#9 Cart Path Project Complete!

The last 'open' project on the course is now complete!  Last week, Flinn Paving got the new path poured and overlayed.  Since we moved the stairs to the center of the tee, the round-about was moved to match up to the stairs. Once Flinn was finished, we graded out the old round-about and sodded it in.  As the sod takes hold, the area will be roped off for the time being.  Thank you for your patience in getting this wrapped up, but it was well worth the wait!

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

New Tee Signs

Thank you to the very generous members and their families for their sponsorship of the new signs.  They have been updated to match the new scorecards and we've added the handicap for the hole on the sign.  There are still several signs available to sponsor, so contact Kevin for more information.  Thank you again for making this happen!

Rough & High Traffic Aerification

With this stretch of wet/cool weather, it makes for perfect conditions to alleviate compacted/high traffic areas by using solid tines and aerifing them.  Andy is getting around the bunker complexes as well as cart path entrance/exits.  We're using 3/4" solid tines and going 2.5-3"  deep.  This makes a huge difference in turf quality, especially come mid summer.

                    

                    

Greens Aerification

Monday we completed the daunting task of greens aerification.  We used 1/2" core tines and went on 1.5" spacing.  That tine size with tight spacing allowed us to remove just under 9% of material which is exactly what we were looking to accomplish.  Tuesday afternoon, we rolled (2x) and mowed greens to smooth them out and clean up excess sand on the surface.  Over the coming days, we will continue to roll greens which will keep them nice and smooth.  If the cool weather forecast holds true, the cool temps will slow down the recovery process, but the greens will be putting true regardless of the temps.

                                 

Clubhouse Landscape & Tee Path Cleanup

As spring rolls on, my crew remains extremely busy not only maintaining the golf course, but freshening up the landscape around the clubhouse and on the course.  The landscape beds on the course have been edged and re-mulched as well as the mulch paths on #4, #8, #13.  Everything is coming together just in time for some beautiful weather this weekend.  Be sure to thank the guys as you see them on the course for their hard work day in and day out.

                             

Stump Grinding & Irrigation System Charged

This week, we got the stumps ground out (40) and will have the shavings cleaned up by weeks end.  In the coming weeks, we'll get the stump holes filled with soil and sodded.  With the wet weather, sod companies can't get in their fields to harvest sod, so we'll have to wait until the weather cooperates for us to complete this task.  Below you can see Andy is decked out in protection and grinding away.

                   

Now is the perfect time to get the irrigation system charged up and to make sure everything is up and running the way it should be.  As always there are some bumps in the road when getting the system pressurized, but as of now, everything is operating the way it should be.  I plan on adding another bank head on the front right of #18 to hit the heavy traffic area going to the path.  We're always tweaking the system trying to get it as uniform and efficient as possible.  All the hours of work now pay off in the summer when its our lifeline.  

          

Covers Pulled, Greens Open

March 8th, greens covers were pulled and greens are officially open for play.  We got them mowed up and fresh cups cut prior to the cold weather setting in over the past weekend.  Everything looks like it survived the snow-less winter, so we're off and running.  Over the next few weeks, we'll be putting the finishing touches on the course cleanup as well as getting the remainder of the course amenities out.  As you can see from the picture below, I owe Jeff Putnam a special thank you for his hard work as he helped pull that ONE staple out for us! 😎