

Last fall, the course also invested in 13 protective tarps to cover many of the greens during the winter months. These tarps protect the greens from the harsh winter conditions, while allowing them to breathe and stay healthy until spring. The course crew has had tremendous success with this type of tarp in the past, and though it is still early, Bruce says they are encouraged by the way greens are looking.

The Sugarloaf Golf Club is Maine’s #1 Course, according to Golf Digest, and this view from the tenth tee is a big reason why. If you’ve never experienced the course, this weekend is the ideal time. All 18 hole rounds after 12pm are just $35 from July 2-4.

Opening day at the Sugarloaf Golf Club is just around the corner (Friday, May 27) and there a number of improvements that are sure to make your experience at Maine’s #1 Course even better.

On the course, the crew is finishing up renovations to hole #5, which will make for a more player-friendly experience. the fairway has been widened to take out the notorious ball-swallowing bog on the right, and drainage has been improved to ensure a more even and consistent surface throughout the fairway.

Our brand new fleet of electric golf carts arrived here last week, and the reviews so far are fantastic. The carts are incredibly quiet, which better fits the secluded, natural feel of the Sugarloaf Golf Club, and makes for a quieter, more enjoyable round. And if you had any doubts about the ability of electric carts to navigate our rugged, mountain course, you can rest easy. These carts are plenty zippy, and flew right up the big climb on number 11 during our test drive yesterday.

Off of the course, the Pro Shop received a makeove this spring with a new counter that will provide you and our staff with a better view of the course and a more streamlined experience.

Opening day is coming right up, so come on up and check out all of these improvements and more.