Course Update

Slow progress is still progress. At least that is what I am trying to convince myself right now.  This has been an unbelievably slow start to the season, especially when making comparisons to last year.  After looking back at our log book from last year, we continue to be every bit of 4-5 weeks behind.  Although last year was certainly an anomaly when it comes to early springs, it’s still frustrating knowing that the weather is not cooperating at a time when everyone is ready to get out and enjoy the golf course.

The weather is equally as frustrating for me as well. This is the time of year when we want to accomplish so many important agronomic tasks and we just can’t get to them right now. Spring fertilizer applications where they are needed, pre and post-emergent weed control and regular mowing schedules are all items we would like to get done, but we must show patience and wait for Mother Nature to tell us when the right time is.  If you maintain your own lawn, this applies to you as well. See me if you have any questions.

On the positive side, aerification of the greens, tees and fairways is complete and we have made our first of three applications to reduce seedheads on the greens. Notice I said “reduce”, not eliminate.  This application will not keep all seedheads from forming, but help to minimize the amount of them. Historically, we have had very good results and my hope is that this year is no different. As in year’s past, I have placed several 4’x4’ check plots (untreated areas) on some of the greens to help me better judge the results we obtain from this application.  If you would like more information on why we use check plots, look along the right side of this screen under “Popular Posts”.  The third one is titled “What Can You Learn from 16 sq. ft.” and will give you a greater insight.

Check Plot from a previous year

Several of you have asked me about the new, white labels on some of the trees on the golf course.  These labels serve the same purpose as the colored ribbons that were put out last fall. They are simply there to help me identify trees that have been diagnosed with varying degrees of damage from the herbicide Imprelis. These labels DO NOT necessarily mean that the tree is going to die or need to be removed; they just make it easier for me to obtain information without having to constantly look them up in spreadsheets.  To date, we have not finalized anything with DuPont as far as a settlement is concerned. As soon as we have the appropriate information, I will be sure to pass it along.

New Imprelis Tree Labels

With that being said, it’s spring so get out here and enjoy your club.  Even if it’s a little cold and rainy outside, there are plenty of activities going on inside the club for you to take advantage of. I look forward to seeing all of you and have a great month.

US20 Added Travel Lanes Project

By now everyone is aware of the US20 expansion project that will be taking place from CR17 in Elkhart to SR15 in Bristol. Last week I attended pre-construction meeting to meet with individuals from INDOT as well as Niblock, the company awarded the project.  Below, I have listed some of the main takeaway points from the meeting.

• ·       Expect to see work beginning sometime during this week. The Right-of-Way is scheduled to be staked and tree removal will begin.
• ·        The goal is to minimize any road closures of county roads connecting to US20, but some temporary and intermittent closures will be necessary. This includes CR21. There are no specific dates set for closures, so be prepared for this possibility if you use US20 and CR21 to travel to Elcona.
• ·        You should fully expect an increase in traffic along CR21 due to motorists wanting to use it as a short cut when traffic is slow on US20.  Please use caution when coming in and out of the club and when crossing CR21 with a golf cart.
• ·        This project is not expected to be completed until the latter part of 2014. The south side of the expansion will be done in 2013 with the north side completed in 2014.
• ·        There will be minimal disruption to Elcona’s property. A few trees are expected to be removed at the intersection of CR21 and US20 but, beyond that, no other major removal is expected. Our fence along #2 and #15 will remain intact and the sign and landscaping along US20 should remain undisturbed.
• ·         Major earthmoving will not begin until 6/10

Please let me know if you have additional questions.

This is Not a Sandbox

The golf course has only been open for one day and, unfortunately, I already feel the need to address an issue that happens all too frequently.  I came in this morning to prepare the course for play and immediately saw this:

This is the bunker at #9 green that had been used as a giant sandbox and slide for a handful of kids.  I cannot  express enough how hard my staff works to provide you with a golf course that hopefully meets or exceeds your expectations. When this happens, it requires us to spend additional time and resources to make the necessary repairs.

 Not only does it impact my staff, but it impacts you as well.  The excessive traffic causes the sand to lose its firmness and become excessively soft leading to plugged balls.  If you wonder why this bunker tends to be softer than the others, damage like this is the reason why.  As you can see in the picture above and below, a significant amount of soil has now been mixed in with the bunker sand because of the "extracurricular" activity. This now makes the sand contaminated and it will not drain as well and will most likely create even more inconsistency.

Purchasing more bunker sand is a temporary but very costly solution.  It costs us approximately $1,700 for a truckload of new bunker sand and a bunker like this would easily take 1/2 - 3/4 of a truckload.  Obviously, this is not in the budget right now.  The real solution to the problem is to eliminate the use of bunkers as a playground. Thank you for reading and the next post will be much more positive...I promise! In the meantime, get out and enjoy this fantastic weather.

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.