What a bad storm we experienced this week.  The golf course didn't lose any trees but it sure did lose plenty of mulch.  I don't believe I can remember such a "spring" storm in February.  Anyway we spent two days cleaning up and are ready to open the entire course the first week of March.  We are about three weeks ahead of last season and the long range weather looks good for golf.  Maybe Mr. Groundhog was right about an early spring!

Every bunker was in this condition or worse on Thursday morning.  Rainfall rates around 2 inches per hour were experienced.

Storm damage #5.

Mud and mulch at the 6th green.

More mess by the 3rd green.

Plenty of silt was deposited in all of our ponds.  

More cleanup Saturday morning.

We made temporary greens that were nice to look at but never used this winter!  Turf covers come off on Sunday and mowers and rollers will be on the course next week.

There is still plenty of firewood available for the taking.

We were able to open the back nine for play on Saturday.  We are evaluating the front nine and hope to begin removing the tarps next week.  Currently many of the fairways are much too soft to permit play.  With rain in the forecast for much of this week it is unlikely the front nine will open this weekend.  We are anxious as you are to get on the course but must wait until conditions permit.

After looking closer at the damaged turf in our rough I feel confident it will bounce back.  Several turf plugs were taken inside and are already producing new shoots.  This is most likely gray snow mold and something rarely seen in our growing area.  Regular brushing will help the turf recover and will begin as soon as the course dries out.   Pink snow mold is more common and has been prevalent in our fairways the past two years.  Preventive fungicides appear to have done the job as the fairways are clean.

The first tint of spring green was observed on Saturday with the warm temperatures.

Repairing damage from snow plows at our entrance.

Fifteen fairway looking beautiful Saturday morning.  The early bird gets the view!  We are ready to get the mowers on the course just as soon as it dries up and the change will be dramatic.

Removing some ornamental grasses on the seventh hole and relocating to the spillway on the fifth hole.

Red tail hawks pairing up and hopefully nesting on the course.

This is less than two months away!

The snow is about gone and we are evaluating the course daily for when to open.  Nice weather is forecast for this weekend and we will do our best to open if possible.  Currently the course is plain mush!  Colder temperatures are forecast until Saturday so we will see.

Once the snow melted some weak turf was observed in some of the rough.  We anticipate aggressively aerating and seeding these areas once the course dries up.

Another view.  We suspect the mild weather and excessive rain in December predisposed the turf to decline.  Most of the turf is annual bluegrass.

Melting snow is rapidly leaving the course.  Too bad we can't store this water for summer.

I recently attended the Golf Industry Show in San Diego where everything imaginable in golf course maintenance was on display.  It took eight hours to walk the trade show floor.

Check out this rig.  Toro recently redesigned their utility vehicle but didn't raise the price!

Yours truly posing with a great horned owl at the Audubon booth.  Audubon will be visiting our course in June hopefully for final certification.  

What blizzard?  Its been just over a week and two feet of snow is gone! It is unusual to see such melt in the middle of winter but we'll take it.  What a job my staff did plowing the parking lot allowing the club to open on Monday.  Kudos to those guys!

Friday afternoon with the snow just starting to accumulate.  Enjoy the run Quincy, the next time won't be so easy.

Saturday afternoon with Snowzilla at its peak.

Our first snow event using only the Kubota plow and it performed great.

An almost beach like look by the driving range.

Clearing snow from gutters at the shop.

We choose to believe our signs actually worked.  The fifth green with hardly a foot print on it.

The snow melted almost as fast as it came down.  The new thirteenth tee looks awesome only ten days after it was covered by two feet of powder.

We worked on the course right up to the storm.  Here's some of our handy work now that we are back in the shop.

The snow is gone and we are splitting wood till the course dries up.  Come and get it!

This was taken only four days after the snowstorm!  There's twenty inches of snow just beyond Quincy.