Preventative

Each fall we spray certain areas of our turf as a preventative measure against snow mold. While we could "prepare for the worst and hope for the best", that would not be prudent with regards to following sound Integrated Pest Management practices, nor would it be economically smart. Instead, we take an approach that prepares us for an average winter snowfall. We have many areas throughout the course which hold snow a majority of the winter and we treat these areas to prepare for that. On a winter like we have experienced in 2011-2012, MOST of the course held snow all winter which means we will have an above average incidence of snowmold. As you can see from the photo above, the area that is green was sprayed and you can see where the sprayer was shut off as well as the surrounding snowmold.

Energy Use

A year ago I was glad to report we were 17% down in kilowatt use from 2009 to 2010 in our maintenance department. Well, I am once again bringing good news in the fact we have lowered our kilowatt use another 4%! Controlling the thermostat and turning off the lights has been a large savings but in addition to saving energy in our maintenance facility, the bigger savings has been out on the golf course where water savings and creating more efficient irrigation computer programs has translated into significant reduction in kilowatts. These savings excite me to see how far we can take this initiative. The great part about our savings is that it translates into monetary savings, which is nice.

#15 Creek

We have started to make some minor renovations to #15 creek. This is generally a "dry creek bed" but serves as a waterway during the spring snowmelt as well as after rain events. Over time, the creek has been filled with silt and sand, most of which comes from the winter road sand. The last time we cleaned out the creek was in 2005, so as you can see from the before and after photos, it really builds up over time. Other areas of the creek have eroded due to a few violent storms in recent years so as a part of this project we will also be repairing some of these areas.

Due to the depth of frost in the ground, we have put this process on-hold. Once the ground has a chance to soften we will continue the renovation process and plan on completing the project by April 1st.

 

 

 

 

Snow Removal

The time has come to remove the snow off our "Back Four" greens. Holes 12-15 are really in a different climate than the rest of the course. They are very shaded and are in what we refer to as a "mountain valley". In short, the cold air settles in this are of the course due to it's elevation, so not only is it shaded, it can also be as much as also five to ten degrees colder each morning. These factors cause the snow to build up over the coarse of the winter. Being from Minnesota, I call this region of our property my "Little Minnesota".

So, as we near the month of March, the rest of the course typically clears/melts of snow with the holes 12-15 remaining in a cold and snowy state. As a result, we need to remove the snow from the greens so they have a head start on the rest of the holes in the melting game. A second reason we remove the snow is expose the ice below to the sun. The freeze/thaw cycles of winter tend to build up the ice below and if left for too long may cause suffocation and eventual turf death.

Winter Time

Refurbishment of tee markers.

Snowblowing paths to prevent ice build-up from residents packing them down

Course monitoring (ice layers, dry bunker capes, and wildlife!)

Budget forecasting, fertility, and cultural practice planning.
...and even an occasional hole is dug to install a pop-up zone or repair a broken gate valve!

A Photo Album - 2011

Please enjoy the Youtube of various photos I've taken in the past year or so.