Frozen Ground

The freezing temperatures allowed us to bring in some heavy equipment and finally remove the last two stumps from the 6th hole.

Tree Work continued . . .

Yesterday Greenwood Tree removed a very hazardous White Oak from 7 ladies tee. This area is very difficult to access with equipment and its close proximity to Green Village road and power lines added to the stress yesterday. The arborist had to use a specialized piece of equipment called "The Spider" to gain access to the tee. Some turf damaged occurred in the rough but the tee boxes are in the same condition as they were before they started. The crew did a great job removing the oak safely without disruption to traffic on Green Village.

Split White Oak 

Difficult Access

Tree Work

Our yearly winter tree work started today and consists of mainly pruning and storm damaged trees. Here is an example of pruning at the 5th tee to allow for better visability.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

New Year's Resolution from the USGA

The following list is from the USGA green section and if followed by all members will make 2013 a great New Year.

Understand the importance of sand for greens and playing conditions. While sand can be a problem with ball roll when moisture is present it is critical for quality greens, approaches, tees and, in many cases, fairways.

Fix all your ball marks and others if you see them. Fix them properly by pushing the displaced area back, rather than lifting the ball mark.

Fix all your divots and fill them properly. The “3-foot drop” technique not only does not work, it can also damage mowers.

Remember your bunker etiquette. Bunker maintenance is labor intensive and therefore expensive. Good bunker etiquette helps everyone and frees up resources for other areas of the course.

Follow directional signs to minimize damage to turf. Paying attention to course signage reduces damage and greatly increases the likelihood of a good lie for your next shot.

Pick up your shells and peels. The shells of most nuts and the peels of most fruit are not rapidly biodegradable. Not only are they unsightly, if you don’t put them in the trash someone else has to do it for you.

Keep all four tires on the paths. You are not on a public road so don’t feel like you need to always move aside for oncoming or following traffic.

Understand that ultra-fast greens equal longer rounds of golf. Four putts and five hour rounds of golf are not fun for anyone.

A simple “Thank you” can be a wonderful gift. Take the time to thank the staff that worked all year to produce a course that you enjoy playing.

Covers Continued . . .

Happy New Year. I hope that the holiday season treated you all well and that you are reading the blog from somewhere warm and sunny or cold and snowing if your like me this time of year. The course is partially still covered in snow which is a nice insulation blanket from the cold temperatures we are having. The covers of the greens did not fare so well during the windy holiday storms as the cover on the 3rd green was torn apart. The cover is now on the back of the green covered in snow and will be removed once the snow melts. Our covers have a life span of about 8-10 years. They were purchased in the late 90's for the construction of the 3,6, and 9 greens and I have been using them for the past few seasons so they are begining to show their age. So far the covers on 5 and 8 are still holding strong.