Last week was a real roller coaster.  We experienced a little of everything from snow to rain to some really nice weather.  The crew is wrapping up their inside work and now it's time to move outside.  Mulch has been ordered and will be delivered the first week of March.  Ornamental grasses are being cut back and roses are being pruned today.  Aerification equipment is about ready and seed has been delivered and ready for the weather to break so we can get to it.  With all the rain we have received there is more work than normal to start the year.

From this...

 

 

to this...

 

 

to this in three days!

 

 

Julio and Rony pruning our roses for the new season.

 

 

Our red tail hawks are preparing their nest in the solitary pine between one and nine again- a sure sign of spring.

 

 

 

 

A nice break in the weather allowed us to open up the greens and tees for some winter golf on Thursday.  Alas that has ended and more rain has closed the course today.  We need to dry out!  The excessive moisture is starting to back up planned outside winter work.  Snow and rain are now forecast for Wednesday.

 

It was nice greeting golfers for a mid-winter break on Friday.  Raking bunkers, rolling greens and changing hole locations was a nice change for the crew.

 

 

A freshly rolled tenth green.

 

 

It was dry enough to allow Josh to seed some bent into bermuda patches in the fairways.

 

 

We are observing some annual bluegrass germination is several of our greens(speckling in the picture) which will be easy to transition out with growth regulators.

 

 

Our honeybees were out in mass on Friday.  Not a great pic but look close and you'll see them.

 

 

Planned drainage on the ninth hole whenever it dries up enough to work,

 

 

Inside work on golf course supplies is about complete.  These benches look like new and are ready for the golf season.

 

Patio rockers are last. 

 

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The up and down winter weather continues.  Putting surfaces have thawed so there is a chance we might have the greens available for play later this week before winter returns.  Last year at this time it was 70 degrees!  Josh and I just returned from the Golf Industry Show in San Diego and have brought back plenty to ponder for this coming season.  Bermudagrass encroachment was a topic of emphasis at the show and other professional seminars we attended this winter.  The bad news as expected is common bermudagrass can't be killed.  It can be suppressed though through many different cultural and chemical applications.  This is what we are going to concentrate our efforts on this year.

 

One tested method is to slice bermudagrass when dormant to weaken it during cold periods.  Our Imants slicing machine is perfect for this.

 

 

Different bunker liners are under consideration for use at our club.  This particular one piqued my interest.

 

 

My alma mater represented well at the show!

 

 

I caught up with our friends at Audubon and this peregrine falcon.

 

 

I was fortunate to play in the GCSAA Four Ball at Torrey Pines North course.  My partner Eric Junkins and I played well and came in sixth.  That is the 15th hole which I made par on!

 

 

There are not many Canadian geese in California but there are plenty of coots which will not move.  Jack and Gill would be in heaven!

 

 

Fortunately we don't have to worry about this.

 

 

Tulips beginning to emerge.  Spring is around the corner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

January is going out like a lion with the coldest weather we have seen this winter.  Some warm temperatures are predicted after this blast so maybe we will have some mid-winter golf before the next cold snap.  We are headed to San Diego for the Golf Industry Show tomorrow so the next blog will feature that trip and our findings.

 

The crew cutting back the last bit around four lake before the arctic blast.  We don't cut the ornamental grasses back for another month as they give winter protection to birds.

 

 

A quick shot of snow and then kaboom!  Baby its cold outside!!

 

 

A sign that spring is coming.

 

 

   

The snow has melted after some balmy weather accompanied by two rain events.  This wet pattern has persisted since September.  Long range weather calls for winter cold to stretch into March so some big snow events should not be a surprise.  In the meantime we continue to get the course ready for spring.

 

The crew is making good progress cutting back pond and creek banks.  We planted milkweed with seed provided by Audubon in this area as part of Monarchs in the Rough program.  Contact MONARCHSINTHEROUGH.ORG if you are interested.

 

 

Wildflowers have been cut back and the 2019 season is ready to go.

 

 

One benefit of all the rain is pinpointing where drainage is required (we just received another two and a half inches).  Here water needs to be diverted to the hazard right of the path.

 

 

This storm water should be captured in a basin before it crosses twelve fairway.

 

 

This area near the eighth tee will be repaired by raising the ground to the right of the path and allowing the water to flow between the green and red tees.

 

 

This winter project is nearly complete.  Please take it all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first snow of 2019 has suspended any work on the course with the exception of plowing snow.  That's fine as there is plenty to do.  The shop looks like Santa's workshop with everything that is going on.  Refurbishing all the golf course accessories along with equipment repair makes for a crowded work place.  Thankfully everyone gets along!

 

A beautiful winter scene.

 

 

The predicted 3-5" quickly became 6-10".  Our crew did a nice job plowing.

 

 

Julio and Luis sanding benches with Oscar and Jose B in the background sharpening reel mowers.

 

 

Rony sanding a bench.

 

 

Francisco applying teak sealer at the end of the assembly line!

 

 

Jose Nunez, Max and Tano painting tee markers.

 

 

Another inch this morning provided a beautiful landscape. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter has arrived and we are expecting our first snow of 2019.  The crew has been busy preparing the course for the new season.  Currently the entire hazard on the seventh and eighth holes has been cut back and cleaned out and now work has begun around the lake on the fourth hole.  This week we were able to slice all the fairways before the ground froze.  This cultural practice helps break up some of the layering in the soil profile and improves drainage.  This is sometimes called linear aeration.

 

Luis slicing his last fairway on a very cold and windy afternoon.

 

 

Nice and neat.  Depending on ground conditions it may go as deep as six inches.

 

 

Next time we need to remember to remove the temporary green cup.

 

 

The custom turf covers for eight tee finally arrived right on time.  Roots are starting to move downward and the tarps will expedite rooting.

 

 

Tis the season for conferences and trade shows.  This picture is from the Mid-Atlantic Nurseryman's Trade Show in Baltimore.  This boxwood is over ten feet tall!

 

 

We are also in the season when our greens get that funky spotted look.  This is called segregation and is caused by different genetics in the bent and poa species.  Fortunately this disappears when soil temperatures rise in the spring.

 

 

Josh and Jose loading a brine solution to pretreat the club house parking lot this morning in preparation of the coming snow.

 

 

This is the way to start the new year!  Ken Eiriksson with a hole in one on the thirteenth hole on Tuesday.