Course Update for December

The beginning of December ushered in typical winter temperatures.  As stated in previous posts, the fall had been unusually warm until Thanksgiving.  After that, more seasonal cold temperatures set in and frost delays became a daily occurrence.  Since the greens were frosty each morning, and greens set up could not be performed, the staff used this down time to begin some drainage projects.  We'd been anxious to get started on these projects, but couldn't dedicate the time needed while the weather was so mild and the course was so busy with members and guests.  

The first project we started was the wet area in front of #10 green in the approach.  This area was originally believed to be an irrigation leak, but was after some digging, it was determined to be a surface water drainage issue.  A drain basin, was installed in front of the green-side bunker, and the approach was regraded to feed the surface water to the basin.  This project was explained in greater detail in a previous post that can be found here.  

After that project was complete, the staff moved on to another drainage issue we've dealt with for some time.  The wet spot on the right side of #11 fairway.  This area is about 60 yards away from the green down the hill.  The source for the moisture has been determined to be a homeowner up the hill to the west.  After numerous attempts to remedy the issue with the homeowner, we determined that the best course of action was to install a catch basin in the native area.  This will get the surface water below ground which will allow the area to dry enough to be maintained and playable again.  

Once we completed the drainage project on #11 fairway, it was almost Christmas.  Typically, the last two weeks of December are pretty quite in our department.  Most of the staff are taking time off to be with their families.  This is a very important time to recharge the body and mind before another busy year on the golf course gets underway.  After the new year begins, and everyone is back from vacation, the staff will ramp back up working on projects.  There will be 90 days until the beginning of the 2017 golf season and the staff will be "on the clock" to get all our projects accomplished.

The last week of December ended with some very nice weather.  This mild weather coupled with many members and guests taking time off for the holidays caused us to be very busy.  This allowed December to end on a high note, financially speaking.