Tee House, #6 Green and Ice Skating

The Tee House construction continues to progress with the services to be installed by directional drilling in the near future. By services I mean the sewage, water, power, natural gas and communication connections. Windows are scheduled to be installed soon as well. The picture below is from December 19. The picture is a mirror image though due to my lack of computer skills

We will be clearing the snow off the ice on #10 in the early January. It is in rough shape at present so we will have to flood the surface for a week or so before it can be "tested" for skating. The ice was still unsafe to be on as off the past week. The predicted cold weather over Christmas season should create safe conditions.

We have been monitoring the air temperatures under the large bubble wrap and ice shield covering the 6th green. Temperatures have been fairly constant at -1.4 to -1.2 C. Probably the same as every other area on the course. The 20 or so inches of snow cover acts as a very good insulator to hold in heat radiating from below the surface. We have been blowing in fresh air under the cover approximately every 10 days (just to be sure). The following video shows the snow rising and cracking along the air tubes and rising a few feet on the front half of the green. When the blowers are shut off the forced air diffuses laterally under the ice shield as the weight of the snow cover pushes the tarp back down.The next time out I will peek under the edge of the cover where we are blowing the air in and see whats up under there. So far so good.

Wishing all of you Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Wade, Eric, Dave, Ian and Maureen

On The Course In December

Yes there is actually something going on out on the course. As follows:

• The ski trails are being groomed as conditions warrant. We are getting positive feedback so unless we hear otherwise the trail will remain as set. I think we're learning. I'm going to hit the track myself  to see if I can get around without collapsing.

• ArborCare Tree Service will be pruning  select elm and poplar trees over the next week. Unfortunately the lift truck will interfere with some small sections of the ski trail. We will reset the track after they have completed their work. In the meantime please avoid the truck and the workers by skiing around the site if necessary. Sorry for the inconvenience but winter is the only time we can deal with the elm trees as per City bylaws.

• The Tee House construction is well under way now that the concrete floor has been laid down. I will post progress pictures beginning today.

• The greens were cleared of the initial snowfall as previously mentioned and as of now they are covered with approximately 16 inches of good snow cover. Keep snowing and stay cool is the hope for the next few months. The 6th green (covered with bubble wrap and an ice shield) is being monitored for CO levels and temperature. Our twice weekly checks show the temperature staying at -1.4 C. Good for now.

• A few members have inquired about skating on the pond at #10. We plan on trying to clear and then flood a section in January. The ice should be thick enough by then. I will follow the City Of Edmonton's lead on this one. I'm on ice a lot but inside where its fairly predictable. Its been awhile since any of us have prepared outdoor ice so it will be a work in progress. Learning for next winter we hope.

All for now,

Wade 

A Difficult Fall - So Far.

A lot has gone on regarding the weather and our golf course since my last blog posting. Before I review the last 2 weeks I am glad to report that all the 150 yard spruce trees were picked up by the membership, the Tee House work is well underway and we will begin laying down cross country ski trails later this week. Remember to stay away from greens, tees and the pond slopes. If you follow the track we lay down there will be no issues. Hopefully the trail isn't too difficult this year. We are trying to avoid steep slopes and sharp turns. Your feedback is welcome as we can always change the route if need be.

If you recall the weather conditions in late October it was very cold and the golf course froze hard. It then snowed about 6 inches around the 26th of the month. That amount of snow in late fall was nice to see but was worrisome. That worry being a warm spell or the threat of rain. The rain came first and created a 1/4 inch ice layer on top of the snow. That was fine, we could live with that as there was plenty of light, air filled snow underneath. Last Friday the game changed. It rained that evening and then it rained again Saturday. On Sunday the temperature shot up well above the freezing mark. Enough was enough. We decided to remove the degraded crusty snow off of the putting surfaces. It was easier said than done. It took 2 days using 2 snow-blowers, shoveling behind them and removing patchy ice that was present, either form animal tracks or melting snow. By late Tuesday all the greens and collars were free of snow and ice and standing out as islands surrounded by white. Unfortunately there is nothing we could do about the fairways and some tees. Not too worried about the tees but some low areas on fairways had standing water under the crusty snow. That will freeze and probably kill some turf depending on the variety of grass in these areas. Difficult to guess right now. Another issue may be the snow we moved off to the sides of the greens. It is hard and heavy and may damage some surrounds due to ice buildup. Considering the alternative I can live with that.

Going home late Tuesday we felt a big sense of relief as the greens were looking good. However, the forecast for freezing rain at the time tempered the mood. Fortunately that didn't occur. I am happy to say the heavy snow we just received is exactly what we needed. The greens are now protected with a very good layer of snow. We are not out of the woods yet but it is going to take very warm weather to cause damaging ice formation. Can it happen? Maybe, but I'm going with the odds of winter being here to stay.

I know I mentioned a video of the covering process on 6 green. I thought of it after we finished. Too late. Maybe next year. I will eventually post a link to Greywolf Golf Course where they have  a good video of the procedure. We are monitoring the temperature underneath the cover/bubble wrap and it is below zero. All good for now.

In closing I thought I'd mention we still have some split wood available for pickup. Call ahead (780-203-4211) as it may go at anytime.

Wade

What's Happening On The Course?

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

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

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.

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