Early Season Expectations

First mowing of the year on #18 fairway. Pretty easy to see
what has been mown and what hasn't!

What an unbelievable start to the spring! The golf course is open and all of the playing surfaces, except for the rough, have been mown at least once so far.  The unseasonably warm weather has brought some bonus early season rounds and has kept the Grounds Department on our toes.  As I write this post, it is 70 degrees outside and the sun is shining which is creating some wonderful growing conditions for the turf.

Having said that, please keep in mind that the average temperature for this time of year is 45 degrees and that my staff and I will manage the turf as it is appropriate for this time of year.  What does that mean?  It means that mowing will be done as the weather and growth dictates and other practices, such as raking bunkers, will be done on an as needed basis.  Please understand that seasonal employees are brought back based on historical dates that have been determined by weather as well as budgetary guidelines set for the year and that we will not be fully staffed until Memorial Day.  If the weather continues to remain warm for an extended period, I may need to re-evaluate returning dates for some employees just so we can keep up with the growth of the turf.

Until then, please get out and take advantage of this great weather and thank you in advance for your understanding regarding our early season conditions.

Course Opening!

For those of you that follow the Blog...Thank You!  You are now the first to know that the course will be opening for the season this Wednesday, March 7th. It's going to be a beautiful day, so come on out.

Productivity in Las Vegas? You bet! (pun intended)

What do education, published research results, networking and David Feherty have in common? You probably answered "nothing", so let me give you the answer. All four were prevalent in Las Vegas this past week at the 2012 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show.

Anthracnose updates

This event is held each year in varying cities and is attended by golf course superintendents, owners, builders, architects and equipment/product manufactures and distributors from around the world. Without a doubt, it is one of my favorite weeks of the year as it allows me to become exposed to new technologies, research that is being conducted as well as reconnect with fellow peers from throughout the world that I have developed friendships with.

The Business of Golf

Whenever I take classes, I am constantly reminded of how much my profession has changed over the years, but that is a topic for another day. This year's classes that I registered for included Best Management Practices for Anthracnose and its genetic history, The Business of Golf, Advanced Excel for Budgeting, Using Social Media for Communication as well as a few others.

A very small portion of the Trade Show floor

Of course, there is also the Trade Show which takes a couple of days in itself to get around if you have a lot of items to review and/or purchase.  It is literally miles of aisles worth of products and equipment all related to managing turf in some capacity.  It makes for a long couple of days and some very sore feet, but it is also a good opportunity to speak directly with manufactures as opposed to the distributors.


One of the highlights of the week was the Opening Session Keynote Speaker, David Feherty.  If you have seen or heard him on television, I can assure you that he's as engaging as you would think and even more "colorful" than you can imagine.  He took the stage at 8:15 am and had 45 min to talk.  By the time he was done with stories pertaining to his life, american citizenship, the golf industry and his extraordinary support for our military, it was about 9:30 am.  Truly an amazing individual that I could have listened to all day. I am really hoping that the entire video is released at some point so you can see it.  In the meantime, a brief interview and some of the highlights are in the 10 min. video below.


David Feherty from GCSAA TV on Vimeo.

It was a fantastic week, and this trip never fails to re-energize me and get me ready for the season. Yes, I was able to confirm how bad of a poker player I really am so there shouldn't be any concern that I will be leaving to join the World Poker Tour. It is, however, safe to say that I am officially ready for spring so, keep an eye out for new posts on everything that is happening on your golf course.

Evaluation and Reflection

Winter isn't solely a time for working on equipment, tree removal and planning our agronomic program for the upcoming season, it's also a time for evaluation and reflection. Evaluation in the Grounds Department comes in many forms.  Not only are the employees and department evaluated, but the golf course is evaluated as well. From pesticide and fertilizer applications to frequency of rolling, topdressing rates and aerification plans, all are reviewed to ensure that expectations are met or hopefully exceeded for the least amount of expense. 

Most years, reflection seems to fall into a similar category as evaluation.  I always reflect on my decisions from the previous season and try to make an honest assessment of where I can improve to make our operation better with the ultimate goal of continuing to improve the golf course.  This year, however, with the flurry of activity surrounding the construction of the cell tower and the expansion of the highway along our south border, I found myself reflecting on several of the accomplishments that the golf course has had in recent past. 

This past week marked my six year anniversary here at Elcona, so I thought I would reflect back over a period of time that I am familiar with: the last six years. Below are just some of the accomplishments that the golf course has seen over the last six years.  Each one of these should be a source of pride for you as members as they show a level of commitment toward improvement and updating that many clubs are not currently able to participate in. I know that my staff and I are very proud of these projects and are very gracious for the support that you give us.

 Please click on photos for larger view.

Became fullly certified in the Audubon  
Cooperative Sanctuary Program

Completion of the Arthur Hills Master Plan
using our own labor and materials  

Complete renovation of the irrigation system

Renovation of #18 green with Arthur Hills

In-house renovation of #12 fairway bunker to
improve playability

In-house construction of the terrace on the
west side of the clubhouse

      

        Removal of hundreds of trees to improve turf health and
         eliminate overcrowding

I hope you enjoyed the brief trip back in time.  For me, I am now done reflecting and have turned my attention to the golf season that will be here before we know it. Stay tuned for future blog updates concerning the opening of the golf course for the season and course conditions.