A Sneak Peak

Let's face it, its officially spring and we have the itch to get back to work on the golf course.  But based on the temperatures this past month Mother Nature has other plans.  Today was the first day we were able to pull up the greens covers in a few locations and take a sneak peak at the greens.  There were only three greens we could pull the covers up enough to crawl under.  All other greens just have too much snow on them.  

The turf on greens 2, 5, and 18 looked fantastic.  Granted the total area we observed was probably less than a total of 500 sq.ft., what we observed was exactly what we where hoping to see.  The turf had excellent color from the leaf tips to the crowns.  Although the poa annua had a slightly yellowish color compared to the creeping bentgrass, we were very pleased with the visible health of these three greens.

Based on the 10 day forecast we looking at covers remaining on the greens for at least another week.  If conditions change we may be looking at the week of April 7th to remove covers.  It's always difficult to make predictions to far in advance this time of year so obviously we will make our decisions on a day by day basis and bring seasonal staff in as soon as the weather allows.

The entire course has a consistent covering of snow at this time, but there are a few select areas where fairway turf is visible.  This photo is from the beginning of the 14th hole.  The creeping bentgrass looks fantastic.  No winter desiccation and no signs of snow mold.  If all the fairways emerge from winter in this condition we will be off to a good start this spring. 

At this point during the winter season (even though it is officially spring) we are very pleased with our observation of the current turf condition.  Now if we could just get some warmer temperatures and some snow melt we will be heading in the right direction.  

Winter Detail Projects

During the winter months we always try to find one or two projects where we can improve upon our course accessories.  If you've been following the blog you know we made a complete conversion of our previous cart traffice blocks to Ipe wood.  Ipe wood is consistent with our tee markers, benches, cooler stands and tee tables on the 1st and 10th tee.  After examining our old 150 yard stakes we felt it would be wise to upgrade the cedar stakes, that had been painted white, to the ipe wood.   

Typically we use the 150 stakes to indicate hole locations on the green, indicating the front, middle and back locations.  On the previous stakes a colored plastic cap was utilized.  The trick for this process was to find a way to use the Ipe wood and have an interchangeable cap and one that would fit properly on the wood without spinning. 

We created a notch in the stake and cap with an inserted spike that allows the cap to fit perfectly on the main 150 stake.  The Ipe wood 150 stake is now consistent with all other wood products on the golf course.  

Based on the extended weather forecast as well as the 12-18" of snow that continue to cover the land, we have plenty of time for additional projects around the maintenance facility.  We've grown tired of the color of the office hallways, locker room and bathrooms consequently we decided to change the paint color and replace the old base molding.  Alyssa did a wonderful job and we are all pleased with the color selection we made.

 Framed copies of the original Ross Prints are proudly displayed in the hall of the Turfgrass Management Facility.