Tree Work and Spring Clean Up!

We are waiting on spring to let us get this golf season started. We have been getting some branches and logs cleaned up off of the golf course this past week.
We have removed several trees between 15 fairway and 16 fairway as well as the left side of 15 fairway. Our goal is to open up the area just enough to help with turf grass growth. Our irrigation addition on the left side of 15 fairway help get some turf established and we are planning on adding some more irrigation on the right side of 15 fairway. We should be able to start the installation right after the snow is gone due to the lack of frost. When soil temperatures warm up we will seed the area keep it roped off from cart traffic.

One of our big winter projects is to get all of the golf course accessories ready for the season. Tee markers, coolers, trash cans, ball washers and benches all get a fresh coat of paint. We have ordered 10 new benches for the golf course and have them assemble and ready to put out. Some of our bunker rakes have gotten new handles and we replaced the damaged ones. Most of our winter tasks are complete and now we are waiting on Mother Nature to get us going.

Looking at the forecast for the weekend and into next week it looks like normal temperatures returning with several different weather systems moving through. The additional snow and moisture will keep the golf course from drying out but with some warmer temperatures later next week are hopeful to get out and get the covers off of the greens.

Current Weather and Golf Course Outlook

The recent snow has changed our time frame for getting the golf course open. We typically need the course to dry enough where we are able to get the covers pulled off of the greens and get some of the winter debris off the golf course. We also need some time to get flag sticks, tee markers, benches, ball washers, coolers and other course accessories positioned.

How has the recent snow affected the turf on the golf course? The snow is insulating the turf from the colder temperatures we are going to get the next couple of nights which is good. The bad is that it will take a little longer to dry the course out and be able to get the covers off the greens. Looking at the current forecast best case scenario is we start pulling covers late next week. This would get our target opening date somewhere second week of April. We will be utilizing the hitting mats this spring and the driving range will open when the landing area is dry enough where balls will not plug into the turf. Ken, JD and I will be looking at the weather forecast over the next week and will keep updating our target opening date as the weather dictates.

The picture above is of the back of 2 white tee. The turf on the tee surface appear to be in great shape but the turf in the surrounding rough has quite a bit of snow mold damage. The snow mold damage is mostly superficial and the rough will grow out of it. If this damage were to occur on greens and tees it would take significantly longer to heal. We have made it through the winter with very limited snow mold damage on our finer turf areas. The recent snow could potentially increase our chances of getting some more snow mold on certain areas of the golf course. We will be monitoring these areas and treat where necessary.

We will continue to send out updates when needed and are looking forward to the Golf Season.

Winter just does not want to go away!

Welcome back to a winter wonderland out on the golf course. We have been able to get out and look at a majority of the golf course and started to get some winter debris cleaned up. With 3 to 4 inches of fresh snow on the course we will be relegated to the shop finishing up some painting and cleaning of equipment.

The forecast is looking better for later next week when we should be able to continue our clean up efforts and get ready to pull the covers off the greens.

We've been looking under some covers!

We have been out looking under some covers and trying to get a good idea of what the turf is looking like. It appears under the covers on the greens the turf looks really good. Cooler temperatures and some snow coming in later this week. We have pulled some of our data loggers that have been recording temperatures throughout the winter in different areas of the golf course and we will be looking at the data over the next week.

Spring Snow Melt Continues

We have been eagerly watching the snow melt over the past couple of days and have been poking and prodding our way around the golf course. Mother Nature is not very consistent and you cannot plan for all of the different weather anomalies. We can plan for the averages and use history to help us make key decisions involved in managing our golf course.This past fall we had set up a couple different trial areas that can provide us with valuable information on our current practices and procedures. One of the main changes at Medina Golf and Country Club over the past two seasons has been covering our greens with Excelsior Mats. The last green we covered this past fall was our practice green #1. We left a couple feet on the west end uncovered to help us illustrate what the covers are actually doing for us over the winter.



I have taken a short video while on the course the past couple of days that shows the progress of the snow melt and what we can do to help.

Drilling Drainage Holes Fall 2010

Below is a video of the drainage holes we have been drilling into the green complexes over the last couple of years. Our main goal behind this is to get some surface water off of the low areas in the greens. When water pools in the low areas and then has a chance to freeze it can cause some turf problems. In the summer of 2010 we saw some areas that we added drainage holes in 2009 drain better and overall turf health was improved. The drainage holes are less than 4 inches in diameter and we have added over 300 in the last 2 years on the greens.





This spring with no frost in the greens we should see some added benefit with the displacement of surface water that might pool in the low areas of the greens. This is a process that we started in 2009 and will continue to do in the future if it looks like it is helping get the surface water off the greens.

The Spring Melt Starts This Week!

We have had a long winter so far with near record snow fall. We have been eagerly waiting for the hint of some warmer weather to help melt down some of the snow and let us seen how the course has overwintered. The weather forecast as shown above is looking like several nights above freezing which will definitely help melt some of the snow. We have been watching areas of the golf course all winter long and have not seen a lot of ice formation on the finer turf areas. The ground has not had a lot of frost in it all winter long and our drainage system has been open most of the winter. This has allowed most of the surface water to soak in or surface run into the drains.


Above is a picture of the turf under the covers on the practice green #10. We were able to take a soil probe and sink it into the soil without a problem and the soil sample taken was not saturated with water. This is a good sign with all of the snow that is left to melt. We have drain holes opened in most of the low areas on the greens and that should also help keep water from pooling on the surface. We will be monitoring the snow melt closely and keep as much of the standing water off of the greens as possible. Keeping the water off of the fairways will be more difficult but with the night time temperatures above freezing later this week that will give us some time to help out. We are looking forward to getting out on the course and preparing it for play.