The 2013 Golf Season Ends At The Royal Mayfair

The sudden, overnight change in the weather has closed the course for the year. We had intended to remain open until the end of the month but with snow and rapidly falling temperatures the above decision was fairly straight forward. Yes the snow may melt but it'll be well below zero for the next few nights and the ground will begin to freeze solid, especially in the first few inches.  I've mentioned before about turf damage in the late fall not recovering until next May. Now is not the time to squeeze in a couple of extra days of golf. Now is the time to stop play and allow the course to move into winter without any additional stress added to the system.

This now leads to my next discussion. Some members have talked to me about how many years ago they used to play into November on frozen ground. They couldn't get a tee in the turf and drives would roll down the fairway as if it were a parking lot. Next spring there didn't appear to be any problem. I personally can't speak to that but I do know that golfers expectations have changed over the last 30 years. Long gone are the days of always opening on temporary greens and accepting less than ideal conditions until June. Golfers (and superintendents for that matter) want great conditions right out of the gate. We all publicize and thirst for information as to how the courses overwintered as soon as the snow melts. In addition to preparing for winter that is why throughout most of Alberta, closures usually occur a week or two before the end of the month: to help increase the odds of good spring conditions.

At The Royal Mayfair we have decided to extend play well into late October as long as I feel the course can sustain the pressure. Up until Saturday I was satisfied with that philosophy. The weather was pleasant, the final fungicide applications were complete, the turf is in good shape and the root zone wasn't frozen. However, change is upon us and it's the right time to close the course.

Now we will remove all the golf course accessories, rope off greens that cross country skiers won't stay off of and eventually cover the 6th green. On a side note we are already registering for turf conferences occurring in early 2104 and discussing plans for next summer. More on that later.

In closing I want you to know that this past summer has been the most rewarding year of my career. I am very proud of all we achieved at The Royal Mayfair Golf Club and I hope you are too.


Wade

Winter Preparations Continue

Compared to last October our preparations for winter are progressing at a reasonable pace. For now. I don't trust long range forecasts at this time of year and that is why we will continue spraying until we are finished. The weather is always unpredictable during the transition periods of spring and fall so we need to take advantage of the pleasant weather. Also the new chemicals we are using can be applied earlier than others used in past years so the days of waiting until "the last minute" appear to be over. Of course as I've always said nothing is 100% but we can deal with the unforeseen if and when the time comes.

• The fairways and approaches were completed on Tuesday. You may have noticed that the brass fairway yardage plates have been removed. We don't want them stained by the fungicide and they need to be cleaned up over the winter. 
• Tees will be sprayed today. The yardage plates on the tees are difficult to remove so they will be covered to prevent staining. 
• Greens will be treated on Thursday.
• Greens surrounds and areas of the rough that remain shaded well into the spring will be sprayed on Friday.
• All of the above is weather permitting.

On The Course

• Irrigation blowout was completed late last week and went according to plan.
• All of the roughs will have been solid deep tine aerated by the end of the week.
• Several sodding projects are underway to cleanup some issues from the Women's Canadian Open, repair a few areas damaged by poor drainage and to fill small patches of rough that have been devoid of turf for several years (beside the fairway bunkers on #13 and #14).
• We are making headway with the leaves and with each nice day we get a head start on next spring's cleanup.
• Many of the tee surfaces are showing excess wear and tear due to the dry weather, lack of irrigation and no recovery from divots. As a result the tees will be placed in areas that I feel can sustain play until we close. That means they will be moved forward on all the par 3's. Considering the alternative this is a fair trade off. 
• Surprise. The gold tee on #12 is open for play.

A few members have asked about covering the 6th green. Yes we will be using the same system as last year which will involve blowing air under the tarp / bubble wrap every 2 weeks. However it is far too early to cover the green. The ground must be frozen for several days so that plant respiration is very low. A few weeks at least before we work on that green.

All for now,

Wade

Happy Thanksgiving

We have a lot to be thankful for here in Edmonton. Aside from winter I'm sure most people that have traveled around the world feel pretty fortunate when they return home. Personally I have a great position at The Royal Mayfair, a very competent and dedicated management team and a family that has always supported me during the very busy summers. Happy Thanksgiving.

We are getting closer to wrapping up the 2013 golf season. As each day goes by certain tasks are taken care of that prepare the facility for winter. I've been listing the work in previous blogs but much of what we do goes unannounced and has to do with maintaining turf health in advance of the snow.

Speaking of snow we are currently reviewing our plans for the cross country ski trails and the skating rink on #10. We will have 3 routes laid out on the course this winter to try and accommodate how far or difficult a trail will be. We will post maps and flag the trails as well. I'm looking into new grooming equipment to help keep the trails in good condition. Of course the weather will have to cooperate. We've been learning a little more each winter but your input is still welcome.


On The Course This Week:

• The irrigation system will be cleared (blown out) on Wednesday and Thursday. The weather looks promising (warm and dry) thus we will be giving the entire golf course a thorough watering tonight. This will be the last chance to keep moisture levels at a reasonable percentage until we get a permanent freeze or it snows.
• Fungicide applications will begin Friday on fairways and rough. If the forecast holds we'll take a break over the weekend and continue spraying next Monday. The final application on greens and tees will follow. Notification and signage will be posted as usual.
• There are ruts caused by the crane from the Canadian Open, some cartpath entrances and a few areas in the rough that will be repaired and sodded this week.
• And of course continued leaf removal.

Wade

Life After Aeration

The back 9 greens will be aerated, topdressed and rolled by the end of the day, assuming the weather cooperates. The approaches will also be aerated by the end of the day and we will topdress them tomorrow. That will finish the golf course for the 2013 season. As always there is the odd bit of turf damage around the perimeters. Depending on the weather those minor repairs may take place next spring after the irrigation system is back on and we have a dependable water source to keep any sod alive.

However, there are 2 spots we'll fix this week. Those are the 2 divots on the front left corner of the 8th green. We noticed them early Sunday morning. Many have mentioned the damage and some of you have theories. Here's what Eric and I have surmised. First of all its vandalism not just damage. The person that did it is a pretty good golfer as both divots are perfect and side by side. The same person was likely hitting a wedge over the trees onto the first green. The same person thought it was pretty neat to hit off a green. The same person should maybe play at a municipal golf course where that sort of  damage is a common problem. I know. I worked at a public facility and that type of person cares not for etiquette or the traditions of the game. I told Eric I was over it yesterday and wouldn't give it another thought but after consideration of what the Royal Mayfair stands for it is embarrasing for something like that to happen at a facility such as ours. I can only hope it was not a member that decided to "have some fun".

Divots, ball marks, cart damage, etc. are a fact of life on any golf course and superintendents accept that as part of golf course life. But when vandalism happens sometimes we need to discuss it such as now. I sincerely wish that whoever caused the damage thinks long and hard before doing it again. There, I've said my piece and now I'm over it.


On The Course This Week:

• City water lines are off for the season. The washrooms and drinking fountains are therefore closed. Portable washrooms will be placed at #6 and #17 later today.
• The water feature at the Golf Shop will be winterized and Maureen's gold fish will be released to the wild (lake on 10).
• Greens will be cleaned up throughout the week to help with playability until the end of the season.
• Approaches will be topdressed on Wednesday.
• Lake aerators will be removed from #10 and #18.
• Continued leaf cleanup.

All for now,
Wade

Aeration Update And Some Important Information

Surprise!! The weather didn't cooperate with our best laid plans. A trend that has continued all season long. No matter as we have rescheduled the aeration of greens and approaches to the 7th and 8th of October. The front 9 will be closed on Monday and the back 9 will be closed on Tuesday. We managed to sneak in all the practice greens on Tuesday so all that is left are the 18 greens on the golf course. Enjoy one more weekend of good putting surfaces. The weather actually looks promising after we get by the next couple of days.

Over the next few weeks we will also be solid tine aerating the rough assuming we can stay ahead of the leaf cleanup which will be ongoing until the snow arrives or when the temperatures stay below zero and the ground freezes.

We will be working on the drainage problem at the Tee House beginning tomorrow. Hopefully the problem can be solved by replacing the drain line that leads to the large sump next to the lake edge.


Important Dates to consider:

• Greens aeration - October 7th and 8th.
• Course washrooms and drinking fountains closed for the season - October 7th. Portable washrooms will be brought in.
• Irrigation system blown out - October 16th and 17th.
• Lake aerators removed - October 16th.
• Fungicide applications - beginning October 4th for tees and continuing throughout the month on fairways, greens and some of the rough.

Course Closing:

• On or around the 31st of October. That date will be firmed up as we get closer to the end of the month and the condition of the course is assessed on a day to day basis.

All for now,
Wade