Course Opening April 16, 2013

As I look back at our opening dates over the years,  we consistently open sometime between April 10-14.  All things considered we are not that far off that this year.  Last year was truly out of the ordinary so we won't mention it again. Now that the weather is finally co-operating, staff is busy preparing the course for next Tuesday.

So, what does it take to prepair the course for opening day?

It takes nearly 2 weeks to complete all of the various tasks. Greens covers are removed, snow fence is taken down, damaged trees are pruned and large fallen branches are chipped. Greens, tees and fairways are cleaned, then staff begin hand raking the entire course. This alone takes 4 to 5 days. Greens are rolled several times smoothing out frost heaving and bumps from the drill and fill back in the fall. Greens and tees are then verti-cut and mowed. Ideally, we would like to get 4 or 5 cuts on the greens prior to opening and 2 on the tees and fairways. Next, we get into bunkers which consists of edging, re-arranging sand and adding some if needed. The irrigation system needs to be charged and tested and all the course hardware is placed back out onto the golf course. We can't forget about the clubhouse area, this is an integral part of the private club atmosphere and needs to be presentable for opening day and that's just the first page of our list!
Our efficiency in getting work done declines once the course opens. The more we complete prior to opening day the less we interfere with members playing and that's what it is all about.

Here's a picture of our 5th fairway after being cut today prior to the rains expected tonight.

Covers Come Off Today

Staff are back at it this week as spring slowly arrives. Covers are being removed today despite the cool weather  predicted for this week. Below is photo of the 5th green. Notice the recovery of the drill and fill holes already started from the greenhouse affect provide by the covers. Still no word on opening day!

Still Waiting!

The feeling is like reaching for a quarter that has fallen beside your seat and you can't get it. It's incredible how different weather can be from one year to the next. We were only 3 days from opening last year at this time. This year we are mostly snow covered with below seasonal temperatures forecast for the next week.
We hope to start tinkering on the course after Easter and remove the covers from the greens if weather permits.
We will keep you informed with our progress, and let you know in the next week or so of our planned opening date. It's to early to tell yet!

I would like to welcome Steve Percy and Ben Bell to our team this year. Steve's experiences are from Grey Silo and The National, Ben's experiences are from Rebel Creek and Grey Silo. They will complement our staff nicely and look forward to working with them.

Go Leafs!

Safety verses Emotion - These decisions are never easy

After the loss of what we though was a perfectly healthy tree behind our 10th green, there has been a lot of discussion with in the Greens Committee regarding member and staff safety and liability. The Basswood tree came down in the middle of the afternoon between the 10th green and 11tee while players were close by. Luckily no one was inquired.

This brings up the discussion of the the Ash Tree along the right side of the 6th fairway. There is no doubt the health of the tree is in question. How long do we let it go before we have the same thing happen as we did on the 10th. Branches are cleaned up every day from underneath it as the dead wood with in it increases.

The discussions are leaning towards taking the tree down sooner than later. So how do we compensate for the loss of the tree. There are many ideas floating around but before anything is to be done patience will need to be practiced to get a better feel for how the hole plays with out it. Secondly, our architect will offer advise on what we should do next. Whether it be bunkers, tree planting or work around the green I am sure we will all find a way to make bogey on it.

Sorry for the delay, I'm back

It's been a trying year as we manage through one of the driest hottest years on record. We've implemented many new practices to our program since last fall and we have seen much improvement.
Tree removals, drill and fill and improved water management has translated into deeper roots, better drainage and improved playing conditions.
Rome was not built in a day and we need to continue implementing our new routine for a number of years before we reach our goal. Also expect a few hiccups along the way. 
Our troubles are continuing with the first green. This green is our poorest draining green along with the 6th, 10th and 11th. The sunken design of the 1st green restricts air movement attracts heat  and is becoming an environment difficult to grow turf in. I will use the analogy of a bath tub filling up with water which is what we are dealing with even in this drought.

Poa Annua Decline on 1st Green July 31, 2012

Our annual visit with the USGA is in a couple of weeks and our focus will be on specific hot spots through out the course. The 1st green being the most significant. We need to improve its ability to drain water through the profile immediately. Items we will discuss are doubling up on the drill and fill in the fall and the use of deep tine spiking machine called a verti-drain which can penetrate up to 12 inches and with a slight kicking action can crack soils and improve water percolation through the sub soil.
After Club Championship we will be aerating and seeding the first green to help in its recovery.