Bald Eagles have success!

If you've followed the blog throughout this season you will have read a few posts about wildlife on the grounds of Minikahda, here's our proudest update. About 15 years ago our local tree company built an Osprey platform in one of the tall Cottonwood trees on the east side of hole #7. After having no success with anything nesting on the platform, the effort became all worth wild this year, as a pair of Bald Eagles chose to call it home. With many of us grounds crew guys and members watching the pair all season the intrigue and wonder; it was in our minds if the pair would have any successful offspring. Today was the proud and happy day that brought the answer to that question. While doing some morning maintenance some crew members spotted something on the ground by the tees on #7, it was one of the adult Bald Eagles standing next to it's offspring! Success! Our hopes had come true, the nesting pair of Eagles just two miles from downtown Minneapolis had raised a young one. Below is a couple pictures of 'Junior' checking out the fairway bunker on #7.

Bathrooms Updated

Along with the restoration work in 2002-03 we rebuilt the on course bathrooms. At the time the updates were great and at the time we had decided to use a toilet that would compost the waste, called a Biolet. Unfortunately the toilets were not designed for the high use we have on the golf course. Last year the decision was made to install septic tanks which we are able to pump empty when needed.

This week Kothrade Sewer, from Hanover, MN, installed two 1000 gallon septic tanks and installed new toilets as well. A 10 inch diameter vent stack was added with a roof fan that will create positive air flow and keep any smells to a minimum. The new set-up should be a win-win. The golfers will have a better environment for a pit stop and our staff will no long have to put themselves in close contact to the waste like they did when they had to empty the Biolet toilets. In order to keep the septic tanks cleaned yearly we will bring in Biffs Company to extract the waste and carry it off site.


There is still a little bit of work that needs to be completed, like epoxy the floors, repainting the walls and painting of the vent stack, otherwise the bathrooms are fully functional and ready for use.

Invitational Photos

A nice touch to the beginning of the event. A nice Scottish flair for this old Donald Ross course.
First Assistant Nick Folk setting the tournament hole locations.
Assistant Johnny Jarosz, 27 years at Minikahda and nobody can mow a straighter fairway center cut line than Johnny and I mean nobody.

See what I mean? No lines painted, no GPS necessary, all you need is Johnny with his built in radar.

Conversion Progress Update

So we have been working on converting our greens from their former predominantly poa annua stand to a sward of creeping bentgrass. Beginning in the spring of 2009 we began implementing our change in philosophy and management practices from favoring the poa to favoring the bent. Here are a few photos to show the progressing.

#2 green, April of 2009

#2 green, July 2010

#14 Green, April 2009
#14 Green, July 2010

We have be working with Greenway Golf throughout the process. Does our new management approach work? I think the photos speak for themselves.

The Reason Behind the Madness

Many members might be wondering why are we trying so hard to convert our greens from a stand of poa annua to creeping bentgrass? They say a photo is worth a thousand words, well this photo should pretty much explain it all. The plug on the left is a sample of the creeping bentgrass and the root system associated with it on our tees. The next plug to the right is a sample of the creeping bentgrass roots on the 15th green. The third sample is a combination of creeping bentgrass and poa annua and the last sample on the right is what our current poa annua root system looks like.

In a typical summer the poa roots might not be as short as they our now, due to the fact that all of our cultural maintenance practices would revolve around promoting poa and the poa root system. Currently that is not that case and we are doing all we can to promote creeping bentgrass while striking a balance at growing poa and not losing the density of the plants. We still need to grow grass and provide a playing surface.

Our current scale is tipping a little bit too much towards the bent and we need to bring that back in balance so we don't end up compromising the health and condition of the poa. This is where the art of greenkeeping takes place. It's a fine line to walk some days and as we head into the stressful part of the summer we need to watch things that much more carefully.