Course Notes and Happenings, 5/12/16

While the beginning of May has been inconsistent weather wise, it has been nice to see members out and about enjoying the golf course when it is nice and sunny.  All stump holes have now been filled and seeded or sodded, and until these areas establish themselves, they will be marked as ground under repair.

Hydro leak on 4 fairway

Unfortunately, we had a hydraulic hose blowout on one of our sprayers today, along the left side of #4 fairway.  The oil line was directly behind the operator and was not noticed until it was too late.  As often as we check all of our machines for wear and tear, these things happen sometimes.  The affected sod will be cut out and replaced within the next week or so.  It is interesting to note that it is not the oil itself that kills the turf, but the high temperature that the oil is at during normal operation.  There is never a good time for this to happen!

Sand sieve tool

Rocks after one scoop, 7 fairway bunker

Many of you have asked about all the pebbles and rocks in the bunkers.  These rocks come from the subsoil base of the bunker, in one of three ways.  The first is from the multiple freeze/thaw cycles that occur during winter, where soil heaves up and down, pushing the rocks closer to the surface.  The second way these that come up is via any washout damage that occurs during a heavy rain event.  Lastly, our hand rakes and machine rake can grab rocks that are below the sand surface and bring them to the top.  

We have purchased sifting tools to lessen the impact these rocks have on the playability of the bunker.  Throughout the year, it is my goal to have our staff comb through with these tools and remove as many as possible in the top 2" of the bunker.  In April, 18 5 gallon buckets of rocks were removed.  

14 Pond

 Finally, I mentioned in the Prattler our wood duck house on #14 Pond has a resident wood duck sitting on 9 eggs.  Over the next 2 weeks or so I am hoping to capture their hatching and subsequent "jump day" when the new ducklings learn that their nest is 7 feet above the ground.  If you would like more information on wood ducks, The Wood Duck Society has a great FAQ section here.

If you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com.  Thanks and have a great rest of your week!

Ryan

Our resident mama wood duck

2015 Audubon Review

October is the time of year where I start to take stock in all of our programs, review my notes from throughout the year, and begin forming plans for 2016.  One area that is always on my thoughts is Elcona's Audubon program.  This year our goal was to complete 4 main projects, two of them were centered around increasing pollinator populations.

Nesting evidence on #14 

This past winter, my assistant Kyle and I built 3 wood duck homes and placed them along ponds on #'s 3 and 14, as well as deep in the woods north of 13.  Both houses had evidence of bird activity this year, as the picture on the left shows, but this nest building was from other birds.  One observation from a member was that #3's house was located too close to golf traffic and made it unattractive for wood ducks, which I agree with.  We will be moving it farther south away from #4 tee.  My hope is that someday ducks will utilize these as safe havens to produce their offspring.

Seed to Feed Garden, June 15

Yellow squash

The Seed to Feed garden that I have mentioned multiple times over the past year was a dual achieving project.  One obvious achievement was that, thanks to all members who volunteered their time to maintain it, 6,129 pounds of cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, and Dickinson pumpkins were harvested and given to our local food pantries.  That is an awesome amount of produce for our first year.  Also, the garden also served to increase the area for pollinating insects.  One third of our world's food supply is dependent on the help of pollinating insects.  Their populations have decreased some 30% over the last few years, due to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses.  By planting many areas of flowering plants, Elcona can help sustain the local bee population and continue to be a good steward of our community's ecosystem.

Milkweed stand left right of 17

Monarch caterpillar on Milkweed

There were spots in our native areas that we left unmown all year that contained significant milkweed populations.  Milkweed is the main food source for Monarch butterfly caterpillars.  This provided some nice habitat areas for these butterflies to flourish and complete their transformation to butterflies.

Rain garden, July 25th

Bee on a Purple coneflower

We have also multiple areas of wildflower plantings that are in various stages of maturity.  The rain garden that was built in 2012 thrived again this year, with some plants (swamp milkweed) reaching 10 feet in height! There were days that over 100 bees and other pollinators could be seen flying flower to flower, a neat sight for sure.

Area for 2015 plug plantings

Butterfly weed plugs

Wildflower plugs, consisting of cone flower, butterfly weed, and foxglove beardstongue species, were planted west of 12 green.  These plus will, over time, spread via their seed and also provide some great color for that area of the golf course.

Designated OP area on #16

We also seeded additional wildflowers to the left of 16 in our designated "Operation Pollinator" area, as a test of establishment in this fashion.  While this area does not look like much is going on except for fox tail and thistle populations going wild, we are seeing 8 species of different wildflowers taking shape, as the pictures below indicate.  The areas that I planted plugs in last year produced some flowers this year, and began to spread in area, albeit very slowly.

Greg Stump pointing out Coreopsis plants

Black eyed Susan

Gallardia species 

Bachelor Button species

My plan of attack in this area for next year is to renovate the areas that have weeds and grasses in them, and reseed with a wildflower/bluestem seed mixture.  This will decrease the thick grassy weeds and thistle and hopefully provide a more uniform stand of grasses and flowers.  Also, we will be much more proactive in removing any weeds in this area that do germinate.  Finally, we will widen the area of play to create a little more space between the native area and the fairway for any wayward lay up shots, as currently there is only 12 yards between the two.

Our final project was to invite a local birding group for a nature walk along the club's nature trails.  In late May I hosted two individuals from the South Bend/Elkhart Audubon Society, and while they were impressed with Elcona's property and efforts, we were not able to get on their calendar for this year.  Tentatively, we are on their 2016 calendar for a group visit.

Speaking of 2016, Elcona's Audubon committee is meeting this month and will consider many ideas that I will share as the year draws closer to an end.  You can be sure that all will further emphasize Elcona's commitment to both its local ecosystem and the well being of our community. I appreciate your continued support and participation in Elcona's Audubon program, and for giving me the opportunity to learn and grow as a steward of this great property.  If you have any questions, please contact me at ryan@elconacc.com.

Ryan

A busy week outside....

What a difference a week (and some timely Spring rains) make on the color of the golf course.  All of the fine playing surfaces have greened significantly and there are only a few small areas of winter injury that are slow to green.  Mowing schedules at this time are still on an "as needed" basis, but will pick up with more consistent warmer weather.  Aerification on green and fairway surfaces were completed successfully this past week as well.  

18 green complex

Close up of 18 green's surface

Our Spring project schedule has picked up in progress within the last week as well.  18 green continues to round into form as it returns from its winter dormancy.  Our mowing heights have dropped from a beginning point of .225" to currently .200".  Within the next three weeks the green will be aerified and topdressed further to help smooth out the surface.  We will continue to gradually lower the mowing height (.015" weekly) until the turf is comfortably mowed at the same hieght of cut as the other greens, .120".

Heavy roller on 13 tee

18 tee

13 and 18 tees begin to take shape as well.  18 tee was re-sodded using sod from the practice fairway due to the inconsistencies and health of the sod taken off of the tee last fall.  We had a heavy roller come in this week and roll 13 tee to further smooth that surface out.  Our bluegrass sod supplier will be opening next week, so expect to start seeing these surrounds, as well as the stump holes from the winter tree work, to be grass instead of soil.  Similar to 18 green, these tees will be aerified further over the course of the season to continually smooth any imperfections out.  

Greg Stump measuring the firepit

Removal of the large burning bush

Demo work begins on the old pathway

Phase 2 of the Terrace Project has begun as well.  Our staff this week removed all of the old pavers, scooped out the old aggregate material below, and even removed the large burning bush at the corner of the building.  The concrete walkway outside of the club room and Fireside room was torn out on Friday as well.  Next week, the gas line to the new fire pit will be run, as well as the pouring of a new stamped concrete walkway that will mirror the current look outside of the ball room balcony. As this is a construction site now, please watch your step around the terrace.  Stay tuned for more updates on this great addition to the clubhouse!

Wood duck box on 14

Wood duck box on 3

Finally, our wood duck nesting boxes have been placed on the golf course, one near the pond on 3, and the other on 14's pond.  An additional box will be placed on the property, although its location has not been determined yet.  It will be interesting to see if we get a pair to nest in them, which we will monitor as part of Elcona's Audubon Program.

There is a lot going on this Spring, and that's a great thing!  If you have any questions on these or other projects on the golf course, feel free to ask me!  Have a great week and I will see you on the golf course!

Ryan

Winter Projects

A snowy view of the Terrace

 

As tame and mild as December was, winter has definitely made its presence known for the last six weeks.  Winter 2015 has quickly become known as the Winter of Clipper Systems this year, at least we have not heard much from the "Polar Vortex"!  Indoor projects and annual equipment maintenance is going strong currently. 

 

Outdoor projects have been temporarily put on hold until the weather improves.  The retaining walls along #1 green tee and #8 tees are on schedule for completion before the course opens.  Phase 2 of the Terrace Project, which involves continuing stamped concrete along the clubhouse's perimeter, new paver stones and construction of a fire pit outside of the Fireside room, has some work that will be started later this month.  Removal of the old pavers and demo of the existing concrete is work that can be done, but until the frost is gone from the soil below, new materials cannot be constructed structurally sound. 

 

Kyle attaching box ends

One project that we completed last week was construction of new wood duck boxes to be placed along the pond shores on #3 and #14.  These boxes were constructed from cedar boards, which naturally resist weathering and rotting. 

 

Tools used and the final look of the "ladder"

Inside view of the completed box

 

One feature that is necessary for any new ducklings that nest in this box is a "ladder" that we had to plunge cut with a circular saw.  These notches serve as places that the ducklings can grab onto to climb out.  The entry/exit hole is another feature that is important to machine correctly.  The hole has to be near 4.5" x 3.5" at its widest/highest points.  This size prevents any predators, such as raccoons, from entering the nest and having a snack.  The post that the box will be mounted to will have a predator guard made from sheet metal attached to serve as a secondary protectant. 

The finished product

 

 The boxes will look similar to the picture below, will hopefully attract these ducks to the property, and serve as a safe habitat for their well being. 

 

 

 



If anyone is interested in the biology of wood ducks, constructing a wood duck box for their property, the plans and more, information can be found here. 

Ryan