Frost

930 AM and the back of the 8th green is still frozen. The Cypress trees affect the green at all times of the year.

Update Concerning Holes 5 and 6 from the Greens Committee

The storm of last week caused significant damage to many trees on the golf course. Pat Quinlan and his crew began cleaning up fallen limbs immediately after the storm and did a fantastic job of having the course playable in short order. The limbs stacked at the end of the maintenance driveway and at other locations will provide a perspective on the amount of work done.

Unfortunately a number of limbs have either broken off but remained lodged in the trees or have partially snapped. In either case they present a hazard to golfers. This condition is at its worst among the trees between holes 5 and 6. Due to the factors of equipment availability, ground conditions, the cost of emergency response, and the approaching end of the golf season, removal of these limbs will be delayed until the winter months when most of our other tree work is scheduled.

Meanwhile, we have shortened these two holes to par 3’s with the tee to be placed at the top of each hole beyond the area of trees between the holes. That area will be roped off and will be deemed unplayable.

Tree Work

Greenwood is here today removing the fallen oak on the 5th hole. There are still many other hazardous tree on 5 and 6 that will force us to play them as par 3.

USGA Update

The Frost Is On The Pumpkin

By David A. Oatis, director, Northeast Region
November 3, 2011


I am tempted to suggest that the recent freak snowstorm in the Northeast Region is “the icing on the cake” as far as weather extremes are concerned in this region, but with two more months to go, and heaven knows how many more records could be set, I am reluctant to do so.  Is it possible to set another record for the greatest number of weather-related records being set in a single year?
For now, I will not complain too much about the tree damage and the widespread power outages.  However, a mere three days without power in our neighborhood has taught me a number of valuable lessons:

• I love hot showers!
• I love hot showers in my own home best of all!
• Electricity is a wonderful thing!
• Candlelight may be romantic, but it’s darn hard to read by!
• A 7-year-old, dust-covered and never-used generator that takes up too much room in the garage is a wonderful thing!
• My wife will never complain about the generator taking up too much space again!

On a more serious note, the recent heavy, wet snow that blanketed many areas of the Northeast Region obviously wreaked havoc with trees and utilities.  This is the same phenomena that occurred in Buffalo, New York a few years ago, and the effects suffered by the trees are still being felt there.  I doubt there will be any impact on the turfgrass in the Northeast Region, but weaker, soft-wooded tree species with poor structure (see the Bradford pear trees from my neighborhood) have been severely affected.  Unfortunately, even healthy, good quality trees can suffer damage as a result of the weight of the snow on top of leaf-filled canopies.  The event obviously will generate tremendous costs for some courses as a result of cleanup, but there will likely be longer-term costs for some courses.  Trees that are severely damaged and not removed will eventually sucker out.  The suckers never form a strong point of attachment, so these trees will generate more debris and require more trimming in the future.  Damaged areas of trees can also be colonized by wood-rotting fungi, which further weaken the tree and its structure.  Undoubtedly, some courses will choose to keep damaged trees in the short term, but severely damaged trees may never fully recover. 

Source:  Northeast Region Green Section- Dave Oatis, Director doatis@usga.org; Adam Moeller, Agronomist amoeller@usga.org Jim Skorulski, Senior Agronomist jskorulski@usga.org. 

Course Update

Due to the hazardous conditions of the trees on hole 5 and 6 they will be closed until further notice. The holes on the clubhouse side of course will be open unless the greens are snow covered. The 8th hole will be temporary until the snow melts.
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Trees cont.

Oak on the right of 5 fairway. Greenwood will remove this tree.
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Tree Work

The oaks between 2 and 3 fairways.
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