We have done our best preparing the course for the Great Blizzard of 2016.  Our staff is ready and will be plowing the grounds throughout the weekend.  Chef has provided them with plenty of good eats and they will take catnaps when possible.  It is awesome to have such a dedicated bunch and they are a pleasure to work with.  We intend to have the club open as soon as possible.

An ominous sunrise this morning.  Red in the morning….

The plow and men are ready.

Reflective markers placed throughout to keep the plow on the road.

Fencing to protect our weakest green from kids sledding.

What a weird start to winter.  Growth in late December after we had applied our winter fungicides.  After some consideration we thought best to not mow.  The mowers will be ready when the weather breaks.

I'm calling this the plague.  This is roughstalk bluegrass invading our bent fairways in a few areas.  This will need to be sodded out in the fall.

Before the storm we almost completed cutting back last years growth in seven and eight ditch.  Four lake is done!

This drain has continued to flow since the day it was installed on the eighth hole.

We tried to complete some tree work before the storm but alas some equipment breakdowns occurred and had to be rescheduled.

A large dead oak was removed before the breakdown on the second hole next to this now specimen tulip poplar.  More firewood!

Not one guess to my turf twister.  Anyway this line of damaged turf was caused by the hose from the air compressor when we winterized the irrigation system.  The hose gets hot as the air leaves the compressor.

There's the culprit!

The course has been buttoned up for winter even though we are experiencing some decent weather for golf.  All of the construction is complete and much of the sod has pegged down.  Roots will continue to grow as long as we don't have an extended period of freeze.  Currently we are cutting back last seasons growth around all the water features throughout the course as well as spreading wood chips.

The 14th fairway was shortened a bit to make room for the new forward tee.  

Repairing a drainage ditch on the 15th hole.

Extending a bunker drain on the 12th hole to dry up a perennially wet area.

The journey begins.  Hopefully winter will be kind to us and let us complete this task before the golf season unlike last year.

We have begun tree pruning.  This is a maple with sap running after the cut and then freezing at night.  The ice tasted like maple sugar!

Part of the Audubon Sanctuary Program involves creating habitat for different creatures.  Here we are using pruned branches to provide cover in a wooded area.

Another brush pile.

With the extended mild temperatures and moisture additional fungicide applications were required.  Once the fungicide dried the green was covered and closed till spring.

A circulation fan will be added to the 13th green this season.  Power will come from the turf care center.

The practice bunker is complete without the high face.  Our staff does good work!

Turf twister.  This yellow line appeared before the new year near the first green.  Be the first to guess correctly the cause and win a dozen golf balls.  This offer expires by the next blog!

 

Happy New Year!  Bizarre is the only word that comes to describe the weather we have been experiencing.  Unseasonably warm temperatures that have been accompanied by too much rain made playing golf and working on the course difficult.  It looks like more seasonal weather is arriving so hopefully we will be completing our construction projects this week.

Ah the fresh smell of cut grass in December?

When was the last time the greens looked like this at Christmas?  Much of the course needed to be cut but too much rain limited what could be done. 

Very confused tulips emerging.

Winterizing the irrigation system because we know this weather will not last.

Rain stopped the last sod work on the course but will be completed this week.  

Cayenne pepper placed around bunkers to prevent foxes from digging.  It is unusual to rake bunkers in December because they are usually frozen!

Winter weeds germinating in tulip beds and recently sprayed with Roundup.

We have some beautiful temporary greens prepared if and when they are needed.

Split firewood is starting to become available and may be picked up on a first come basis.

A very confused viburnum greeting the new year.

A rainy Thursday put a halt to our construction project.  Work should wrap up early next week.  Temporary greens and tees are being readied for the eventual coming of winter.  Greens 3, 4, and 5 will be covered later this month.  In the meantime enjoy golf on Christmas as more warm weather is forecast.

New sod has been added to worn areas of many of our bunkers.

Fresh sod around the first tee.

Bent collar expansion on the fifteenth hole.

Bent Hogan's Walk going in at thirteenth tee.  Irrigation was installed on Wednesday with final grading and sodding early next week.

Say goodbye to a relic.  We recently disposed of some old equipment including this truck to tidy up our turf care center.  

Construction is going very well with the superb weather we are experiencing.  We expect to wrap up all the renovations by the end of the week.  Our staff has taken advantage of the great weather and continued with more new sod placed throughout the course.  We have enjoyed the beautiful weather as much as our members and have welcomed mowing turf in December!

The expansion of the tenth hole is now complete and the change is dramatic.

The forward tee on seven looks like it had always been there.

A bentgrass collection area is being added to the fifteenth green as indicated by the orange flags with sod harvested from the thirteenth approach.

Applying fungicides for winter disease protection for the last time this season?

Murphy's Law at work.  The last mow of the season and we experience a hydraulic leak.  Thank goodness the operator caught it quickly.

Changing the shape of thirteen approach.

Is it possible we are irrigating in December?  Yep.

Our staff getting it done with attention to detail.  A perfect straight line with new rough sod added at the first tee.

Hooded Megansers have returned indicating winter is coming.

One more beautiful sunrise.

Great weather continues as we enter Thanksgiving week.  Most of our projects are going very well as we enter the home stretch.  Construction of the 13th tee as well as sod work on the 10th hole begins Monday.  Expect plenty to be done next week!

We are wrapping up slicing the fairways with the ShockWave.  This operation breaks up some of the layering in our soils and improves water infiltration and promotes deeper rooting of bentgrass.

The Shock Wave is a very powerful piece of equipment and brings plenty of rocks to the surface with the help of Rockmeister Richard Purple.  Dick envisions buried treasure!

Remember the tenth hole like this..

That was then and this is now!

The last pine takes a fall.

The contractor spent the better part of day two working on the root systems of the pines in preparation of sod.

The forward tee on seven during construction showing the sub grade and drainage being installed.

Removing perfect sod on the 13th tee and relocating to weak collar areas.

Perfect sod work by your staff.

This is a female Ginkgo which has NASTY smelling fruit.  There are actually two females on the course and are on the first and second holes.  Bob McNamara gets an atta boy for trying but there were no winners this time.  Keep reading this blog for more opportunities to win a dozen balls so…

you don't have to ball hawk like Dave Page!

Lentz's Revenge was the best yet.  I hope the coyote didn't catch your ball like yours truly!