Wrapping Up the Wire Install on #4

Thursday, December 06, 2012

The wire on #4 has been installed and our trench and installation have passed inspection from the city.  Our team is now in the process of backfilling the trench, tamping the soil and relaying the sod.  This process should be finished by Monday afternoon.  The team from Farmer's Electric will be back on site this week to make the electrical hookups at the fan and the electrical panel adjacent to the fourth tee.  Once their team is finished, the project will be subject to a final...

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Running Fan Wire

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

If you play the golf course this week and for the rest of the winter you will see signs of our team installing wires across the golf course for the installation of fans.  The first wire will have to run all the way from #4 tee complex to the back of the fourth green.  This is a 1400 foot run and will take a few weeks as every section has to be inspected by the city.  Our team is doing the work while our electrician is overseeing the work and hooking the wire to the electrical panel...

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Preparing for a busy Winter

Friday, November 16, 2012

The final winter preparations have been made to the irrigation system and all other electrical components on the golf course.  Our team has covered the fans and disconnected all irrigation satellite boxes.  We are beginning to replace missing or damaged yardage caps on sprinkler heads and have drained the system to prevent freeze damage.  The professionals from ProPumps and Cannon's Service were on site last week to break down the more complex components of the irrigation pumps and...

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Hurricane Sandy

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The golf course and the club held up very well throughout the last 48 hours of storms.  No trees fell and the golf course really handled the 1.75" of rain very well.  It has still been raining all morning but it appears that the worst is past us.  We should all be very thankful as many of our northern neighbors suffered greatly during this storm. Monday was productive but today is really to wet to do too much work.  Our team is busy cleaning up from the storm and will be doing...

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Preparing for Sandy

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The forecasts are still varied but it looks like Hurricane Sandy will hit the DelMarVa peninsula and greatly affect the Mid-Atlantic.  Flooding of the James River is not a major concern right now but obviously this is subject to change.  We anticipate downed trees and power outages and we have prepared all of our equipment, chain saws, fuel storage, etc. for such an event.  The club is undergoing preparations to have power for essential operations and will always make every effort to operate as normal.  We will be updating the...

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The Fall Golf Swing

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

We are currently in a busy time for golf, outings, and tournaments.  Our workload and staff size is shrinking and with shorter, colder days the bermudagrass has more or less stopped growing.  Our main focus this time of year is golf course preparation and leaf removal.  Projects are kept to a minimum for the most part and our real focus is on golf course maintenance. The holes from the drill and fill process are starting to disappear.  They have been a real eyesore and took...

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Fall is Here

Monday, October 01, 2012 Putting Greens, Tree Work

Fall is here and with it the typical projects, weather, and surprises.  Yesterday morning at 8:00 a.m., half of the large willow oak between the clubhouse putting green and #1 tee fell down.  This tree is very old and had a significant amount of work performed over the years to allow it to stand as long as it did.  Thank goodness no one was underneath it.  Arborscapes was quick to survey the damage on Sunday and their crew was out this morning to help with cleanup.  Over...

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Successful Divot Party

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Many thanks to the members that came out and filled divots on the golf course last night.  Our group was able to fill all of the fairway divots on the top 9 golf holes.  I would like to recognize the members who came out last night because I failed to take a picture.  Thank you Chuck Ditsler, Joe O'Hare, Lee Parker, Mike Mikeska, and Tom Cavanaugh for coming out and helping make the golf course better.  Many thanks as well to Richard and Tammy White for their hard work filling...

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Divot Party Monday September 17, 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Ladies and Gentlemen, You are cordially invited to participate in our seasonal divot party.  The course walk and divot party will take place on Monday September 17 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.  The goal of Monday's event will be to fill divots on fairways and tees on the top 9 golf holes.  (Holes 1, 2, 18, 9-14) The event should take about 2 hours and will be rescheduled in the event of bad weather.  Thank you and we look forward to the event, Course Care Committee Joe...

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Drill and Fill

Thursday, September 06, 2012

The Drill and Fill process was completed over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.  Luckily, we finished late last night after two very long days because most of today was a rain out.  The process went overall very smoothly and we learned a lot of lessons for next year.  The machines consist of 24, 1 inch drill bits that drill down into the green and pull out the old material.  The sand then fills the new holes with fresh sand.  Any holes that were not perfectly filled,...

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The Loss of a Friend and Mentor

Friday, August 31, 2012

If you are a consistent reader of this blog, the name Stanley Zontek should ring a bell.  Stan has been our USGA Green Section Agronomist for the past 4 years.  Stan has been a friend, mentor, and overall support system for our team over the years and specifically last year.  Stan has made countless visits, scheduled and unscheduled to consult, advise and just generally check on things.  On Tuesday morning, Stan passed away after a massive heart attack.  He will be sorely...

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Drill and Fill Q & A

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Next week (September 4-6) is the scheduled time for fall core aeration.  This year we are adding a second process to core aeration known as drill and fill.  The green committee sent out this Q and A letter this morning addressing the process and purpose. Have a great day, Jordan Booth jbooth@willowoakscc.org Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...

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What Happens on Closed Days?

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Today was a scheduled closed day for maintenance and fairway topdressing.  This scheduled fairway topdressing was cancelled and the funds slated for topdressing were reappropriated for the drill and fill process next month.  We still made the most of the closed day. First and foremost, we took the opportunity to spray our winter weed pre-emergent herbicide.  The pre-emergent herbicide prevents winter weeds and specifically poa annua on tees, fairways, and surrounds.  You may...

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Fall Aeration and Care of the Course Event

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Labor Day is less than a month away and with it brings the routine practice of fall core aeration.  This process will be completed over three closed days, September 4, 5, and 6.  This will really breathe fresh air back into the greens and allow complete recovery from a long, hot summer.  During this time of aeration, another agronomic practice will take place known as Drill and Fill.  This process is basically a large scale core aeration.  Our typical core aeration removes a 1/2" diameter core about 3-4 inches deep. ...

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Sprigs Growing in Well

Thursday, August 02, 2012

It is finally August and I felt like July would never end.  July showed its teeth this year as it was the 2nd hottest July on record.  The rain over the past few nights has been well received and the course is responding well to it.  Our project work is wrapping up and by next week, all of the sod that will be installed to the left of #9 will be finished.  Mulch bed installations will continue in that area and over time we will find a balance between a natural area and bermudagrass. ...

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Great Staff/Great Effort after Rainfall and High Temperature Forecast

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 Putting Greens, Tree Work

This summer has already been an adventure.  Afternoon and nightly thunderstorms seem to be the norm with very erratic temperatures.  Today is supposed to be in the high 80s with Thursday and Friday near 100.  What does this mean when we received a storm last night?  It means that our managers are here this morning venting and spiking greens and then applying a root pythium fungicide.  I have to thank our assistant superintendents for putting in the work to protect the golf...

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Three Closed days for Fairway Aeration and Topdressing

Monday, July 16, 2012 Fertility, Projects, Putting Greens, Tree Work

Well the last month or so has been a whirlwind per our typical Richmond summer.  A typical summer to me means to expect anything and everything.  Between a drought, a heat wave and now frequent severe storms, we have been living a little on edge to say the least.  The sprigs have loved the heat and the rest of the golf course has handled the weather decently.  Not great, not bad.  Greens 3, 4, 10, and 13 were core aerated today to help speed the recovery of stressed, thin...

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