Happy Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Holiday season is finally here.  Thanksgiving gives us a chance to enjoy family, food and a little football.  The golf course has seen a wet, warm autumn and most of the leaves have fallen.  Due to the wet conditions, our staff is having a difficult time with leaf removal.  It is impossible for us to use large blowers and leaf removal equipment so we must stick to smaller equipment.  This obviously slows down the process but we are working hard to keep tees, landing...

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Continuing Education and the Results of a Heavy November Rain

Friday, November 18, 2011

Bobby, Kevin and I traveled to the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association Education Conference and Trade Show.  We each took three classes between Monday and Tuesday covering a wide array of topics associated with our industry.  The Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association does a great job with their enrolled classes, general education and trade show.  The three of us brought home a lot of good ideas that will be implemented on the golf course.  We are very...

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Shutting down the Irrigation System

Friday, November 11, 2011

Today, we began the task of shutting down the irrigation system.  We winterized all essential pieces and parts of the system.  We will still be able to use the system for a few more weeks until we get consistently low night time temperatures.  At that point, we will drain the water out of the entire system.  This is a picture of the control panel for the irrigation system.  In the analogy of the irrigation system being the life blood of the golf course, the pumps in the...

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Cleaning up Around Ponds and Bunker Work

Thursday, November 10, 2011

The staff has been busy this week with leaf cleanup and the removal of undesirable plants around the ponds.  We want to encourage a natural buffer of native aquatic plants around our ponds including sedges, rushes and cattails.  All of these plants have to be managed and any hard woods have to be removed to stop the ponds from re-foresting themselves.  We are now trimmed down to our winter staff.  We have eight full and part time employees that will work through the winter months...

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Frost Delays and Bridge at #16 Green

Thursday, November 03, 2011

It is the time of the year for early morning frost.  When the temperatures dip into the 30's we are prone to frost.  Frost (frozen water in and on the plant) settles on the taller grasses first as they are more exposed and the leaf moisture is further from ground (air cools faster than soil.)  Tighter surfaces such as greens, tees and fairways stay insulated a little longer by the soil.  Once temperatures get into the low 30's we will see frost on these areas as well.  As...

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Deer Activity on #18 Green

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Well its that time of year.  Frost, falling leaves and active deer.  This is the damage that we found this morning on #18 green.  Bobby is working quickly to fix the disturbed area and the green will be ready by the time play gets to it.  No long term damage to the green, just part of being in nature.  There is a heavy frost on the taller grasses but nothing on greens so the golf course is open this morning.  Carts will be restricted to the path until the frost lifts...

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