Since my last post the weather has done an about face and pretty much shut down the 2012 golf season. Unless the temperatures rise dramatically next week I think it is safe to assume we will not reopen. However, you never know.
Good news on the paving. Answer Asphalt has finished their work as planned but the curbing and finish work will have to wait until next spring. We are doing some prep work before the ground freezes too hard so that we have a head start next year. 2 extensions to the existing asphalt at 13 tee and 15 green did not get started but we will take care of those small areas next spring as well. One note to consider. The section of path that leads down beside the first tee and then splits toward #18 will be paving stone instead of asphalt. It will be a tight fit stone that matches the colors we are using on the course.
On the winter preparation front we finished blowing out the irrigation system late Friday and finished the final fungicide applications on the course Saturday afternoon. It was a very hectic few days but it felt great to get it all done. We didn't know what was to come this week and as it turns out we made the right choice to complete the work and not wait for a possible return to warmer weather.
The 6th green will have the bubble wrap, venting and non permeable tarp installed in due time. I want the surface completely frozen so that plant respiration is at it lowest rate before being covered. Throughout the winter we will monitor oxygen and carbon dioxide levels under the cover and blow in fresh air if necessary. In my preference I hope we have a cold, snowy winter so that the other greens are well protected. We will post a video of the installation process on the internet that may help you understand the procedure.
The 150 yard dwarf spruce trees have been removed from the course. They are root bagged, in the maintenance facility and available to the membership for free to pickup anytime. They were removed as required for the LPGA tournament next summer and the holes are being back filled and sodded at present.
Lastly but not least we have planted 5 trees between the short game practice area and the back of the 10th tee and cut down the driving range greens so they look more like real targets. If it warms up we will remove sod on the perimeter of the greens and lay down a thin layer of bunker sand to make them look more realistic for next season.
All for now,
Wade
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Course Update - Paving and Winter Preparations
If you have been out to the course in the last few days you will have noticed intensive work by Answer Asphalt on the remaining back nine cart paths as well as the first tee and the 9th green. They have been working from dawn to dusk and the paths should be ready for paving next week providing the weather cooperates.
Regarding the washout issue behind the 9th green we were able to replace the cracked concrete drainage with plastic storm pipe after Answer removed the old asphalt for us. We also made a change at #11 that will improve the look and playability of the hole to the left of the green. The path has been moved into the spruce trees and the old path will be sodded up to the tree line. No more railroad tie curb and an extra 10 feet of turf to hit from should you end up left of the bunker.
It is too late in the season to pour any concrete curbing but Curb Craft will be here first thing in the spring to complete their work. We will follow up immediately with soil back filling, step install and sod work. The paving stone side outs for the ballwashers and benches will be the final step.
The irrigation system was scheduled to be blown out today and Friday but due to circumstances beyond our control we will have to continue the process into the weekend. My apologies but the company that we rent from did not deliver the compressors until Thursday afternoon.
As soon as water is cleared from each hole we will be sending out the sprayers to treat the fairways with winter protection fungicides. High winds and threat of rain may dictate otherwise but if you do see the notification signs or the sprayers please keep in mind that chemicals may be on the turf and you should wash your hands after your round. Call me at 203-4211 if you have any concerns or questions.
I hope you get a chance to get out soon because it looks like the weather is turning for the worse. Lets hope it warms up again so we can all stay out on the course for another week or so. I will be posting a blog outlining our test for covering and monitoring the 6th green so look for it in the next week or so.
All for now,
Wade
Regarding the washout issue behind the 9th green we were able to replace the cracked concrete drainage with plastic storm pipe after Answer removed the old asphalt for us. We also made a change at #11 that will improve the look and playability of the hole to the left of the green. The path has been moved into the spruce trees and the old path will be sodded up to the tree line. No more railroad tie curb and an extra 10 feet of turf to hit from should you end up left of the bunker.
It is too late in the season to pour any concrete curbing but Curb Craft will be here first thing in the spring to complete their work. We will follow up immediately with soil back filling, step install and sod work. The paving stone side outs for the ballwashers and benches will be the final step.
The irrigation system was scheduled to be blown out today and Friday but due to circumstances beyond our control we will have to continue the process into the weekend. My apologies but the company that we rent from did not deliver the compressors until Thursday afternoon.
As soon as water is cleared from each hole we will be sending out the sprayers to treat the fairways with winter protection fungicides. High winds and threat of rain may dictate otherwise but if you do see the notification signs or the sprayers please keep in mind that chemicals may be on the turf and you should wash your hands after your round. Call me at 203-4211 if you have any concerns or questions.
I hope you get a chance to get out soon because it looks like the weather is turning for the worse. Lets hope it warms up again so we can all stay out on the course for another week or so. I will be posting a blog outlining our test for covering and monitoring the 6th green so look for it in the next week or so.
All for now,
Wade
Monday, October 8, 2012
This Week Will Be Busy
The course aeration is complete aside from the rough which we will be solid tined throughout October and early next season. The back nine greens need a day or two of brushing, blowing and mowing to match the front nine due to the delay we experienced last week. Overall I am very pleased with the results even though the holes and some sand will be present into next spring. Well worth it in order to maintain good putting surfaces for the entire month of September.
The Tee House construction begins this week as Kellerdenali will be on site by Wednesday. Access to the 10th tee will not be affected but caution will be required when travelling on the cart path. A portion of the parking lot will be fenced off for the construction company and their equipment.
At the same time Answer Asphalt will be arriving on the golf course later this week to begin paving the remainder of the back nine paths as well as next to the first tee and around the 9th green. Their trucks, excavators and paving equipment will be present and in operation while we are open so please be mindful of their presence.
Towards the end of the week as the weather improves the first winter fungicide application will go down on greens, tees and approaches. Notification will be posted on both nines. If you would like further information on the product we are using please call me @ 780-203-4211. Fairways will be treated next week and will require 2 or 3 days of fairly decent weather to complete the task.
Finally we will be giving the greens, fairways and rough one more mowing cycle to keep the turf trimmed for remaining play into the last half of October. And of course, leaf cleanup will be ongoing for what seems like forever. Also please excuse the condition of the bunkers as they are not up to our usual standards. Time is running out and we need to concentrate our efforts and remaining staff in other areas.
The Tee House construction begins this week as Kellerdenali will be on site by Wednesday. Access to the 10th tee will not be affected but caution will be required when travelling on the cart path. A portion of the parking lot will be fenced off for the construction company and their equipment.
At the same time Answer Asphalt will be arriving on the golf course later this week to begin paving the remainder of the back nine paths as well as next to the first tee and around the 9th green. Their trucks, excavators and paving equipment will be present and in operation while we are open so please be mindful of their presence.
Towards the end of the week as the weather improves the first winter fungicide application will go down on greens, tees and approaches. Notification will be posted on both nines. If you would like further information on the product we are using please call me @ 780-203-4211. Fairways will be treated next week and will require 2 or 3 days of fairly decent weather to complete the task.
Finally we will be giving the greens, fairways and rough one more mowing cycle to keep the turf trimmed for remaining play into the last half of October. And of course, leaf cleanup will be ongoing for what seems like forever. Also please excuse the condition of the bunkers as they are not up to our usual standards. Time is running out and we need to concentrate our efforts and remaining staff in other areas.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
AERATION UPDATE
The weather last night and today has resulted in a postponement of the back nine greens aeration. Besides being too wet around the perimeter of the greens it would be asking a lot of my staff to work in these conditions and to get the most out of their efforts. The greens themselves, being sand based, wouldn't be too difficult to clean up but we are also aerating collars and some areas of rough close to the greens and that would result in mud. Moving equipment around with our close proximity side banks would also result in skidding and control issues.
Wednesday is the first round of Men's League playoffs so we will wait until Thursday to finish the back 9. We can then use the time tomorrow to take care of the golf course in terms of course setup, some mowing and more leaf cleanup. The high winds late Monday messed up the leaf situation and brought down a few trees.
Back to the aeration. We used a 5/8 inch hollow tine and it punches a pretty big hole in the turf. However we are removing a decent percentage of organic matter as recommended by Dave Doherty of ISTRC. Unfortunately it is difficult to completely fill the holes with enough sand in one topdressing application with the equipment at our disposal. That is why we will be topdressing the greens again after the sand has settled into the holes and the turf surface (which happened after last night's rainfall). Therefore if conditions permit the front nine greens will be topdressed again on Wednesday morning. This should help with playability. Keep in mind that the holes will not completely close up for the remainder of the golf season. The growth rate is too low in October.
Other areas of the course will also see some additional topdressing in the next week or 2 as well. This is all part of our regular topdressing program for tees, approaches and now fairways. The applications will be light and non intrusive.
If anyone has questions or concerns regarding our aeration/topdressing program this month please feel free to contact myself or our General Manager, Mr. Hudyma. Short term pain, long term gain. We've all heard that line but in this case it has significant meaning. Thank you for your patience as we complete the aeration process for 2012.
Wade
Wednesday is the first round of Men's League playoffs so we will wait until Thursday to finish the back 9. We can then use the time tomorrow to take care of the golf course in terms of course setup, some mowing and more leaf cleanup. The high winds late Monday messed up the leaf situation and brought down a few trees.
Back to the aeration. We used a 5/8 inch hollow tine and it punches a pretty big hole in the turf. However we are removing a decent percentage of organic matter as recommended by Dave Doherty of ISTRC. Unfortunately it is difficult to completely fill the holes with enough sand in one topdressing application with the equipment at our disposal. That is why we will be topdressing the greens again after the sand has settled into the holes and the turf surface (which happened after last night's rainfall). Therefore if conditions permit the front nine greens will be topdressed again on Wednesday morning. This should help with playability. Keep in mind that the holes will not completely close up for the remainder of the golf season. The growth rate is too low in October.
Other areas of the course will also see some additional topdressing in the next week or 2 as well. This is all part of our regular topdressing program for tees, approaches and now fairways. The applications will be light and non intrusive.
If anyone has questions or concerns regarding our aeration/topdressing program this month please feel free to contact myself or our General Manager, Mr. Hudyma. Short term pain, long term gain. We've all heard that line but in this case it has significant meaning. Thank you for your patience as we complete the aeration process for 2012.
Wade
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