It was fabulous getting the entire course open on Saturday.  We need the weather to warm up so the turf can flourish.  Unfortunately another blast of winter weather is upon us.  The long range weather pattern looks favorable by the end of the week so maybe this is it for winter. We are anxious getting back to maintaining the course for golf so lets go!

 

The ninth fairway after mowing Friday.

 

 

Quincy enjoying a freshly cut fairway.  He recently suffered seizures and is now on regular medication.  So far everything looks good. 

 

 

A close up of the new turf on fifteen fairway right after mowing.

 

 

The covers have been removed on the fifth tee.  Notice the deeper green on the green tee than..

 

 

the more shaded tees at the rear.

 

 

Mowing the first tee featuring Crystal BlueLinks bent.

 

 

Greens being cut with a lower height of cut.  The lattice is used to protect the new collars when the mower is turned.

 

 

Edging beds in preparation for mulch.

 

 

It has been a rough winter for many of our trees.  This Siberian Elm at the rear of the second green will require a contractor to repair it.  There are many trees throughout the course scheduled for hazard pruning.

 

 

Richard continues to prune trees as winter continues on.

 

 

Signs of spring.  A red maple in flower.

 

 

Daffodils blooming in a southern exposure on the sixth hole.

 

 

The fifth hole with a nice morning dew.

 

When will this winter end?  According to the calendar spring begins this Thursday but looking out my window it sure doesn't look it.  Warmer temperatures are forecast for the rest of the week so the snow should melt quickly and we can concentrate on getting the entire course open.

 

We mowed greens for the first time on Saturday.  We have a higher height of cut for the first mowing but still removed quite a bit of grass.  Mowing greens on Saturday, plowing snow on Monday. Yikes!

 

 

We removed an overgrown shrub border surrounding some nice crepe myrtles near the 17th green.

 

 

What a difference!

 

The wood chip area on the 8th hole was recently expanded.

 

 

Tulips are beginning to emerge in many beds.  Please don't walk in the flowerbeds!

 

 

We removed one last tree at the rear of the 3rd green.  Hopefully we can now improve this poorly draining area.

 

 

We have a nice supply of split oak that should be excellent for next winter.

 

 

Even the kids are sick of snow.  This hillside is usually covered with children playing.

 

 

One last picture of the winter of 2014.

The golf course is opening!  We appreciate your patience through the renovation and at long last we can play golf.  The back nine will open for play this Friday and we expect the entire course to open on Friday March 21st.  It will be fun managing the course for golf again.  The fairways have  developed a nice mat underfoot and will continue to improve in density as warmer weather arrives.  Carts will be restricted to the path until the turf is mature enough to support them which we are guessing to be mid-spring.  We also insist that all divots be replaced.  The Green Committee decided to remove the sand mixture from the carts at least for the short term in an effort to get everyone in the habit of replacing the turf.  Enjoy!

 

Getting ready for play.  Here Tom is blowing off the tenth green before rolling. 

     

 

Turf covers were removed on Monday but were returned before the cold front arrived on Thursday. 

 

 

Number five green tee.  Roots have hardly grown since last December but should start moving as the weather warms.

 

 

Crystal BlueLinks beginning to green up on the fifteenth fairway.

 

 

We mowed a shaggy third fairway on Wednesday.

 

 

The greens are beginning to show color and lose their mottled look.

 

 

We are seeding areas in the rough that are particularly weak coming out of winter.  Here Erik seeds tall fescue on the first hole.

 

 

The completed seedbed.  The rough will require time to fill in.

 

 

We extended the wood chip area on the eighth hole to include more hardwood trees.

 

 

Julio completed pruning the hybrid tea roses in preparation for a great seasonal display.  Spring may begin!

March is charging in like a lion.  This is not the start we were hoping for but the weather looks promising in the near future.  We will open the course as soon as possible and hope to have at least nine holes ready for play by Friday the 14th.  The snow has been beneficial to the new turf but we can all say enough!  We are staffing up and ready to show off our wonderful golf course.  There will be plenty happening in a short time so get ready for the golf season!

 

 

Not the start to March we would of liked but it sure is pretty.

 

 

Prior to the snow we observed quite a few oak leaves on the ground pushed off by new growth.  A sure sign of spring.

 

 

Our pansies really took it on the chin this winter but these should recover to give a nice spring display.

 

 

Before the snow on Monday we just about completed cutting back all the ornamental grasses.   We like to keep them up as long as possible to give birds a place to shelter from the cold.

 

 

We spread out the cut grasses and mulch them with a bush hog in non mow areas.

 

 

This area of annual bluegrass was observed in a slight depression on the 14th fairway illustrating its affinity to wet areas.  We tried to level as many spots in the fairways prior to seeding as possible.

 

 

The pro shop has some new apparel which suits the superintendent to the T!