Working into a Routine

Following an extended rainy season with little to no spring-like weather, its nice to feel like we're finally working into a routine on the golf course. Greens have been slow to grow out of the Drill & Fill aeration performed in March thanks to the cool and wet weather. While holes have been visible, their effect on putting conditions has been minimal since the Oak Tree event on the 4th. I'm happy to say greens are 95% healed and as of this week, we are back at it with our routine applications of Plant Growth Regulators. We are very happy to see the forecast turn from rain to sun in the coming week.

We were able to work around the weather to complete a few more projects this spring. Most noticeable has been the sod work around 11 green. Like other areas on the course, the turf around 11 green had become an inconsistent mixture of various turf types. Sand splashed out of bunkers had resulted in collar dams. Sod and built -up bunker sand was removed. Collars and bunker tie-ins were returned to original grades and new Perennial Ryegrass sod was installed. We plan to resume re-sodding of collars this fall with the intention of completing remaining holes next year.

The goats have come and gone and at this point, we kinda wish they were coming baaaack. Natural grass areas were just about where we wanted them following the fine work done by the heard of over 500 seasonal workers. 

Natural grasses on 13 looking perfect after the goats are done

The 2.75 inches of rain that fell over the last week or so have these areas growing again. As a result, we'll be out trimming and mowing natural grasses with special attention being paid to in-play areas. The addition of goats to our springtime routine has become one of my favourite times of the year. Goats are an ideal weed control and brush clearing solution for hard to reach sites controlling invasive species while helping to restore native plant and animal habitats. A green, environmentally sound solution for keeping chemicals off the course, equipment in the shop and staff focused on the golf course. Each year, we intend to use the goats more with the goal of eventually getting them to each of our naturalized areas on the property. Have a look at the below link to a USGA article on the use of natural grasses on the golf course. 

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2019/04/3-things-naturalized-areas-golf.html

We hope you enjoy your time on the golf course this season. Please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or the members of our Green Committee with any questions you may have.

Not According to Plan

Sometimes things don't go according to plan. When April 1 falls on a Monday, you can pretty well bet whatever plans you made will be wadded up and tossed to the side. Yesterday was that kind of day. While much of what we set out to accomplish was done so with precision and to completion, our main objective was not met. The sand spreader truck broke down after completing just a few fairways. First with a large hydraulic leak on 12 followed later by a broken drive chain on the same hole. As to be expected we were unable to find a replacement part nearby. Nearly 600 tons of sand still sits in piles around the property on this dreary Tuesday morning. 

2018 Spring Topdressing - hey look blue skies!

With the forecast for more rain over the next week we are going to do our best to get the sand out by the end of the day Wednesday (tomorrow). Please be advised - If you are playing golf tomorrow and it is not raining we will be working on spreading and dragging sand on all the fairways. You will be impacted to some degree throughout your round. If it rains at all, we will be unable to make the application and will wait for the course to dry. It would be nice were Spring to finally make an appearance. Keep an eye out for an email update and we appreciate your understanding as we work to complete this important process.

Long Time No Blog

Long Time No Blog is right! I guess it has been a while since the last update. Sure we've been busy on the course and off but that's no excuse. We'll look to be more regular here on the Blog in 2019 so keep an eye out. Check back often. As for now, here goes your winter update...

The winter season to date has been pretty well ideal. Timely rains have allowed us to keep the course mowed, make our product applications and complete a few course projects in between weather events. As you can imagine, following the last stretch of wet weather, the course is saturated and winter conditions exist throughout. The staff worked hard to repair bunkers and clean debris from the course yesterday. We are out setting up the cups and raking bunkers today but many greens still have standing water on them and are too wet to mow or roll. Rain total for the week was 4.13 inches. February rain total is now 6.53 inches. Season to date rain totals are now 18.38 inches!

Winter Projects

The breaks in between storms have allowed us to pick a few winter projects off the to-do list. The collar around 3 green was stripped, bunker sand build up removed and new sod was installed. Its hard to believe this collar had almost 12 inches of bunker sand built up after just three seasons. While working on 3, we went ahead and stripped the collar around the practice putting green as well. This collar had a mixture of different warm and cool season grasses and did not blend well with the new sod that was laid as part of the new Golf Shop and 1st tee project. The staff did great work on the areas as seen below.

For some time now the retaining wall on 16 has been in a state of disrepair. The two sections that have been repaired over the years were out of necessity. The wall was damaged as a result of a tree falling tearing out a section of the wall and a car crashing through the fence and out onto the course. Not wanting to wait for the next incident we went ahead and replaced the remaining sections of wall. Again, kudos to the staff in the Turf Department for working on this over the last few weeks!



New Penalty Areas

The natural grass hillsides between 12 / 13 and 13 / 14 are now marked with red stakes as penalty areas. The USGA made changes to the rules of golf and as such we are now able to mark these areas red as a local rule during the winter season. Once the hillsides dry out and the goats have come through to do their thing, the stakes will be removed and play will resume as it always has... Play it as it lies!