Course Notes, 3/1/18

Happy March to everyone!  With the bright sunshine and warmer temperatures we have experienced in the last week, the greener sights of turf have brought the beginning to the golf season much closer.  Over the last few days, all of the 15" of snow cover disappeared and 5.25" of rain fell on top of it.  That created almost 7 inches of water that had no where to go given our partially frozen soils in the area, thus creating many of the flooding problems experienced here in Elkhart County.  All 4 of the ponds on course over spilled their banks into their respective fairway.  The course had 3 main areas of flooding that took about a week to subside, pictured below.  Also, the rain garden overflowed attempting to handle all the runoff from the east side of the course, creating a temporary stream from our maintenance facility that flowed all across the course into 3 pond!  The soils in these areas are still quite moist. 

Snow melt/rain from rain garden

The valley on #8 2/22/18

12 fairway, 2/22/18

Many of you ask each year when the golf course will be available for play, and I thought I would discuss the two main variables that go into answering that question.

1. The ground must be completely thawed out.  This is for two reasons.  One, there is no path for melting snow to drain down if the ground is frozen.  The water either stands on the surface (or percolates down really slow) or runs off of slopes to any low area.  Two, excess machine and foot traffic on frozen ground can lead to root shearing on turf plants, which leads to poor turf quality and a longer window for the turf to green up.  Currently there is not any frost in the ground, which is a good thing for the beginning of the season and our course clean up efforts.
2. The soils are mostly to completely dry and firmed up.  This is self explanatory.  Wet soils lead to damage from machine traffic and compaction.  Playing surfaces also need a period of time to allow proper drainage so we can begin to work them into the firm surfaces you are accustomed to.  This is the position the golf course is waiting on right now.  

While soils are firming up, the staff and I have begun course clean up efforts.  All of the tree debris is being collected, and on drier days, leaf litter will be blown and collected.  Playing surfaces will be mowed or rolled on an as needed basis, given the slower growing conditions and our current staffing levels.  The USGA has published a couple great articles further explaining the factors in opening for early play, which you can read here and here.  

The staff and I have focused our attention on other projects while we waited for conditions to improve outside.  The US 20 sign has been refurbished, complete with a new color scheme that adds a new pop to all those who drive by it each day.  A special thanks to Greg Stump for his artistic efforts on this sign.  We also have about 30 stumps to grind, mainly along the clubdrive.  Depending on the location, these areas will be either be sodded or seeded after clean up is finished and topsoil is added to the hole. 

The new sign along US 20

Another large focus of our department this spring will be where the old pool locker rooms were located.  This area will be transformed into a beautiful landscaped area that will add pop to your experience at the Elcona pool.  Currently we have been filling the area with sub soil in preparation for the first retaining wall to be installed.  I will have more frequent updates on this project as it moves along. 

New concrete retaining wall poured January 2018

Soil is off loaded from our truck, and pushed down the hill

Rough grade for the first retaining wall being dug

Rough grade established

Spring is near, and with that golf is near too.  We will keep you abreast on the latest course conditions, and open as soon as the conditions allow.  If you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Have a great week!

Ryan

Time for Golf!

#7

I am happy to announce that the golf course will open on Friday, March 11 at 12 p.m. for play.  Tee times will begin at 9 a.m. this Saturday and Sunday.  The staff has done a great job with the clean up from winter's wrath, and the turf has started to show some growth thanks to well above average temperatures.  Over the next few days, we will begin mowing and rolling playing surfaces, and getting the bunkers back in shape in anticipation of a great 2016 golf season at Elcona.

15 green

One note of caution:  As we have focused solely on debris clean up, we have still many empty stump holes and areas where we have ground roots down that need to be filled with soil.  These areas will be flagged or roped so that they are easily identifiable for you, and they should be treated as ground under repair.  We will begin filling them next week, starting with the areas closest to the normal route of play.  If you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com, or call the maintenance facility.  I hope to see you out on the golf course this weekend!

Roots being ground from the cart path exit at 15 tee

Ryan

Stump hole on #2.  Caution around these! 

Course Update, 3/7/2016

As the warmer than normal temperatures swing into our area this week, we are in total clean up mode.  As much as possible through the winter, we try to keep up with the downed sticks and debris that come with winter's sometimes howling winds.  This clean up takes the staff and I about 2-3 days. Snow is still present in shaded areas and hopefully will be gone by this afternoon.  With virtually no frost in the ground, drainage from rains and melting snow should be open, albeit at a slower pace. Rest assured, Tom and I will open the golf course when it is playable and the risk of traffic damage is minimal.  Golf is coming soon!

Old fence was tired!

Kyle and Greg working on the fence

Finished product on the south side

While the ground was thawing, the staff and I worked on a couple of other projects that may not directly impact the golf course, but were welcome changes that indirectly impact our operation.  First, some of you may have noticed that the split rail fence around the Miles Barn on the north end of the property was deteriorating rapidly and was in need of replacement.  With increased event bookings for that beautiful Elcona feature, it was time to improve the aesthetics of the surrounding area.  That replacement is complete on the north and west sides of the barn, with a few additional rails needed on the side facing the practice facility.  The fence turned our great in my opinion.

Digital job board in the Maintenance Facility

We also added a digital job board to our facility.  As many of you know, I love technology and applying any impactful uses to our operation to increase productivity.  This job board allows myself and our assistants to plan our staff's tasks from anywhere in the world, via cloud based Google Docs. If we see the need to change tasks mid morning, we can change the job board in the field at a moment's notice, instead of chasing staff all over the golf course to communicate changes, driving back to the shop to change the board, and/or taking additional time away from course set up or whatever tasks the morning requires.

This board also gives us the ability to perform more impactful training presentations in regards to operational and safety practices, club events, and the ability to communicate real time weather and radar information.

If you have any questions about these projects or anything about the golf course, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Stay tuned for any information regarding the opening of the course.  It is coming soon!  Have a great day,

Ryan

Winter's End?

 A few of you have started to inquire on the start of the 2016 golf season at Elcona, and while it is still hard to predict an exact date, it is right around the corner.  But what signs do we look for in deciding whether to open or not?  

7 fairway.  Open sun leads to no frost.

6 fairway, a more shaded area.  Frost still present!

The main sign I look at is the amount of frost in the ground. Year to year, the level of frost in the ground varies, as you would expect.  The last two winters had a very deep layer with the extreme cold we dealt with.  This year, while much milder, we still had many areas of ground freeze, especially shaded areas.

The pictures to the left show the variability in frost layer as I walked the course last weekend.  The fairway on hole #7 is exposed to sun most of the day.  My soil probe went all the way to the ground, a good sign that any surface water left on the turf will drain down due to the lack of frozen ground.

The left side of 6 fairway is one area I keep good eye on in early spring due to its higher amount of shade.  The probe one went down a couple of inches, indicating frozen ground below. There was a fair amount of water in the surface, because until that frozen ground thaws completely, the water from melted snow and ice is trapped near the surface. In this situation, any traffic, whether foot or wheeled, will cause a rut.

Excess machine and foot traffic on frozen ground can also lead to root shearing on turf plants, which leads to poor turf quality and a longer window for the turf to green up. The soils also need to completely dry and firm up.  Wet soils lead to damage from machine traffic and compaction.  Playing surfaces also need a period of time to allow proper drainage so we can begin to work them into the firm surfaces you are accustomed to.

Spring is near, and with that golf is near too.  We will keep you abreast on the latest course conditions, and open as soon as the conditions allow.  If you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Have a great week!

Ryan

Course Opening!

16 green complex

I am happy to say that after a much too long winter, the golf course will be open this Sunday, March 29th at noon.  All snow and ice has melted, and the ground has become frost free.  But what can you expect to see when you next visit the course?  For starters, we will have began mowing playing surfaces, continued clearing leaf litter and other debris from the course, and will start raking bunkers next week.  While we do our best to achieve great course conditions from the start of the season, we will be doing these on an "as needed" basis.  Patience is required for the full quality of Elcona's golf course to truly shine.  A recent USGA article further explains why, which you can read here.

As for other parts of the golf course, you will notice some trees that were removed as part of our annual tree maintenance program.  More Ash trees had to be removed due to their demise from the Emerald Ash Borer, others were removed to continuously improve playing conditions.  I wrote a more in-depth summary of our tree work you can read here.  The staff and I have filled and leveled all stump holes with topsoil, and when the weather is more consistently warm, will be seeding or sodding them, depending on their location relative to play.  Until then, these areas are to be considered ground under repair.

The renovations on 13 and 18 tees are almost complete.  We will be bringing in a heavy roller to smooth 13 tee from the settling that occured during the winter, and the staff and I put a finish grade on 18 tee yesterday, which makes it ready for sod and re-alignment next week.  I will have a more in-depth post later on.

18 tee ready for sod

In the next week, the staff and I will be charging the irrigation system, continuing our course and pond clean-up, and continuing on our spring projects.  The season is here, we are excited, and I hope to see you on the golf course soon!

Ryan

Course Opening, Conditions and Happenings- 3-19-15

I appreciate your patience while the staff and I continue to get conditions where you expect them.  There is still some areas of frost in the soil profile, mainly in more wooded areas where there is less sun exposure this time of year (mainly holes 4, 6, 12, and 13). Other areas are too soft for traffic, and a couple greens have not firmed up to the point where they can successfully accept approach shots.  Rest assured the golf season is very close! 

 

Almost all of our playing surfaces have fared  well through the harsh, historic winter we experienced.  The pictures below depict some crown hydration injury that occurred during the melting period experienced last week.  There is a good amount of green leaf tissue deep in the crown area of the green profile, so while it may look brown for a while, I am anticipating these areas to fully recover with more consistent warmer weather.  As with some of the winter injury areas we experienced last year,  it will take some additional time for these areas to heal. 

Small Practice Green winter injury

Crown hydration damage on 4 green

 

18 green came out of winter in fantastic shape!  Root growth was dramatic and the sod matured well heading into the winter.  Since we removed and re-used the existing sod to keep the green surface consistent with the others on the course, we will soon begin the process of getting it ready for daily play, which involves multiple topdressings and aerifications to further smooth the surface out.  We will also begin mowing the green at a higher height of cut (.225") and gradually lower it to the same height of cut that all other putting surfaces are mown at (.120").  There will inevitably be some scalped areas that we will have to plug out with our nursery, and there will be lots of rolling as well. Stay tuned to the blog for further updates! 

 

The picture on the right depicts one of our busiest spring time projects each year.  Stump removal and clean up from our annual winter tree work involves cleaning all shavings left behind from the grinder, getting the area matched as close with the surrounding slope as possible, and then filling the hole with topsoil.  We will be either seeding or sodding the area depending on their proximity to normal play when warmer weather comes our way.  These areas are to be played as ground under repair.  I posted a more in-depth post on this process, viewed here. 

Thanks again for your patience and understanding while the staff and I get the course ready for the upcoming season.  In the meantime, come out and enjoy March Madness in the newly renovated bar room and the specials that Chef Casey and Anne have prepared for you.  See you out on the course very soon! 

Ryan

 

The season is in sight.....

Turf sighting on 7 green!

With the bright sunshine and warmer temperatures we have experienced in the last week, the beginning sights of turf and the rapid melting of snow has brought the beginning to the golf season much closer.  Over the last few days, much of the snow cover has shrunk in depth.  Many of you ask each year when the golf course will be available for play, and I thought I would discuss the two main variables that go into answering that question.

 

1. The ground must be completely thawed out.  This is for two reasons.  One, there is no path for melting snow to drain down if the ground is frozen.  The water either stands on the surface (or percolates down really slow) or runs off of slopes to any low area.  Two, excess machine and foot traffic on frozen ground can lead to root shearing on turf plants, which leads to poor turf quality and a longer window for the turf to green up. 
2. The soils are mostly to completely dry and firmed up.  This is self explanatory.  Wet soils lead to damage from machine traffic and compaction.  Playing surfaces also need a period of time to allow proper drainage so we can begin to work them into the firm surfaces you are accustomed to. 

16 day forecast as of 3/11/15

With the above forecast (as of 3/11/15), the entire snow pack should be gone by the middle of next week.  The frost layer is not as deep as last year (9-18", compared to 36" last year), which is good!  The typical roller coaster forecasts we are accustomed to in Michiana will give ample opportunity for the soil to open up and defrost, but there will also be days where progress will be slower. 

It seems like the opening will be similar to last year, but as all of you are aware, that can change quickly!  I will give ample updates via this blog.  Rest assured the season is very close! 

Ryan

Course Opening!

The view from 12 tee

I have been waiting for 7 weeks to say this.....the golf course will be open this Friday, April 4th!  All 100+ inches of snow and ice has melted, and the ground has become frost free.  But what can you expect to see when you next visit the course?  For starters, we have began mowing playing surfaces, continued clearing leaf litter and other debris from the course, and will start raking bunkers next week.  While we do our best to achieve great course conditions from the start of the season, we will be doing these on an "as needed" basis.  Patience is required for the full quality of Elcona's golf course to truly shine.  A recent USGA article further explains why, which you can read here. 



18 green after repairs

With our necessary removal of snow and ice (info posted here and here), we have had some repairs to perform on the greens.  It is quite nice to have a large nursery to do these repairs in house, as the picture on the right shows on 18 green.  The other thing you will notice are the shovel marks in that picture.  To completely remove ice on some greens (5, 10, 12,18, large practice green were the heaviest in terms of ice) we had to chip and crack the ice with shovels.  These marks will heal in on their own, with the help of aerification and warmer temperatures from Mother Nature.

5 green 3/25/14

5 green 4/1/2014

5 green suffered bruising injury from topdressing sand that was mixed in with the slush and ice that was removed.  As the pictures show, this green has slowly recovered with some new green tissue starting to peek out of the crown, and should be just fine with some warmer temperatures.  Other greens that have similar injury is 2, 4, 8, 9, 12, 14, and 17. 







The small practice green next to the clubhouse took a decent hit from the winter weather, mainly from the freeze/thaw cycles and cold temperature exposure.  This part of the green does not get any sunlight in the dead of winter until mid afternoon, so winter was harsher on that portion than the rest of the golf course.  I am cautiously optimistic on its recovery, as there is some signs of growth, but we may have to re-sod the turf if it does not recover soon.  I will keep you posted on any repairs that would be necessary.  Until further notice, that practice green will be closed from putting and traffic. 

The new view from 7 tee

As for other parts of the golf course, you will notice some trees that were removed as part of our annual tree maintenance program.  The picture on the right is the new view from 7 tee.  We removed several ash trees that were in poor condition due to Emerald Ash Borer, and will be replaced with 3 or 4 Amelanchier trees behind the green in their place, farther to the north than the old trees.  These new trees will give some backdrop to the green while allowing a better growing environment for 6 green and 7 tee.  Trees were also removed along the north side of 13 cart path, again for the betterment of the turf and cart path in the surrounding area.  The staff and I will be leveling stump holes, and seeding or sodding them, depending on their location. 

Pink snow mold on Range Tee

Finally, we did have some pink snow mold pop up, mainly on the range tee.  While we are still diagnosing why this tee was more severely affected than the rest of the golf course, we have treated it with a curative fungicide, and with warmer weather and mowing beginning on the tee soon, the turf should grow through the infection and recover.  We have also spot sprayed other smaller outbreaks on tees and continue to monitor greens and fairways. 



Overall, I am still pleased with how the course came through winter.  We as a staff cannot wait to get the season started, and to welcome all of you back to Elcona.  I look forward to seeing all of you out on the golf course!

Ryan

Opening Day!

It's now official, the golf course will open for the season on Friday, 3/29 at Noon.  The weather looks like it will cooperate for a few days so make your tee time and enjoy the course. Looking at the nighttime temperatures, I would not plan on having any tee times available prior to 11:00 am or Noon until we really see a warm up.

As far as maintenance on the course is concerned, all greens have been rolled and they will be mown either today or Friday before play goes out. Due to a limited staff and the fact that the turf is not growing much right now, we will only mow as necessary.

Aerification of the fairways will begin next week and we will be using solid tines to enable us to work around the weather and not create a mess.  The aerification of the greens has been pushed back to April 10,11 with the hope that they will be growing consistently.

Course Opening Update

Well, it looks as if we may actually get to play some golf this spring! If the forecast stays the way they are predicting, it appears that the golf course could POSSIBLY be open on Friday or Saturday.  This is not set in stone and it won't take much for us to have to delay the opening. For those of  you that regularly read this blog, you are now officially the first ones to know our current thoughts regarding the course opening.  I will keep you posted here on the blog and I'm sure the club will be sending out an official email once the opening date is finalized.  If you have a twitter account, please follow @ElconaGrounds for more timely updates and course conditions.

On a much different topic...Do any of you remember the cartpath at #10 green that had become a giant section of speed bumps from a tree that was in close proximity? As of Monday, you no longer have to worry about it.  the bad sections have been removed and we are planning on sodding this area once sod can be cut.  There is a lesson here, but I will save it for a future blog post.  Stay tuned for more updates and thanks for reading!

Cartpath at #10 green that was destroyed by tree roots

Removal of cartpath at #10 green. Notice the size of the tree roots!