It Won't Look Any Better.......

Getting While You Can

 Over 3" rain last week, everything fertilized, mostly caught up on mowing, and nice weather all combined are making the course look pretty nice.  If the forecast is correct we will be showing moisture stress by this time next week so now would be the best to bring out a guest to show off the place.  I went around and took some pictures of the way things look now and I will use them as a compare and contrast a little later on (again, assuming the forecast for +36 for highs +19 for lows is correct).

Things of late to note could be the tree falling on 2 fairway.

Wedging the Tree Away From Fwy

Giving the Faller a Bit of Help

Removing Logs to the Sawmill

 

Beetle Damage Under the Bark

Both trees were Ponderosa Pine which mostly likely means it was the Western Pine Beetle (vs. Northern).  We've haven't been running a enough fall staff for the last couple years to keep on top of the scouting, falling and removing infected trees and my hunch is there is more out there. 

Update.

No catchy title this time out.  All we've been doing in routine maintenance.  As promised, we aerated and top dressed the collars and aprons around all the greens.  The fairways, roughs, and greens surrounds were all fertilized so expect grass in the next couple weeks.  One thing different is the primary cut of rough we started to do around the greens.  It's not much but it is in response to the survey I put out at the beginning of the year.  Interestingly enough no one has commented on it so it is either not enough or people haven't noticed.  Let me know what you think.

I added another sheet to the Maintenance Standard so take a look at that.  More volunteer work : 18 tee railing and snack shack painting are two recent projects completed by Gord J. and his crew.

We are dealing with some wildlife issue but I don't have any good pictures so that may wait until next time.  Otherwise, aside from the usual equipment issues (finally got the correct shaft for the fairway unit parked behind 15 green) we are bumbling along.

I bet you thought I forgot

I threaten way back at the beginning of the year to create a maintenance standard that outlines the course maintenance.  Obviously, it would be best to have it all done at once but this year (most years, it seems) has been tight on office time once the season got going.  I will place an evolving draft copy in the clubhouse next to the handicap computer for your reading pleasure.  Ideally, a standard would be developed by numerous individuals from a good cross section of golfing members, manager, and directors.  That is a lot of people to get together for a number of meetings.  Instead I used the online survey people filled out this spring as the bench mark for the basic maintenance practices.  I've furthered "fleshed" out the maintenance practices to provide information as a reference in the event there is a question regarding any of the maintenance.  Take a look and I'll tweak it as I get more done.

Golf course wise it's been a typical spring with disease, hydraulic leaks, snow, snapped axles, cracked frames, and lots of seed head on the greens and fairways (take a look at the right of #4 fairway by the big tree; there is so much seed head the grass hardly looks green!).  The mechanic has been swamped with our "new" used equipment starting to show some of why it was traded in not to mention all the sh*t he has to repair on our old stuff.  The only thing really working out, and I know I've said this before, is the staff.  Not having to train or baby sit opens me up to filling in on the course where we have man power gaps.

This month we will try to catch up on some of the stuff delayed for various reason (aerating  and top dressing collars and top dressing greens).  Extra ordinary projects we've undertaken (completing the #7 mini irrigation expansion and re-fencing the maintenance compound) have kept us busy as well.

Volunteer work this month will be highlighted on the deck and in the beds around the club house as all the plants and pots were planted by a group players on their own time.  Take a look.