Course Update

Golf course is closed today as of 1:30 p.m.  rain has been falling all day and course is completely saturated.  As of Saturday June 13 we have received a total of 4.5 inches of rain and counting.  I am sorry for any inconvenience.  Hopefully the weather man will be off on rain predictions for the next 2 days.  We will let you know as soon as course opens.
Thanks,  

Driving Range Tee Help

     We need your help in order to keep our Driving Range tee in the best possible shape.  As most of you are aware our teeing area is too small.  This is a big challenge to keep turf on the tee.  Our driving range is used often.  Please help us keep our driving range tee in the best possible shape.                                                                                                                                                                  We move the teeing area daily to give the old area  time to heal.  Every Monday we are restricted to the mat.  This was a decision that was made by the Green Committee to help give the turf areas an extra day to recover.  On days we receive too much rain we are restricted to the mat.  If you see the balls on the mat please stay on the mat.  We have a number of members that drag the baskets to the grass tee and hit when the baskets are set up on the mat.  Please hit your balls from where the range is set up.
      There is a good and bad way to hit your balls off the turf.  The diagram below illustrates the proper way to hit your shots off the grass tee.  Making a big hole in the tee takes the longest time to recover we do not like that.  If you hit lines or space your divots out the turf has a shorter distance to heal.  The last thing is when you are finished practicing please take a  minutes and fill your divots in.  We have two containers with sand in them set up behind the teeing areas. 
     Doing these few things will  keep our driving range tee in the best possible shape. Thanks for your cooperation.
    

 

Venting

     We Hydroject our green today.  This is using hi pressure water to aerate  the greens.  We get a 3inch by 3 inch hole pattern that are 6 to 7 inches deep. This allows for oxygen exchange in our greens. The grass takes oxygen up through the root system.  This allow oxygen to get to the roots and allows the carbon dioxide out.  Roots will actually fill in the void left by the hydrojecting.  With all the rain and cool weather this will help our greens dry down.  Excessive moisture is not a good combination especially when it gets hotter.  We will Hydroject two more time this summer.  It takes 3 machines about 4 hours to complete this job.

Hydrojecting Putting Green.

 Notice no mess.

 You can hardly see the hole pattern.

Krakow Cup

     Today is the start of the Krakow Cup.  Our men's member guest tournament.  The golf course is in excellent shape.  I want to take a moment to thank my staff for a job well done.  We have put in some long hours getting the course in shape for this weekend.  Thanks to Dan Tod my Assistant, he wears many hats can do any job on the golf course. Thanks Rob Bardot, Rob keep our equipment up and running and if needed he will mow, fix pool problems and Clubhouse problems.  Thanks Karen Burns, Our landscape beds are the best at any golf course in the state.  Not only does she keep up with the landscape she will help out on the golf course anywhere she is needed.  Thanks Tim Larrison, Tim is our Irrigation Tec. he fixes leaks and bad sprinklers.  Tim also mows greens every day.  Thanks Kyle Frandenburg,  Kyle has worked here for 35 years.  Kyle mows our tee's and green approaches.  He can also do any job on the golf course.  Thanks, Nick Wachter,  Nick mows our collar, perimeters around the greens and he  also mow greens when needed.  Thanks, Duane Scheible, Duane mows our fairways and roughs.  He can also mow greens when need.  Thanks, Larry Ronsick, Larry mows roughs for us, he works 3 days a week.  Thanks Sonny Stone, Sonny mow roughs for us 3 days a week.  Thanks to our summer help, Mike Wachter, Corbin Voyles, and Conner Watson.  These young men keep our Driving Range picked, Bunkers raked, trashed picked up and golf course weed trimmed.  These are outstanding people I feel very fortunate to have them on my staff.  Thank you staff job well done.

 

First group off # 1 Tee

Winter Damage

     We have a few areas in some of our fairways that have winter killed due to excessive moisture.  Zoysia grass does not like excessive moisture.  some areas on our course water sits for longer periods of time.  The Zoysia is thin or has completely been killed.  We are working on some drainage plans to help move the water off the course to help dry these areas out.  In the areas that are killed we will sod them.  The areas that are thin we will push them to fill in with extra fertilizer.

 #9 fairway

 #9 in front of green

 # 6 fairway low area water cannot runoff

# 6 fairway.  There is Zoysia in the thinning area it will fill in. 

Zoysia Patch

     Some of you might have notice some thinning areas in fairways and tees in the Zoysia grass.  They will be circular areas that can be a few inches in diameter to 10 feet in diameter.  This is a cool season disease that affect Zoysia grass.  When the temperatures warms up the disease goes away or the Zoysia grass out grows the disease. This disease is most troublesome in the Fall and Spring of the year.  Cool wet conditions the disease thrives. You can spray to control the disease but it is expensive.  In severe areas we do spray but for the most part we let the warmer weather take care of the disease.   Here are a few pic's showing the disease.

 #9 Fairway about 12 inches in diamater

 #17 Blue Tee  takes up the front part of tee

 Notice the orange ring.  This is were the disease is active

Flag Pole Landscaping

We have finally installed the flower bed at the flag pole.  Spring rains have delayed the project.  Karen finished the planting today.  Looks great!  Here are a few pic's of the project.

 Laying first block

 1/4 of the way done

 



Karen compacting subgrade 

 

 Dan and Nick almost done

 Finished

You won't recognize bed in about 30 days when all the plants fill in.