Another one in the books!

Another season in the books but so many more preparations for the long winter months will be continuing over the next few weeks. I would definitely say the most challenging part of our job here in the turf department is insuring that the golf course survives the winter. With that being said there is no silver bullet to guarantee that because ultimately we are at the mercy of the weather. However there are many strategies that we implement to increase the chances that the golf course successfully survives the winter, which is why this part of the season is so crucial. A few strategies that I believe to play key roles in the success of turf in a northern climate are late season fertilization, plant protection applications and the installation of impermeable turf covers on our greens. With all three of these strategies there is one constant theme that comes up every season no matter what and that's timing of application. Watching the weather, soil temperatures, past records (dates of applications) and the feeling in your gut are some of the things we use to help hit the timing on the mark.

The fall fertilization has been completed and was done when soil temperatures reached 55 - 60F. Just an FYI we have 3 wireless soil sensors in the ground here and they are located in 1 fairway, 18 green, and the middle putting green. Not only do they monitor temperature but soil moisture and salinity as well. By the end of the week I'm anticipating having the plant protection applications completed but as of now the greens and tees remain. As for the tarps it's all about forecasting but would anticipate them going down the week of November 25th, however that could be sooner. Once the tarps are down the final task is to put up all the fencing and signage to keep unwanted traffic off of some areas.

While we are waiting for the right moment to complete our winter preparations a couple of things that we will be working on are the annual deep tine aerification to the greens (completed this week), completing the renovation of 11 fairway sand trap, final grading of the landing area to the left of the cart path on 12, filling the remaining part of the ditch on 4, and hopefully installing drainage in 4 fairway. This of course is all weather permitting. The weather turning to the point in which that type of work can't be completed is the time when we start the never ending tree work. We have already started doing some of that on the frosty mornings but will continue with more when the snow is here to stay.

2013 was year for me in which I realized no matter what you do, mother nature rules but I have to believe without any of the strategies that we implement to survive winter the condition of the golf course would be so much worse. Thanks must go out to the membership for the constant support of our turf management plan and allowing us to implement it as best we see fit. The difficult start once again proved to me that I have a great team of dedicated and hard working individuals. The condition that the golf course was in would never be possible without their contributions so I say thank you to them. Success can be measured in many ways but I like to use improvement as a measuring stick. I think we can confidently say that the product produced this season was better than the last even with that difficult start that required so much time. I look forward to the challenge of 2014 and I'm dedicated to insuring that the product we produce is improved over this seasons. The philosophy in our department is not to meet your expectations but to exceed them and I relish that challenge.

Remember the golf course is a great place to get and walk around throughout the winter months so don't forget to use the best piece of property in Sudbury. Have a great winter and see you all in the spring.


Best regards,

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

Ebb and flow of a golfing season

I was just looking over some stats the other day to help me put into perspective just how much this seasons weather differs from the last. I had a pretty good feeling that there was more rain this season and that it was much cooler but was shocked to see how much these variables have impacted our water usage. All the information that I'm going to share with you I would believe to be very accurate to our location, due to the fact we have a weather station at the Turf Care Center. The weather data has been taken from the date range of April 1 - July 31. In 2012 we received 142ml(5.6inches) of rain, and in 2013 we received 370ml(14.6inches). On average the temperature during this time period in 2012 was 15.4C, and in 2013 it was 13C. Now to the data that I have found to be the most interesting. To today's date we have used a total of 4.8 million gallons of irrigation water. Last year in the month of July alone we used 5.6 million gallons of irrigation water. Over the course of the season in 2012 it totalled 17 million gallons of water. That's quite the difference, but hey that's the ebb and flow of weather.

I'm sure a lot of you have been wondering whats going on between 3 and 9? Well the first year of my arrival at Idylwylde I said "it's imperative that a golf course has a green height sod bed." so we built one and boy did that pay off this season. So now that the one on 8 has been exhausted, what if we need more next season? That's why another one is being built (bottom of picture). We will now have two and can alternate, as the sod is not usable until at least a year after seeding. A tee/fairway height sod bed is also being constructed (top of the picture) to repair damaged areas as well possibly construct a tee? It's almost guaranteed that we will have some damage in our fairways after winter so moving forward we can be more self sustaining.

Sod beds between 3 & 9

Over the past couple of weeks I hope you have noticed some change to the condition of a significant majority of the sand traps. For the most part a lot of our sand traps have sand in them, it's just in the wrong part of the trap (low areas). To deal with this we have gone in and shoveled sand from those spots into utility vehicles and redistributed it to the areas of the traps that require it. This not only provides a more consistent distribution of sand but creates a more preferable shape to the trap. Ideally when a ball is hit into a trap it should end up in the bottom or flatter part of the trap. We're not always going to be able to produce that result but will definitely increase the potential for that to happen continuing with this process. Due to the condition of the sand trap on 14 and timing we have decided to rebuild it as you may have noticed. I'm hoping we can have it completed by weeks end?

Once again for all you horticulturalist out there, my favorite garden on the golf course is blooming with one of my favorite perennials. The purple spike like flower that is most showy in the garden is Liatris spicata "Liatris". Check it out next time on your way by, what a beauty.

Have you ever seen a Peregrine falcon before? The last couple of season we have had one hanging around the property. This picture was taken last week form the bunker on 14 that is being renovated.

Remember we will be aerating the greens on August 26th and 27th. I know this is disappointing to many but it is a crucial cultural practise to the success of the greens. Fear not we will be removing half the amount of holes this season as I'm making some changes to the way we manage the thatch and compaction. They will be back in no time.

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well for more pictures and updates on what were up to.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

Night & Day

What a drastic change in temperature were experiencing compared to last weeks intense stretch of heat. With temperatures soaring above 35 C it put quite the strain on the staff and the turf. A shout out has to go to my crew for enduring those tough conditions all while preparing the course for our biggest event of the season. As for the turf, overall we came through pretty good despite the green surrounds that perennially suffer due to the lack of coverage and control the irrigation system provides. Roughs and fairways burning up are one thing, but it's just so disappointing to see the green surrounds suffer to the point that playability is affected. Not to mention that the overall level of conditioning is lower. The potential is incredible!

 5 green surrounds are ones to suffer the worst

As many of you may have noticed aesthetically #1 green isn't going to win any awards, so let me explain. I always new that this green would prove to be difficult to manage at a level comparable to the rest due to the fact that we sodded it, and to be honest with you it has the worst soil composition on the property. There are never roots on this particular green, it's a water loving green, and it's inadequate size for the traffic at times has me perplexed. The definite strip that you see is a piece of the existing surface that I chose to leave behind when we sodded the green and in hindsight it wasn't the right choice. The damage that you see on this is a combination of a few things. One being the dreaded annual bluegrass weevil. This is a white grub that we do treat for however only the area where the green meets the collar as this is the typical location where damage occurs. It's amazing how this little grub only goes after annual bluegrass and how destructive it can be. In the picture you can see that the bentgrass sod on either side was not touched.

                      No Roots                                                   Annual  bluegrass weevil



You may also have noticed the small patches throughout the sodded area that have been caused by the mower scalping. These are small areas in the sod that are ever so slightly higher than rest and scalping is the result. The solution is more top dressing which I know I'm guilty for not doing enough the beginning. With that all being said though, I don't believe you can complain about the ball roll and next to the survival of the green that's the most important thing. So here's the plan to get this thing back into a healthier state. First I will pull cores from the area affected by the weevil. Core aeration always stimulates new growth. Second, heavily top dress the entire surface. This will fill the holes as well help to true up the surface. Thirdly, vent the entire surface with solid spikes to increase oxygen levels in the root zone improving growing conditions as well open holes for seed to enter. Finally seed and brush the green. I did put some granular fertilizer on it today to help stimulate growth and recovery.

Over the next couple of weeks I have two things that we will be focusing on. The first being sod bed prep and seeding on hole 8 and construction of two new sod beds between 3 and 9. Secondly is to use up the bunker sand we have in stock to make room for more.

Finally for you horticulturalists out there check out the beebalm "Monarda didyma" that is blooming in various gardens throughout the property but my favorite spot to enjoy it is the garden on 6. This is part of the Mint family of plants and a distinct characteristic is the square stem that all these plants have, check it out. If your lucky you will see the hummingbird feeding from these as they so often do considering its one of there favorite sources of food. Until next time, play well!

 

beebalm "Monarda didyma"

Red flower

 

 

Jay Sisko

Golf Course Superintendent

Stop & smell the peonies

I would imagine a lot of people have a feeling that the weather this season is much different than what we have experienced in years past. The cooler temperatures in the spring were one thing but what's been so persistent is the rain. For example from April 1, 2012 - June 25, 2012 we received a total of 130mm in precipitation. Where as for 2013 the total precipitation is 316mm. One other statistic that confirms that feeling is the total amount of irrigation water used until this point. Last season the total was 7,600,000 gallons, where as this seasons total is 1,040,000 gallons. Those are some pretty significant differences. The constant rain plays havoc on green speed, mowing frequencies, sand trap conditioning, ability to preform cultural practices and project completion to name a few. I'm looking forward to seeing the golf course firm up moving ahead!

One thing that the rain has done for sure is show us where we have drainage deficiencies. Areas that we have installed drainage over the last couple of weeks are before the pond on hole 1, and from the turn around to the capped ditch on 14. Tying in to some existing drainage and adding a catch basin should substantially improve the conditions on 1 but is not complete. Hole 14 required 275' of drainage to solve the issues. There were 3 existing drain lines installed which all succumb to the same fate, Canadian shield. With a little help form the transit we were able to establish a slope that would work with the rock and serve it's purpose. This will be a nice improvement as that area has always been wet. The next area that I see tackling is 100 yards in on 18 fairway as it hasn't been maintainable all season.

14 Drainage

So as everyone has probably noticed we built a new forward tee on hole 6. This will be the new location for the red tee blocks. The forward tee on hole 14 also received a face lift. It was expanded to add yardage to the hole as well manage the amount of traffic that the red tees see. Forward tee construction, as well as tee expansions will be an ongoing initiative. Hole 7 will most likely see its teeing ground improved.

6 Red Tee Deck

As your making your way around the golf course have a look for these couple of things that have been catching our eyes on a daily basis. The peonies in the front garden, putting green and the show stopper at the garden by the irrigation pump house. I dare you to smell them. Not to be forgotten are the foxgloves on the lower patio and the putting green gardens. Both are very showy this time of year enjoy, I know I do.

                   Peonies in the front garden                                                 Foxglove Hole 6

Over the previous couple of years we have been increasing the number of birdhouses that we have installed on the golf course. This season as it stands we have 15 nest boxes, 11 utilized, 35 hatch lings and 15 eggs unhatched. All of the birds inhabiting the nest boxes are tree swallows, however this season we are seeing are first eastern bluebird which has 4 hatch lings. You can see the female a top her nest box to the right of six green throughout the days.

Eastern Blue Bird Hole 6

Effective Friday the "Turf Hotline" will no longer be active. Daily golf course information regarding cart rulings, cultural practises, and any special maintenance practise will be posted daily via twitter. This can be viewed on this blog as well as the men's and ladies section of the Idylwylde website. When viewing the blog click the compatibility view button (looks like a page ripped in half) to the left of the refresh button in address bar to view the page as I intended it to be viewed. This is required when the browser I created the blog in is not compatible with the one you are using. Click it and see what looks best.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

How far we've come.

You never want to wish the days away because you never get them back, but after that May I'm glad it's June! Normal rainfall amounts for the month of May are 78mm and we received 108mm. Spring is typically a wet time of year without above normal amounts of precipitation adding to it. This now confirms to me that since I arrived here in 2009 I have never seen the golf course so wet. I would say that the weather, project wise has us about two weeks behind where I thought we would be by this time. The person who figures out how to control the weather will be the most powerful person in the world!

With all the rain and the last week of humidity it was a perfect storm for growing grass. Wow is it ever juicy out there. The mowers are running as much as possible and we still can't keep up. Looks like the cooler temperatures forecast will help us out a bit and slow things down. Not only is the rough growing rapidly, but the greens are as well. All these conditions are making it difficult to get the green speed up. Firmness is one of the key factors when it comes to ball roll and it's been next to impossible to achieve. Not to mention the annual bluegrass on the greens is seeding and that also affects speed by producing an uneven surface. You may have noticed this on many of the greens, the off coloured blotches (pale green) is the seed head of our predominant grass species on the greens. This usually last a couple of weeks. We will be trying to roll the greens daily (and cut of course) to help smooth things out and increase the speed of the greens.

I'm hoping at this point considering the start, everyone is as pleased as I am with regards to the condition of the golf course (forget how wet it is), in particular the greens. When I pulled the tarps off this season I wasn't sure if we were going to ever be able to recover. But, with the use of some tricks, hard work and patience we have been able to provide fairly respectable greens. Yes there is still a long way to go but we are heading in the right directions. Check out how far we've come!

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent



May 7, 2013



 

June 1, 2013

April 16, 2013



June 1, 2013

May 3, 2013

 

June 1, 2013

April 28, 2013

June 1, 2013

When it rains, it...?

Not only does "pour" come to many minds I'm sure, however today I would finish the statement by saying "grows like mad!". With the consecutive days of rain and high humidity all the grass is growing uncontrollably but the rough takes first prize for rate of growth. The primary rough is maintained with a 5 deck rotary mower called the "Toro Groundsmaster 4500-D". The operator of this mower is one of the clubs longest residing employees. He has been here so long even he doesn't remember the exact number of years but to put it simply his employee number is 45. Notice the unique stamp he is able to put on the golf course through his mowing patterns. Pete Verbeek is not only our master rough cutter but one of the ice techs as well . The other mower that you may be familiar with is the "Toro Groundsmaster 3500-D" a 3 deck rotary unit. We use this to maintain the rough surrounding the greens, tees and sand traps. It also is known as the "Sidewinder" because of its unique feature that allows the operator to slide the cutting units from side to side to help get those tricky little areas that wouldn't be within reach without it. Rest assured we will have all three of our mowers running daily to help keep the rough height at a consistent 2".

                  4500-D                                                                           Sidewinder





On to the greens. Today was a good day in the fact that number one green is ready for play so the decision was made to do so. I'm not going to lie, its great to be down to only one temporary green but all this rain doesn't make me feel incredibly comfortable about how the sod will handle the foot traffic. My main concern is the potential of foot printing due to the firmness of the surface since we've received almost 40mm of rain in the last 24 hours. I know it's almost impossible to ask but if possible please do your best to limit traffic on the sodded area whenever possible. Today the decision was also made to sod a damaged area at the back left of twelve green. This will help to increase pinning area and I would anticipate having this green in play for the weekend. With respect to the condition of the greens, I hope everyone is starting to feel pretty good about where were at. Yes we still have a long way to go, but I think it is now confirmed we are definitely on the right path. I have before and after pictures that I will post shortly.

 

Plans for the immediate future out on the course are to complete the face lift of the putting green area by installing drainage and sod. We do need things to firm up so completion of this is somewhat weather dependent. Also installing the plant material into the decorative stone planters will be the final touch. By Thursday I would anticipate that we will have begun the expansion of the forward tee on hole 14 and this will in no way impact your round of golf. The process of edging/weeding the sand traps will also be on going over the next few days and week. Don't forget to keep an eye on the blog calendar as next Tuesday the bi-weekly top dressing of the greens will be starting. Were looking forward to better weather and seeing everyone out on the golf course.

 

I just wanted to mention after doing this now for a few weeks, it seems as though I'm finding Sunday night to be a good time for me to post. Moving forward look for an update on Monday's.

 

Jay Sisko

Golf Course Superintendent

 

May in Sudbury

It's almost a certainty, if you want bad weather open a golf course. Friday definitely gave some truth to that statement, what a miserable day! However the weather did rebound and Saturday turned out to be the perfect day to get out and play the course for the first time. It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces as well as new ones. Thank you for all the positive comments and your understanding with the temporary greens.

As mentioned and many probably noticed we sodded 1 green and I would like to think it turned out pretty good. Typically under normal conditions I would anticipate having play on the green  2 weeks after sodding.  Rooting and firmness are the key factors that we are looking for. Greens 12 and 14 are coming along well however to ensure that the greens are in prime condition for the bulk of the season it is in their best interest to remain being managed as they currently are. The short term sacrifice made now is for the long term gains that this will most defiantly provide. Thank you for your patience.

Some may be wondering what's going on at the 19th green, which I refer to as the main putting green. The decision to remove the cedars was to improve sight lines from the pro shop and the starter shed as well as aesthetics. Some ground re contouring and the use of Rosetta stone similar to what was used on 1 tee will give a much improved first impression for members and guests. Improving and utilizing that great space we have is something that we will be working on over the course of the season as well as the future. We will be working hard to have the project completed for the long weekend, there may just be an issue with sod availability.

Moving forward the ditch that was filled on hole 14 will be our next priority and once this is completed the next project priorities will be discussed at tonight's greens committee meeting. Stay tuned for more information regarding course conditions and upcoming projects.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

The evolution of 1 Green

 

Things are shaping up!

It was another very eventful week  for us out on the golf course. Greens 12 and 14 have progressed as I would have hoped and we repaired the winter damage on 10 green with sod from our nursery. Unfortunately the damage that 1 green suffered has proven too severe to reestablish through seed. We have seen good results however I just don't feel that the condition of the green is where it needs to be at this point in time. With that being said it feel the best course of action is to sod 1 green as well. We are hoping to sod the green on Wednesday were just waiting for a new cutting blade for the sod cutter that should be here today.

I would anticipate that 1 green will be ready for play the following Wednesday and greens 12 and 14 if all goes well I'm hoping for May the 17th. Other than the few damaged greens (which have made great progress) the golf course is in great shape and I hope that everyone is pleased with the product come this Friday. Were looking forward to seeing everyone out here on Friday and the days following. Enjoy the 2013 golf season.


Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

 

 

I see the light

Well finally! After a tough start to our season it was a really positive week in the fact that the rest of the greens were uncovered and are in excellent condition. Also you can really see the forward progress with the overall condition of the golf course. It has finally started to dry out these last two days from the suns warming rays and great breeze these. All the necessary cultural practices and seeding was completed to the greens that are suffering from ice damage. There has been some recovery, however temperatures have only most recently reached what is required for germination and shoot growth. I'm going to use May the 6th as a deadline date to decide what will require sodding if the seeding process is not at a level that I feel it should be. Once again, I will get them back asap.

All the greens received their first mowing of the season at a height of .200". That would produce a green speed of about 6 feet on the stimp meter (slow). Over the next couple of weeks we will be gradually lowering the height in preparation for opening day. Today we also began mowing the fairways for the first time. They looked great! "I love the smell of fresh cut grass in the morning". The back nine loop of the irrigation system was pressurized today and the new pumping station performed brilliantly. We only came across one leak and unfortunately needed to order the part. Actually shocking because we keep quite the inventory of repair parts out of necessity.

All in all we had a really positive week and got a lot accomplished. It kills me to see the damage to the greens but this week reminded me that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The seasonal staff is starting this week and the clean up of debris from winter will begin as we work hard to be ready for May the 10th.

If the weather doesn't drastically affect the condition of the driving range we are hoping that it will be ready for use by May 3rd. Forecasting the weather is a tough business so lets hope they have the 5 day wrong for this week. We will confirm and communicate as soon as we know.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

April 28, 2013 Hole ?

Is it official?

Even though it officially kicked off on March the 20th I don't think we could really say it had arrived yet in Northern Ontario, but today I'm making it official, spring 2013 is here! I would think it's fair to say that old man winter proved to us all that even though forgotten for the past couple of seasons he is alive, well and kicking.

Last Friday here at the course we saw easily 8" of the white stuff once again halting our forward progress on getting this place ready for the golf season. With that being said, we did take some good strides in the right direction this week but that also didn't come without disappointment. It is with great disappointment that I inform you of some ice damage to greens 1, 10, 12, and 14. It's difficult to say at this time which green suffered the most damage but it is safe to say it's between 1 and 14. Just the fact that the impermeable tarps have been remove and replaced with perforated ones means we have begun the recovery process. When ice damage occurs under an impermeable cover, noxious gases build up due to the anaerobic conditions produced by a lack of oxygen in turn creating an environment that is not conducive to recovery. Now with permeable tarps in place a free exchange of oxygen, carbon monoxide and other metabolic gases can take place to encourage recovery.

When moving forward with the recovery of putting greens due to winter kill, there is always the question of what method should be used to do so, seeding or sodding? Over the past 9 years being a turf manager in Central and Northern Ontario I have been presented with the challenges of regenerating putting greens damaged from winter kill. During this time I have always been a believer in seeding appose to sodding. The success I've had in seeding is definitely one of the reasons why I'm a believer along with some logical thought process that I will discuss further.

Availability of the amount of sod that sometimes is required when significant amounts of damage has taken place can prove to be difficult to attain (unless on site). Even if available, matching compatible root zones is next to impossible and can in turn create patches that need to be managed differently than the rest of the green. This is particularly evident during periods of stress. When sodding areas of localized damage you can almost never blend the sod to the existing turf and contours leaving visible differences as well creating playability differences. Finally I truly believe by the time you sod there is no significant difference in time that the green would recover to the condition that would deem it playable. If reestablishment is successful from seeding in my mind the eventual quality and uniformity of the putting surface far out weighs the possibility that the green may be playable sooner.

Our plan of attack to resurrect the damaged areas on our greens is to aerate the areas twice with a 3/8" tine and special tine mount to produce approximately 260 holes/square foot. Once that process is complete two types of bentgrass will be applied using a drop seeder. One of the bentgrass species has adapted to germinate at temperatures 10 degrees lower than the desired bentgrass. The purpose of this is to produce a "nurse" plant that in turn will aid in the germination of our desired species. The next step will be to use our slit seeder in two directions thus increasing the areas where seed germination will occur. Black sand topdressing will be applied to the area which will aid in accelerating the increase in soil temperatures as it absorbs light energy. Finally we will reapply the appropriate green covers (to generate heat) and water the areas constantly throughout the days. Once the desired bentgrass has established the "nurse" bentgrass will die off when mowing heights decrease as it can only withstand mowing heights of 1/4" or more. Fear not I guarantee in time you will be putting on the surface you have become accustom to.

So enough with the somewhat disappointing news and on to when we think the golf course will be ready to open. I have always stated that once the snow has completely gone it takes a solid 14 days to get the golf course ready for play. With that being said I feel May 10th is a realistic opening day for the golf course. Now, if we can get some cooperation from mother nature that could possibly be sooner with out a doubt. Rest easy knowing we are ready for the challenges handed to us and are confident we will come out on top! Thank you in advance for your patience.

Initially I had some reservations showing these pictures but realistically there is no hiding it and things can only improve from here. Stay tuned to see the forward progress.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

1 Green (has drainage)



 

14 Green (no drainage)

9 Green (it's not all bad)



New Beginings

I would like to welcome all readers to the Idylwylde Turf Management Departments inaugural blog post. This is something that I have wanted to do for some time and has finally come to fruition. My intentions are to use this forum to communicate information regarding golf course maintenance practises that may or may not impact your upcoming round of golf. Things such as routine cultural practises will be in the attached calendar so you know what to expect for course conditions on that specific day. Upcoming projects will be highlighted and when they are underway you will know exactly how they will affect your round. I'm also looking forward to giving more insight into the multifaceted world that is Turf Management. Not only will this be a great avenue to communicate information regarding the above mentioned but hopefully will serve as an educational tool as well. Throughout the golfing season it is my intention to post weekly either on Fridays or Saturdays as a minimum, however I will not limit postings to that if there is other prudent information to share.With that being said lets get to what I'm sure everyone would wants to hear about!

As the snow recedes and temperatures begin to rise it marks a beginning of a season that we all have been waiting what feels so long for, golf season! It's well known that people use the weather as a conversation starter and in this business there is no doubt that mother nature rules so why don't we start there. As of a few days ago our greens had been under snow cover for 118 days with some still covered. If you count the days the tarps have been on as well (28) you can bet that the greens are in desperate need of some oxygen.

"What a difference a year makes" is something I've been hearing a lot of lately but for me I can confidently say that this is the first true Sudbury winter that I have experienced and it was a tough one when it comes to turf management. All was fine by me (and out of my control of course) except the 5 inches of rain that fell over the winter. Rain which of course turns into ice in the winter is a proven killer of turf and especially Poa annua - Annual Bluegrass which predominately our greens are comprised of.

Constant monitoring and counting days of ice cover is something that is done to help decide if and what course of action should be taken to increase the chance of turf survival. In my experience Poa can tolerate a maximum of 45 days of ice cover if your lucky, but its more like 30. All of our greens had experienced some form of ice cover, from extreme to lets say significant. Greens 6, 9, 10, 17 had severe ice cover for a minimum of 30 days and because of there susceptibility to damage snow was removed, black sand applied to facilitate ice melt. Once the ice was soft enough it was removed. Unfortunately there was some turf loss with ten seeing the most significant amount.

With still so much snow being on the course and tarps on the greens its difficult at this time to asses conditions and how things overwintered. If the weather forecast holds true for next week I anticipate having all the tarps removed by Sunday and the recovery process started. Now for the moment I'm sure everyone has been waiting for, when will the golf course open? If we continue moving forward at this rate, I would anticipate 3 weeks from today with the goal always being not to open later than May 1st. With some cooperation from mother nature I truly believe its attainable and we will do everything in our power to make it happen.

As I have any updates I will be doing so through this blog so check it out periodically. You can also check out our facebook page to see what we have been up to and golf course course condition pictures.

Jay Sisko
Golf Course Superintendent

Hole #10 - March 21, 2012

Hole 10 - April 11, 2013