Merry Christmas to All

Winter is finally here and despite the Mayan calendar, the world appears to be intact.  Since I probably won't have a blog post until after the new year, I just wanted to take time to thank you all for another great season.  Contributions to the employee end-of-year bonus program were full as usual and my staff received a nice little Christmas bonus.  On behalf of my employees, thanks to all that contributed.

We wish you all the best of times this holiday season, and look forward to seeing you all at the club in 2013. Merry Christmas!

Now I lay me down to sleep.......

With normal winter weather finally coming, it is time to put the greens to bed for the season.  In my eight years here, this is the longest golf season we have ever had.  Fully open and operational in mid March and closing on December 10 is unprecedented.  Having spoken with several members over the past few weeks, even the "die-hards" seem ready to mothball the sticks for a few months or head south for fairer weather.

There are several things we have done this season to help the greens fare well through the winter as well as hopefully come roaring up in the spring.  We started a week or so ago by applying our winter pesticides for control of snow mold followed by a "dormant feed" of simple fertilizer.  The chemicals will hopefully control any snow mold fungi present, but just in case we missed a spot, the fertilizer will make sure that the greens and tees will wake up quite quickly in the spring to "grow out" of any damage.

Finally, after the last few hardy golfers leave the grounds, we apply a moderate topdressing of sand.  The sand will act to protect the crown of the plant from any damage through the winter as well as provide a nice layer to smooth out any surface inconsistencies in the spring.

Don't tell anyone, but topdressing is also effective at keeping the winter golfers from putting on the greens in the offseason.

  Also, the temporary pins have been set in the fairways and approaches for winter play.  If the temperature and mood suit you this winter, feel free to walk the course and hit a few balls to our temporary pins.

As we do every year, winter preventative maintenance has already begun.  Golf carts and utility vehicles are being serviced as we speak, and an entire fleet of equipment awaits a tear-down and re-build.  This work is important to our smooth operation during the golf season and a welcome chance for the staff to get away from the normal grind of daily golf operations.  We use the winter wisely as a time to recharge our batteries for the upcoming busy season and most will use their time off during the Holidays to make up for lost time with family.

As the holidays approach and we move into the new year, occasionally check the grounds department blog.  As interesting things happen I will be sure to post them.  I spend a great deal of time in continuing education and industry related activities (and goose-chasing) during the off-season and always learn a few things worth repeating.  Also keep an eye peeled for staff profiles over the winter.  It will be a great chance to learn more about the employees that have served you for many years.

Thanks for another great season.  Good luck with the Christmas shopping, and we will see you around the club!

The Un-buddy system

Below is a link to this weeks USGA Green Section Record.  In the past, I have posted links to interesting articles and commentary from this site.  Lately, they haven't posted much content that would be of interest to anyone other than a turf nerd like me.

This installment, however, has some great articles with some take home messages for golfers too including an interesting look at single rider golf cart use.  Something I have noticed the last couple of seasons here at Highland is a definite increase in groups that have almost as many riding golf carts as players.  Keep in mind that each extra cart means things to the condition of the course.  Cart traffic creates compaction and general stress to the turf that results in some serious maintenance challenges.

Don't take my word for it, click below -
USGA Green Section Record Click Here!