Winter's Back

Well after what has seemed like months of mild weather, we got reminded that it's still winter.  A fresh dusting of a couple of inches is welcome moisture for the golf course.  We thankfully missed the freezing rain that they forecast.  The snow has all melted and we are back open for play today.  Besides some fog and wet conditions, the temperature should be nice later and we hope to see some golfers.  The high for tomorrow is supposed to be almost 60 degrees!  Go figure!

Mower recycling

Before

After having spent the past couple of growing seasons mowing our 50 acres of rough with one mower.  I began to knock around the idea of putting two rough mowers out there to get it done in half the time, but weren't sure how we were going to make it happen.  We decided to pull our old gang reel unit out from behind the shop.  This mower hadn't been used in years so Mitchell, our equipment technician, got busy grinding reels and checking gear boxes.  Once Mitchell finished with all the repairs, the crew gave it a new coat of black paint.  Another benefit to reviving this old mower, besides efficiency, is that we will be able to reduce the operating hours of our other rough mower.  By keeping the hours down, normal wear and tear will decrease and the mower will last longer.

After

Driving range drainage project

The Public Works department is planning to install a drainage swale on the west edge of the driving range to protect the houses along that property line from potential flooding.  Over the past couple of weeks they have been surveying, marking the area with grade stakes, and setting silt fencing.  Once the finish grade is done on the swale, new sod will be laid over the entire area.  I will provide updates to this project as they happen.

Driving range divots

Divots are in line, less removal of turf

Divots are scattered, more turf removed

With all the additional play we've been experiencing due to the mild weather, the driving range tee has become pretty beat up.  We still have two more months until spring and I would like to remind everyone about the proper way to take a divot while practicing.  The least disruptive way to take divots is to put the range ball on the back of the previous divot.  This basically limits the amount of turf removed by almost half during each shot.  We effectively end up with long, thin strips of removed turf instead of a large mass of random divots that take much longer to recover.  To the right are two pictures showing the difference between the two techniques.  The agronomy staff hopes that this information will help you to continue to get the most out of your time practicing, while helping us keep the range tee in the best condition possible.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.