Take a look:
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| Acutally, I took this March 30 but close enough to April 1st |
What's crazy is how close this is to April 2017 (Go Here) and in that year we opened a funked up 9 hole routing on April 22nd so........
My spider sense has been telling me we are similar to last year even though it may not look like it elsewhere on the course. However, unlike last year all the greens we've cleaned off to date look good with no disease but there is one or two "bobcat burps" from the tires. All the front greens except old PG and #8 are clear; 12 to 17 on the back still have snow (except to 15 which is clear). I'll admit the blowing has gone slow relative to last year and that may be due to the amount of snow or that fact that surfaces are starting to thaw and with very little ice we need to use the small track blowers to remove snow vs. the bobcat to keep from damaging more surfaces.
As I get a look at more greens next week I may be more comfortable in believing the sh*tty fall we had in 2015 and 2016 did have an impact on disease levels those following springs....but rehashinbg the past has more to do with making me feel better and nothing with the here and now.
When we are not taking off snow Neil and myself have been cleaning up the overgrown potentilla and caragana's at the clubhouse and parking lot; a task that has been on my radar for a few years but the bad springs over the past couple years meant I had to focus my attention elsewhere. Obviously, working in those areas is awkward with traffic and people so the temporary trashy looking gate I put up at the bottom of the driveway has helped in keeping the lookey-loos and the pot smoking high school punks from getting in our way. We will remove the barrier and chain very soon but I plan to install a more formal gate at the bottom of the driveway at one point this summer since it does address the security issue of random people using the isolated parking lot for doing naughty things late at night.
Despite my threats I've been dragging my feet on removing that Ponderosa on the left edge of 4 green but pictures like this one keep reminding me of why it needs to go so don't be shocked or surprised when it's no longer there.
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| Picture from last year showing disease in the tree shadow |
As I already said, we will continue to remove snow from the remaining greens as the weather permits and continue to speed spring along. Feel free to drop by and go for a walk to check out the course but no mischievous going ons or hanky-panky in the parking lot!
An addendum for those of you down south....
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| April 4, -7 and 15 cm of new snow has altered my optimistic projection regarding possible opening date... |
