Golf help transforms backdrop

Photo provided by Joe Kamashian, CLAPPS

Hours of volunteer labor and $7,000 in funds from tournament proceeds brought life to a barren and desolate hill behind the green on Hole #17 at the Canyon Lake Golf Course. The project included the installation of a concrete replica of the iconic lighthouse that sits in the lake. The project was another sponsored by the CLAPPS (Canyon Lake Association of Past Presidents of the Men’s Golf Club), which regularly upgrades and beautifies the golf course and country club area with the help of the Tuesday Work Group.

This latest project improved Hole #17, which is one of the more popular holes on the course. It is a par 3 that plays 180 yards from the back tees and is well known for its 100-foot drop from tee to green.

The CLAPPS has raised nearly $100,000 in recent years with its Beautification Tournament that is held annually in the spring. Some of the golf course improvements the club is responsible for include 13 new concrete benches, an expanded practice putting green, a concrete pad and artificial turf at the driving range, 20 bronze tee signs at each hole and the beautiful 11-foot tall street clock that was installed in 2018.

All of these projects were done in concert with the Tuesday Work Group which has provided the volunteer manpower needed for these improvements. The Tuesday Work Group was especially instrumental in the Hole #17 project by clearing all the growth and rocks from the 2,000 square foot hillside and helping to install 20 cubic yards of decomposed granite.

The project was a recommendation from one of the participants in the tournament who submitted a request to improve the area behind the #17 green. The idea was unanimously approved by the CLAPPS and authorization was given by the Canyon Lake POA to move forward. In addition to cleaning and planting the hillside, the idea for a concrete lighthouse to match the community logo was raised and researched.

Project coordinator Joe Kamashian approached Eric Kazakoff, Canyon Lake POA General Manager, with the idea of a concrete lighthouse behind the green and he was on board with the plan. Joe was able to work with David Cardoza in the POA graphic department who did a great job creating a workable design, Joe said. The design was eventually converted to a life-size banner approximately 8-feet wide by 18-feet tall. The banner was helpful to allow for positioning of the lighthouse on the hill for optimum viewing and it was used by the concrete crew to set the forms in the exact shape of the lighthouse.

Color was added to the concrete with concrete etching, a process that gives the color a longer life with much less maintenance. Sal Medina in the Canyon Lake POA Operations Department was helpful with the selection and design of the plants and the drip irrigation system.

The final touches were done by the Tuesday Work Group with the placement of some boulders and the installation of the decomposed granite. Don Norris and Dave Nickel led the group throughout the project and did an amazing job, Joe said.

This was clearly a joint effort of the Tuesday Work Group, the Canyon Lake POA and the CLAPPS, he said, as well as the private contractors and vendors who help beautify the golf course. The projects are financed by the support of those who participated in or donated to the annual Beautification Tournament, which will take place again on April 18.