1.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION.
The Project comprises the comprehensive refurbishment of holes 10 to 18
of Real Club de Golf Las Brisas. This Project continues the complete renewal
and redesign process of the 18 holes that commenced in 2012 with the first nine
holes.
The refurbishments of the course started with the modification of the
holes the owner commissioned Kyle
Phillips Golf Course Design to do, whose redesign aims at improving
the competitiveness of the course and adapt it to the present playing
condition. The course modification implies the complete renovation of all
course elements (greens, tees, fairways, rough, etc.), and of all the services
and the infrastructure (drainage, electricity, paths, bridges, etc.), which
deteriorated over the years.
2. PROGRESS REPORT.
2.1. GENERAL.
In November we suffered continued and torrential rainfall, which slowed
down a number of works foreseen for this month
Apart from advancing the works started in the previous months, i.e.
stripping, earth moving and shaping, lake 18 and transplanting; some other
tasks such as demolition and stonewall construction were started.
2.2. RAIN.
As already informed, November proved particularly wet in both number of
days and intensity, especially during its last week. The total rainfall was 224
mm, which complicated the works and stopped the advance of the project with a
total of 10 working days lost. Heavy torrential rains took place on 24th and
25th November being the total rainfall 74 and 55 mm respectively. Although this
rain could have caused some important damage, the preparatory works comprising
canals and channelling proved effective and minimized the damages. See the
rainfall registration chart for November below.
Entrance area bypass ditch - lake 18:
Exit area bypass ditch - lake 18:
Hole 18 and lake full with water coming from hole 10:
Partial collapse of Pro tee 17:
2.3. STRIPPING.
By stripping the first 10 cm of soil we intend to obtain the cleanest
possible surface for the new course, especially free of seeds and reproductive
elements of kikuyu, because of their high presence on the site and the problems
caused before and at present at holes 1 to 9.
By the 1st of November all but holes 11, 12 and 15 were almost
completely cleared, representing 70% of the total surface foreseen, 30% more
than planned for that date.
2.4. EARTH MOVING.
The rain affected earth moving very much, as lorries were unable to
circulate. These works have still to be carried out in many areas such as holes
12, 13 and 14, some localized locations such as the extension of fairway 15 to
the lake and the slope completion of lake 18.
2.5. DEMOLITION.
All greens, tees and bunkers were demolished by the previous
certification date. Some buggy-path areas were dismantled being this chapter
80% completed, doubling the advance foreseen for this date. The main
outstanding demolition works comprise the chiringuito, the bridge of lake 15,
the toilets and the bridge of the tees of hole 12, which will be finally
demolished following the recommendation of Kyle Phillips. At the time of
writing this report the demolition of all these elements was started and their
certification is foreseen for the end of December. The toilets next to hole 16
being used by the contractor will be done at a later date, as initially agreed.
2.6. DRAINAGE REMOVAL.
The removal of old damaged drainage elements started this month. The
working condition of the complex pipe network structure installed during the
last 40 years is limited under the refurbishment work. Many sections were cut,
blocked and broken by earth moving tasks, by drainage or irrigation
installation or simply by the machinery passing along, something we are certain
of in the light of the previous refurbishment, with many old drainage elements
scattered around the course and pouring water out the surface, as their
continuity is lost.
In order to locate the most part of the existing drainage elements, last
summer we delimited all visible or traceable elements topographically by means
of guides and locators, and a map was issued. In order to avoid wet areas after
the works, we are dismantling all located drainage element and those found
during the works. It is important to note that, despite the effort made,
some elements may not be removed, as most of them are untraceable and will not
be detected during the works, reappearing inevitably in later years in need of
repair.
2.7. LAKE 16-18.
Most excavation works on lake 16-18 were practically finished last
month. The initial approach was to maintain the ditch excavated at the lateral
side of green 16 to alter the course of water when the works were started and
keep the bottom dry in order to build the bridge under the safest possible
conditions. As the rainy season progressed and in anticipation of the rains on
the 27th and 28th, it was decided to alter the course of water trough the
fairway 18 by blocking the entrance to the lake and opening a big ditch, as
this solution was considered safer than the previous one, and then serve as a
bypass for the lake. Consequently, the lake will be kept dry on a permanent
basis and the slopes of hole 16 will be finished without waiting for the bridge
to be finished. The lake will be done upon completion of the bridge works.
2.8. WALLS.
The construction of the new walls and the extension of the existing ones
started at the tees of hole 12 before the scheduled date, as it was foreseen
for mid December.
2.9. SHAPING.
The shaper lost almost one third of the working days this month because
of the raining season. Kyle Phillips modified the shaping of holes 10, 18 and
15, tees of holes 11 and 16 in their last visit, being these works already
finished together with the elements shaped this month, i.e., professional tees
of hole 17 and green complex of holes 17 and 11. 50% of the green complex and
30% of the tees are the areas shaped at present. Shaping works are needed after
the earth moving already made by Garden Golf at fairways and rough and also at
the lower spots where the drains will be installed. At present, this work is
only finished at hole 10. Then the total surface of holes 16, 17, 11 and 15
will be shaped with the exception of the areas affected by the works and
material collection for bridges, which will be postponed until their
completion.
There are some pictures below showing earth moving and shaping tasks
carried out at the areas adanced in November.
Green complex 11:
Modified green complex hole18:
Modified tees hole 16:
2.10. LANDSCAPING.
The replanting tasks continued in November. We replanted 50% of olive
trees and all but 4 palm trees that will be planted next to the tee of hole 10.
Many trees needing relocation because of earth moving were also replanted: a
few Magnolios, 2 Eritrinas, one big Tipuana next to the new 17 hole, and 2 big
Acebuches. The three latter would have required Treeplatform technique (used with the Araucarias), but it was not
agreed before starting the works due to economic reasons. Ordinary machinery
was to be applied instead, which reduces the chances of success. The
transplanting took place this month but using an unsuitable method for their
size damaged the trees and the result is likely to be inconsistent.
2.11. OTHER WORKS.
Works also started in November:
-Level
heightening of the drains after the design modification of tee 10 - pathway
green 18 area.
-Construction
of a new kerb and elimination of the old one on the pathway between holes 10
and 7 following Kyle Phillips' recommendations.
-Platform
construction to start bridge excavations.
-Construction
of the wooden sleeper wall requested by Kyle Phillips.
3. WORK PROCESS AS PLANNED.
The charts in this chapter show the evolution of the different
construction works included in this project. It shows the progress of the
different works grouped in chapters compared with the schedule initially
foreseen. It shows also the percentage of work already executed at any given
certification date and the delay or advancement attached to them.
The chart below shows the amount of work executed by the 1st of
December. Work completion is advanced in chapters such as demolition,
stripping, earth moving, replanting and works on lake 15.
Bridge construction is behind schedule. Initially it was deferred for 2
months because of the work permit required. The rain caused a further delay,
being their construction foreseen for the 9th of December.
The drainage works are behind schedule and subject to prior approval by
Kyle Phillips of the elements shaped and modified by the shaper, i.e., mainly
greens, bunkers, tees and lower water collection spots at holes 10, 11, 15 and
16. The works will commence as soon as the approval is received at both the
lower water collection spots and the noble elements that are finished, such as
tees and greens.
