Electric Storm

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tree on #9 Hit by Lightning Last night's storm had more electricity in it than anything I have ever seen here at Willow Oaks.  The sky was alive with lightning.  Over the course of both storms yesterday we received about 2 inches of rain so the course is very wet and bunkers are very washed.  We also saw something very rare.  A direct lightning strike hit an irrigation pipe at the range and broke the pipe.  Luckily I saw this on my way out and was able to shut the pumps...

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Dry Monday

Monday, September 26, 2011

We are coming out of a wet, humid weekend and might have a few more days of rain this week but today allowed us to get some work done.  We mowed greens, tees, fairways, the driving range, some rough, and the bunker faces.  We also edged bunkers, edged greens, spiked greens and topdressed greens at a rate of 180 pounds of sand per thousand square feet.  The continual topdressing will help the greens grow in and smooth the surface.  The growth of the greens has really picked...

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Tree Work at Tennis

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The large white oak in the tennis patio was removed today.  The tree had the majority of its limbs removed last week for safety reasons.  We will all miss the shade and beauty of the tree but it was becoming a large safety hazard.  Damage sustained during hurricane Irene dealt the final blow to this great tree.  Arborscapes, certified and professional arborists, completed the work today with the help of a crane.  The, tennis staff, the facilities maintenance team and our...

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Cool Season Grass Projects

Monday, September 19, 2011

Core Aerating the Tall Fescue areas in preparation for seed. As we head into the cooler time of the year, we take the opportunity to plant cool season grasses.  Today we aerated and fertilized all of the tall fescue areas on the golf course.  Eventually, most of these areas will be transitioned over to Tifsport or T-10 bermuda grass.  But for now we will be aerating, fertilizing and seeding these areas.  We also overseeded the range tees today.  The side tee and the two...

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Golf Course Update

Friday, September 16, 2011

This is an email that went out to every member today. September 16, 2011Dear Willow Oaks Member,Today marks five weeks since seeding of the greens was completed.  The greens are progressing wonderfully and we are currently mowing at .240".  To put this in perspective, our normal height of cut is .125" (1/8 of an inch) and we began mowing the newly seeded greens at .450" (slightly less than 1/2 inch).  The lower mowing height will encourage lateral growth and allow the creeping Bentgrass to tiller out and improve turf density....

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Monday Projects

Monday, September 12, 2011

We are knocking out a few big projects today.  The group from Arborscapes is here removing the limbs from the large white oak in the tennis patio.  This tree was damaged during Hurricane Irene.  Kevin is applying pre-emergent herbicides to prevent winter weeds and Bobby is applying fungicides to greens to prevent disease and promote turf growth.  The rest of our staff is busy mowing, working in grounds, and applying lime and fertilizer to different areas of the course. ...

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Be Careful What You Wish For

Friday, September 09, 2011

During the month of August, we prayed for rain.  We wished for water to fill the quarry.  We celebrated over .15" of rain and were on the edge of our seats as Jim Duncan predicted even the smallest chance of rain.  Well, the rain dances can stop.  We have received over 8.25" of rain during the last two weeks.  Irene and Lee have deposited more water over this golf course in 10 days than we have seen all year.  The rain has filled the quarry and saturated the golf...

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Flooding Avoided

Thursday, September 08, 2011

We finally received some leniency from Mother Nature and avoided any major flooding.  After 3.7" of rain this week, the golf course is very wet but draining well.  After a quick rise, the river crested at 10.91 feet and is already going down.  The rain has leached all fertility through the greens profile so we will be fertilizing greens tomorrow.  Today we are spraying both contact and systemic fungicides as well as a preventative insecticide.  We are starting to see some...

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River and Rain Update

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

As of 6:30 a.m. this morning we were up to 2 inches of total rainfall over the last two days.  We are currently in the middle of a heavy cell of rain so that number is going up.  The river is currently at 8.95 feet and rapidly rising.  The predictions from the National Weather Service are a little off and the river is rising much faster than expected.  As the graph illustrates, the river has risen over 5 feet in the last few hours.  Hopefully the NWS's current crest prediction...

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Pile it On

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

After an earthquake and a major hurricane, why wouldn't we have two more hurricanes and potential flooding?  Locally, we have received just over .5" of good rain so far from Tropical Storm Lee.  The bad news is that Lee has spawned tornadic activity and dumped loads of rain west of town and will continue to produce heavy rains for the next few days.  This leads to a great potential for flooding.  The national weather service is currently predicting a rise of over 11 feet in the...

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USGA Article and Opening to Temporary Greens

Friday, September 02, 2011

The golf course re-opened today to temporary greens.  The temporary greens are mowed into the fairway about 35 yards in front of the putting greens.  There are no temporary greens on the par 3's and those holes should be skipped.  The pace of play is very fast and should allow for at least some swings and exercise.  The putting greens are progressing nicely and we have mowed them every day this week.  Have a great Labor Day Weekend. Here is the USGA Mid-Atlantic Weekly update:  http://www.usga.org/course_care/regi...

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