On The Course March 28th

March 28th, 2012 we were edging bunkers and open for almost 1 week.

 What a difference in weather we get from year to year. Last year we opened the Championship course on the 22nd of March. We need some good weather to get open by April 13th. We have started some part time staff to work on cleaning up some debris on the course and help get a start on prepping the course for opening. We have been out looking at drains and shoveling around a little bit to help the snow melt. There is a nice couple of days forcasted before a cold front moves in on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday of next week look to be a bit on the cooler side but then it should warm up nicely.

As soon as we are able to get out on the course and get to work we will be building a couple of tee boxes this spring. We are going to rebuild the white tee on #3 and add a "Green" tee behind that one. We will also be adding a "Green" tee on #18 which will gives a good middle yardage between the Blue and White tees. I have received the plans from our Architect Bob and Matt Lohmann.  All of the golf course projects that are approved follow the Master Plan we had done in 2010. The tees our staff will be building this spring are a part of that plan as well as many other golf course improvement projects that we will consider.

March 28th, 2013 we are still covered in snow but the melt is on!

New lines are painted and the storage area is ready for the new golf cart fleet

The crew cleaned and scrubbed the cart storage area.

We have a major portion of our 2012 staff returning for the golf season. Everyone is itching to get back to work and get the golf course open for play. I will be making some more Blog reports over the next couple of days regarding the golf course and how the snow pack is melting.

On The Course March 11th

Drainage pipe on #7 is starting to flow

We recieved just over a half of an inch of rain over the weekend and we are starting to see the snow pack settle down. The weather forcast for the next couple of weeks looks to be a slow but steady increase in temperatures. Our plan with the current forecast is pull covers the first week in April and look at a opening date sometime during the second week of April. We will see if we get any more significant snow before that time. The course still has a heavy blanket of snow and alot of moisture on the surface. The blanket of snow will help regulate the soil temperatures and keep the frost in the ground longer. The slow melt is a good thing for the turfgrass plants. We want most of the free moisture to leave the surface before the frost comes out of the ground. This will inhibit the freeze and thaw cycles that can be damaging to the turf.

Soil temperature since the begining of March. Still below 30 degrees!

We will be out on the course monitoring the melt really closely over the next couple of weeks. We are watching the soil temperatures on several greens as shown in the image above. The temperatures have not risen above 30 degrees all winter but I would imagine we will be seeing some warming soils in the next couple of weeks. We will have some employees starting the end of March to start getting the course ready for the season. Look for more frequent updates over the next couple of weeks and when the snow leaves we will be adding some videos and more pictures.

On The Course March 5th

We're starting our first full week of March with a pretty substantial snowfall.  So far we have picked up around 7or 8 inches of snow and are expecting some more throughout the day.  We know the winter is beginning to get a little long but this added snow on top of our current snow pack is only going to help with additional moisture this Spring which will be much needed.

Jason, Brandon, and Bryxton are out this morning plowing and removing snow.  We will be busy all day trying to get all the snow cleared from the lots and entrance.