Changes

It's been quite some time since I've updated the blog as Spring has sprung and we've had our hands full on the course. If there is one thing that stays the same, it's change. This saying goes especially well for those of us who've chosen the career of managing golf courses. Here goes for the update on what's been going on and the many changes that have kept us on our toes over the last month or so...

NEW FACES

In March we welcomed new Assistant Superintendent Ismael Valadez to the Turf Department. Ismael comes to Claremont by way of Monterey where he spent 13 years working at Tehama Golf Club. His knowledge and work ethic have already made an impact with the crew and on the course. Welcome aboard Ismael!





First Assistant Superintendent Corey Beelke has moved on to a new position in Bend, Oregon. For sure a tough time of year to loose such dedicated employee and a great friend. Corey was with us for over two years and will be missed. Currently, we are searching for his replacement and we wish him the best in his new role at Broken Top Golf Club.

NEW LOOK

One of the changes I've been looking to make for some time now was in the accessories marking on the golf course. The old look, with the white, metal cart directional signs, green plastic rope stakes and standard yellow rope was kind of tired to say the least. Well, this is what we came up with.

These wooden directional markers can be found at the end of each fairway approaching the green and mark the cart boundary. Once you reach these markers, please follow left or right to the nearest cart path. These markers will be moved daily and help to redistribute wear and tear on the course.

Buzz is checking out the new look rope and stakes. Or, maybe just a squirrel in the distance. Either way, the new accessories are much more appealing to the eye and fit with the natural look we are going for. The staff in the Turf Department has been hard at work rummaging through our dump pile looking for just the right branches to cut and shape for use on the course.

COURSE AERATION

As seen in the newsletter and in many a blog post, we like to aerate the golf course! Well, it might be better said that we like to do whats right for overall health of the turf so that it can withstand the punishment that we in the Turf Department put it through in preparation for daily grind of the golfing season. The actual process of aerating the course is a lot of hard work, long hours and puts stress on the turf and staff alike.

We have made some significant changes to the fairways by being aggressive with the aeration over the last few years. The picture here is from 2012 and you can see the layers of thatch in between the sandy soil in each of the cores pulled.

This picture shows a dramatic reduction of layering in the plugs from the fairways that were aerated a few weeks ago. Really cool to see these kind of changes in the soil and to know what we are doing is paying off. Less layering means better rooting, less localized dry spot and over all improved fairway playing conditions.

LATE SEASON RAINFALL!

We have finally received some much needed rainfall and the timing was just about ideal. In the six week period form late February to early April, over 6 inches of rain has fallen on the course with the majority coming on the tail end of the spring aeration. The staff has had their hands full during this stretch of time and my hat is off to them for a job well done! The Quarry pond is now at full capacity and we will have more than enough water to irrigate the course for the season.

The Turf Department is looking forward to a great season. Thanks and we'll see you on the course!

Ballmark Repair

Now that the course has received some significant rainfall, we are seeing more ballmarks on greens than we typically do during the dry season. The greens are softer now and due to this each ballmark is more severe. My Dad always made sure I repaired my ballmark ( if I was lucky enough to hit the green ) and one other. Doing so assures a speedy recovery for the turf and a smoother ball roll for your fellow golfing member. Plus, we could all use a little good karma from the golfing gods!

Please take a minute to watch this video from the USGA on repairing ballmarks...

Thanks and we'll see you on the course!

Thank You... It's About Time!

What a difference a week makes. The storm door has officially opened and the last ten days has brought the East Bay hills just over 4 inches of much needed rain. The picture above was taken this morning and as I write, the rain continues to fall.

The creek is running hard and our irrigation pond has come up significantly in the last 48 hours.


























This series of storms is the first since November 2012 to produce any significant rainfall and has everyone in the Turf Department breathing a deep sigh of relief. As with all heavy rains, there will be much clean up and detail work in the coming days and weeks and that's just fine. We'll take it

Just a few more pictures of the golf course this morning... I must say that the smile on my face coming into work this morning was ear to ear!

Even Buzz joined in the fun by chasing some geese and playing in the creek! Really a great day to be on the course...

Nice of winter to show up albeit a few months late. The recent storms will help fill up ponds and reservoirs around California but is really just a drop in the bucket. Thank You Mother Nature... It's About Time and Keep It Coming!

Cold Snap

The Frost Delay... Not exactly the favorite of situations for golfers or the maintenance staff. The last nine days of cold weather continues to be, well I'll just say, frustrating. The average low temperature for this period has been 32 degrees and with the average high just over 50 degrees, we are all more than ready for the forecast of warmer weather this weekend.

Here are a few pictures of frost and the damage to turf that can be associated with golfing when it's just to darn cold...

Cart tracks across the first fairway. Must have been to cold to drive there!

Foot prints from one foursome playing a green. If allowed to play during a period of frost / freeze, these foot prints could turn yellow to black to dead depending on the severity of damage.







Take a look at the USGA video on frost delays:

Thanks for your patience and understanding over the last 10 days. Soon temps will warm and we will get some rain... I hope!

A Good Start

The last few weeks have brought quite a change on the golf course. The completion of the fairway and tee aeration and sanding followed by rain, wind and abnormally warm temps have kept the staff in the Turf Department busy to say the least. See below for a picture tour of the last few weeks.

Fairway sanding on Hole #2

Hydro seeded fescue on bunkers Hole #18. Many Fescue areas around bunkers and in out-of-play areas were hydro seeded in the last few weeks. These areas have begun to germinate with the recent rain and will establish over the winter.

Buzz relaxing on a dormant section of Bermuda grass. The Bermuda has begun to go dormant throughout the course and has contributed greatly to the "off-color" look of the course. This is normal for this time of year.

The creek flowing nicely following a much needed 1.4 inches of rain. The course took the first good rains of the season nicely and the staff was out mowing all greens, tees and fairways the day after.

The putting green passed it's first winter test with flying colors. While there was a bit of standing water on the surface (as there was on many greens throughout the course) during the downpour, once the rains let up, the water dissipated rapidly and we were out mowing the next morning. The green continues to be firm under foot and is draining nicely.

We lost a few trees this week. Following the soaking rains Tuesday and Wednesday the Cork Oak at the clubhouse came down.

The strong winds that blew in Thursday night brought down an Acacia tree along the fence line at Hole #16. We were luck to have no damage to the fencing or netting along 16.

The wind storm that blew through had sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts over 40 mph. This resulted in a golf course littered with leaf debris and small limbs down throughout. The staff worked hard Friday just to clear greens, tees and Fairways and by Sunday, we were still finishing the clean up and raking of all bunkers.

Over the next week, we will attempt to resume normal mowing of the course but will also focus on the continuing clean up of all rough and out-of-play areas. The amount of debris that came out of these trees was amazing and will take weeks to finish the clean up.

A wild few weeks for sure... no down time for staff in the Turf Department! If you are out this week, please take a minute to stop and thank the someone working on the course as they've all had a long year.

Thanks and we'll see you on the course!

Dear Mom... Please Send Rain

I came across this in the SF Chronicle today... click on the link below for an article on this years weather, or lack thereof.

I know it's been a dry season but this really puts things into perspective. Driest Year On Record!


http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/California-on-course-for-driest-year-on-record-4971192.php