Golf Course Update

End of Summer Update

First of all, I would like to say "Thank You" to everyone for your wonderful comments and compliments about the golf course.  Many of you recognize the hard work that goes into maintaining a golf course, especially in our climate,  and express that to the maintenance staff on a daily basis, which they appreciate very much.

Like most golf courses, we are faced with many difficulties throughout the year in keeping the course in top playing condition. We recognize many of the areas that need improvements and consistently work towards the goal of making things better.  Whether it be the bunkers, cart paths, tree work or other improvements, we are always trying to come up with solutions to fix and improve features on the golf course.

You may be wondering what some of the capital improvements were this year. Where did the money go? What did they buy or repair?

Capital- Equipment 

Let's start out with equipment upgrades.  

This first equipment upgrade was part of 2012 capital equipment improvements, but since I haven't mentioned it, I'll take this time to do so.

We purchased a new tri-plex Toro Greensmaster 3250-D.  The function of this mower is to mow the greens.  By adding to our tri-plex fleet, we were able to move or convert the oldest greensmower into a tee mower, thus improving the quality of cut on the tees.

Toro Greensmaster 3250-D side view

Toro Greensmaster 3250-D front view without buckets

The second equipment upgrade was a new Toro Rac-O-Vac Turf  Sweeper. The sweeper is used for multiple tasks around the course. Different tasks include-

• cleaning leaves and pine needles
• cleaning duck droppings off of tees and fairways during the winter
• sweeping debris off of fairways and tees after aerification
• cleaning run-off debris after thunderstorms

The Kubota tractor pictured below was a capital equipment upgrade in 2011.

Toro Rake-O-Vac with Kubota tractor

Toro Rake-O-Vac, purchased Jan 2013

  Stay tuned for updates on the capital projects we completed.  

Maintenance Schedule Update

Fall Aerification Schedule

Tees - Week of August 26th - 30th

Greens - September 3rd & 4th

Fairways & Rough - Starting week of September 9th.  

Hole #16- Par 4

Joshua Tree on Hole #12-Par 3

Hole #6- Par 3

Maintenance Schedule Update

Spring Aerification Schedule

Tees - April 15th - 19th

Greens - April 23rd and 24th, Putting & Nursery Green on April 22nd

Fairways & Rough - Starting week of April 29th.  

We are going to try something new this year and aerify the par 3's the same week as the tees.  This should cut some time off of the fairway and rough aerification and cause less of a disturbance to golfers.  We will be using 7/8" solid tines on the front 9 holes and 7/8" hollow tines on the back 9 holes.

Photo from 2002 - View of the Clubhouse and the lake from 18 tee

Photo from 2002 - View of the lake on hole 18

Audubon Update

Feathered Friends

After several months of Koots, Geese and assorted ducks, we are all ready for them to migrate.  It's nice being able to provide a safe haven for all the different species of waterfowl during the winter. The downfall to this is the enormous amount of droppings they leave behind.  You may notice my crew spending a lot of time cleaning, blowing and sweeping the course this time of year.  We clean these areas daily, but it's hard to keep up with the mess.  The birds will start to migrate at the end of the month and the grass will recover.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

March of the Koots

Koots on the Driving Range

Canadian Geese Hole #2

Canadian Geese Hole #3

Mallards and American Wigeons

Audubon Update

Two Steps Closer To Certification

I am pleased to announce we are getting closer to our certification in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses.   The two categories we acheived certification in are:

Water Quality Management

Outreach and Education

The last category we need to complete is Wildlife and Habitat Management.  Thank You to LeaAnn Ogden for compiling our wildlife inventory list, and to the many homeowners located around the course that have hung bird and hummingbird feeders along the golf course property.  If you are interested in helping us promote our wildlife, contact myself or Lea Ann to become involved.  

Hole #2

Hole #2

Hole #7

Hole #7

Weather Update

The Frost is Delayed

Is it November? You wouldn't think so with the warm days we've had.  It's looking like winter is coming late this year. I hope everyone is taking advantage of this beautiful weather and enjoying the golf course.  With temperatures in the 80's, who wouldn't want to golf this time of year?  We've had a few cold days, and it feels like spring again, but the night temperatures are starting to fall. The Weather Channel is calling for low temperatures in the 30's by this weekend, and you know what that means. The frost is on it's way.

We've had a few cold nights and a touch of frost the past few weeks, but nothing heavy.  You will notice the warm season bermudagrass is starting to off color and shut down for the winter.  The cool season grasses have slowed down a bit, but tend to hold color later into the winter than warm season grasses. The plant is starting to shut down for the winter, and is storing nutrients in the root system for next spring.  The grass is susceptable to damage this time of year, mainly from the frost.  It's not the frost that hurts the plant, but golf cart and human traffic, driving or walking on the grass, which causes the damage.

Frost delays, why are they necessary? Frost poses the most serious threat to turf health and appearance during winter months. Unfortunately, there is really only one way to avoid frost damage, and that is to avoid all traffic from golfers to golf carts to maintenance equipment until the frost has melted. When weight is applied to frosted turf in the form of foot and vehicular traffic, damage will result.  This is because frost transforms turf from a soft, springy surface to a fragile, brittle surface that cracks when pressure is applied causing the cells of the plant to rupture.  Traffic on frosty turf results in damage that appears 2-3 days later.  Turf is slow to recover, leaving unsightly brown areas for weeks or even months.

We ask for your continued support and patience during frost delays because it is only for the protection of the golf course.  We may ask that you keep your golf cart on the cart paths until you reach a particular hole or time. We've begun 9:00 AM weekend shotguns to avoid delays.  The frost is mostly melted by that time and safe for golfers to play.  We do have the occasional day where the frost hangs on until 9:30 - 10:00 and may have to delay your start, but know we always try to get the golfers out as quickly as possible.

Here are a few examples of frost damage I pulled off the web.  This is not our golf course.

Frost Damage

Frost Damage

Frozen Footprints

Maintenance Update

Aerification Update

We have completed fairway and rough aerification on the front 9. We will be taking a break during the week of October 15 - October 21 due to the upcoming Men's Club Member/Guest tournament. The tournament will be held Friday the 19th through Sunday the 21st of October.  This gives us the opportunity to focus on other areas and prep the course for the tournament.  There are still plenty of open spots available.  Check with Gregg or Johnny in the pro shop if you are interested in playing.
Aerification will resume on the back 9 starting Monday October 22nd. Thank you for your patience during this process. I know it can get a little messy with all those plugs around.  Remember, it is for the long term health of the turf.