Golf Course Update

The golf course has now been open for 3 weeks and we are starting to get into a normal routine.  That being said, the last 2-3 weeks has been very hectic for the maintenance crew.  This blog will update the membership on a variety of different events that have taken place during this time.

Irrigation  

As many of you have heard and seen, we have dealt with many irrigation breaks this spring.  The result of this was a delay in getting water to the areas of the course that needed it, eg. Some of the tee decks.  That brief heat spell we had saw temperatures into the 30's with extremely low humidity, the worst case scenario.  This is an example of how important a reliable irrigation system is.

That being said, the leaks incurred this spring were not specifically due to the condition of our irrigation system.  Many golf courses all over Ontario, and into the north east United States, faced the same issues.  The main contributor to the damage has been determined to be the abnormal depth of the frost this winter.

As of late last week we do have the system up and running.  We are still experiencing some small breaks here and there, but for the most part we are now able to water on a regular basis.

Tees

As stated above, the reason behind some of the tees turning brown is simply due to the lack of water at a time of need.  They were not over fertilized or wrongly sprayed with any products.  

The recovery process has significantly slowed down due to the low temperatures at night, however they will recover.

Greens

Obviously mother nature does not want to co-operate when it comes to aerating.  Last weekend’s rain was too much to make aerating the greens on Monday effective.  The decision to defer and reschedule to this upcoming Monday evening / Tuesday morning was made.  As of right now, thunder showers are forecast for Monday afternoon.  We will make a ‘game time’ decision, purely based on the weather.  Please keep an eye out for tweets and website updates concerning aeration.

Should the weather not co-operate this Monday, alternate plans will be arranged for aeration. Updates will be provided should aeration be cancelled again.

We have started lowering the height on the greens and implementing a consistent rolling schedule.  Look for improved speeds.

Trees

In a previous blog I talked about the condition of the Ash trees around our property.  In that blog I stated that Ash trees of safety concerns to members and staff would be first on the removal list.  To help members identify these trees, we will start placing Yellow Ribbons around them.  As of right now, there are 5 trees left of #2 white tee that have the ribbons on them.  The purpose of this is that we want members to see the trees, see that they are infected and/or dying, and do pose a safety issue.  

This will be an ongoing process over the summer.  Updates on Ash tree removal will be posted on future blogs and twitter.

Creek at 4

The shaping and prep work on the new creek on the 4th hole is complete.  Irrigation wiring and piping had to be altered due to the installation of the creek, that is also complete.  

The last step to completion is sodding.  Unfortunately our sod supplier will not have sod available until mid-next week, so we expect completion by late next week.

Hazards

Hazard marking has been started and should be completed by end of today.  Look for subtle changes. We do plan to upload an aerial view of the golf course with the hazard marking to our website for member reference.  This is still in the works.  This is how the course will be marked going forward.  

There may be some very minor changes when we host the Tunis in July and the PGA Assistant's Championship in September.

Divots & Ball Marks

PLEASE, start fixing your ball marks on the greens.  It has been a sad start to the season when it comes to ball mark repairs, especially after men’s night….MEN!

When you hit your approach shot and it happens to roll off the green, please go back and look for the ball mark.  It would be great if everyone could fix 2 or 3 ball marks every time they are on a green.

Divots.  The divot rack program is back in full effect this season.  Look for the rack to be rotated through the holes on a regular basis.  We have also purchased additional larger bins that will act as refill stations.  We ask that all players, carrying and riding fill their bottles on a regular basis and help out with divots as much as possible.

There are short reference videos on this blog page showing how to properly fix a ball mark and repair a divot.

If all the membership can help out with the smaller task, it enables the maintenance staff to focus on the larger tasks at hand.

As always, if anyone has any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to stop me on the golf course or send me and email.

Enjoy the season and see you on the course!