Golf Course Opens on Saturday

The grounds staff members arrived this week and have been busy with course clean-up so we are happy to open the golf course on Saturday for walkers only. Electric carts are still on hold until the course dries out some more. The 7th and 8th greens will remain covered until next week as the temperatures are still very low at night. A sample from the center of the 6th green where the ice formed over the winter has been brought indoors to incubate for closer examination of the damage. The damage is localized to a small area and hopefully is only the tips of the plant and not the crown. Once we see how the sample responds we can form our plan including aeration, seeding, and traffic restrictions. The greens have not been mowed yet as the temperatures are just too low but the forecast looks like the first mowing will take place sometime next week.

The NJ Audubon society recommended that we clean out our bird houses early in the spring. We have completed the cleanings learning in the process that 5 of our 6 houses were occupied last year. I expect to see some new activity around the houses in the next few weeks as temperatures continue to warm.

A reminder that the golf course is closed for all play on April 6,7, and 8 for aeration of all playing surfaces.

The winter that will not end

Its always amazing to me how fast a little warm air and bright sun can melt snow, a week ago the only turf visible was under the White Pines and now the course is 95% clear of snow , at least until tomorrow. We welcomed back two employees this week to begin refinishing the course accessories and course clean-up. We shoveled the snow off a few greens on Monday to help with the melting process and we are removing any free water off the green surfaces to prevent refreezing. We also spent a great deal of time removing ice from the 6th green that was over 4 inches thick. The ice forms in the middle swale of 6 green due to its poor design which doesn't allow for surface draining only internal draining that is not possible with frozen soil. The forecast is calling for 1-3 inches of snow Friday so the course will remain closed for the weekend.

The Board of Governors had approved new hitting mats for the nets in the fall and I am happy to report that they have been installed. These mats were thoroughly researched by one of our members and are of extremely high quality but they require the use of wooden tees so remember to bring some tees with you to warm-up. I hope to set the golf course up for the first time next week at which time the new tees that were constructed on the 2nd and 6th holes will be open with gold tee markers. The club has modified the rule currently on the scorecard for gold markers to include the requirement that any player with a handicap of 25 or higher play from the gold markers.

Ice on 6 Green Center Swale

Golf Industry Show

The current condition of the golf course remains the same as it has for the past 5 weeks, covered in snow. Yesterday I dug through the snow on the greens and I am happy to report a very minimal slushy ice layer on some greens and zero ice layer on other greens. This weeks weather is going to complicate things with warm weather and rain switching back to cold and snow all in 48 hours. I will continue to monitor the snow pack for ice at the greens surface.

I had the opportunity to attend the Golf Industry Show last week in San Antonio, Texas. The show consists of two parts, educational seminars and the largest turf related trade show in the world. This years conference was attended by close to 13,000 individuals and exhibitors. I focused my seminars for this years conference on bunkers, turf fertility, and technology. My seminar on bunkers was very important considering many of our capital improvements are related to bunker renovations. I was able to learn about many different construction and liner methods along with maintenance practices. Turf fertility is a focus of mine for 2015 to reduce spending while increasing the health of the turf and provide great surfaces. As a result of this seminar we will be sending samples of our clippings from greens on a bi-weekly basis to a lab for analysis. I will only provide nutrients based on what is lacking in the turf plant itself, very exciting technology. Continuing on the technology front I took a seminar focusing on using Google drive and tablets in the field to help compile data ranging from stimpmeter readings, fuel consumption, and labor tracking. The trade show was over 120,000 sq ft filled with every item revolving around the turf industry. I meet with vendors and manufactures to discuss and view upcoming capital equipment purchases as well as new trends in the industry especially with irrigation.

Here is a clip from morning drive on the golf channel about the golf industry show http://www.golfchannel.com/media/sights-and-sounds-golf-industry-show/