Picture Recap

Sorry that it's been a few weeks since I have posted anything on the blog.  We have been very busy working out on the course, but I've still been gathering material for the blog, so here is a picture recap of the work we have been doing the past few weeks.

Cleaned out a drain line near 6 fairway that was VERY clogged with roots.

Weeded and Mulched the areas surrounding the 8th and 9th tee.

Flower Delivery.  They are all in the ground now.

Rose bushes are blooming like crazy.  (I know, we didn't actually do that.)

Mice made a cozy home in a satellite box and chewed up all the wires.  This,
combined with a separate issue cause the pond on 14 to overflow and do...

...this.  

It's been a very busy spring for the grounds staff, but I'm starting to feel like we are catching up with the to do list.  Many of the projects on the list have been crossed off, and now we are finally getting in to a normal routine.  I hope to see many of you out on this course this Memorial Day weekend, with the forecast calling for 95 degrees on Sunday, I know that I will be seeing a lot of the course!

Cart Etiquette Reminder

This week we added some directional cart signs to the golf course in order to reduce cart traffic and wear in the approaches and on the greens surrounds.  Please do not drive past these signs as you drive towards the green in the fairway.  Follow the arrow that is on the sign and drive your cart to the nearest cart path that goes around the green.  Also follow these rules when using carts:

• KEEP CARTS AT LEAST 30 FEET FROM ALL GREENS AND TEES
• USE CART PATHS WHENEVER POSSIBLE
• KEEP ALL FOUR WHEELS OF YOUR CART ON THE PATH
• AVOID DRIVING ON BUNKER BANKS AND STEEP SLOPES

Remember that this is your golf course and there are many things you can do to protect it.  Using these guidelines for proper cart usage you can reduce the damage and wear that carts can inflict on the course.

May showers brings May flowers?

After an extremely dry April, mother nature seems determined to make up some lost ground.  In the past week and a half we have received over four inches and rain, and it is still raining here on Monday afternoon.  Until yesterday the rains had been fairly modest, but had been enough to make the golf course green and moist again.  Yesterdays rains were not quite so kind.  A thunderstorm rolled through early in the afternoon dropping .8 inches of rain in just over 30 minutes, and more storms rolled through over night hammering us with another 1.3 inches!  It has been sprinkling for most of the day today with the rain becoming steady at times, not a good way to dry out the course from yesterdays deluges.  The course is completely saturated right now, and the chances of allowing carts on the course tomorrow are pretty slim.  As always, we will be constantly evaluating the cart situation so pray for sun and wind!

Last night's storms were very active with lighting, and this tree on the west side of 18 fairway got the worst of it.  The lightning blew some pretty large chunks off the tree and some of the debris from the tree was thrown 60 feet.  There was also another tree struck by lightning on the fenceline to the south of the 14th hole during the afternoon thunderstorm.  These trees should be a reminder of why it's important to get off the course when there is lightning in the area. 

Bunker Edging

Last week the crew put in some hard work re-establishing the bunker edges that have crept in over the years.  Areas where the grass had grown into the sand were cut out and sand was pushed back up into those areas. 

Some areas where the mechanical bunker rake drives out of the sand were also cut out so that those areas can be sodded.  In order to hold back the sod and the soil that is necessary to recreate the edge, small plywood walls were installed in those spots.  When the course dries out this week, we will add soil and sod to finish up this project.  The plywood walls will have to stay in the ground until the sod has rooted enough to hold onto the soil, which could be a few weeks.