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