Year End Lunch

Every year the majority of the crew gets laid off in late October/early November.  So, on "layoff day" we go to the casino buffet to celebrate the year.  The time also gives me another opportunity to thank the crew for their hard work and dedication.  While there we feast, gorge ourselves with delicious food and then wonder why we ate so much......

Thanks again guys!!

#9 Green Bank

In the 90's the mounds behind #9 green bank were added and with the addition a few maintenance issues developed over the years.  The green slopes from front to back and as rainwater surface drains down the slope a pool of water always developed on the back right portion of the green after a hard rain.  The pooling was due to the mounds creating a damn effect.

The slope of the mounds were also very steep and were always a challenge to mow.  As the years passed bentgrass began to dominate the bank's surface.  At green or fairway height bentgrass does well but when grown at rough height bentgrass has a tendency to become weakly rooted and "leggy", laying over itself creating mats of turf.  So, as our mowers attempted to mow the bank the poorly rooted turf would rip and peel up leaving unsightly damage.  

Considering the before mentioned issues the Greens Committee decided to make a change.  Over the last 2 weeks the crew and I softened the mounds behind the green, added a drainage inlet off from the collar in the back right and sodded the entire green bank.  The end result is a manageable slope, a well drained green surface and a grass that will hold up to mower traffic.  The area will also play better from a chipping standpoint due to the new grass' consistency.

Below are some before and nearing completion photos.

2016 fw Edge Sodding Project

This fall we continued our fairway edge sodding.  If you remember, 9, 14,15 & 18 fw edges were done last year and have created a nice definition between the fairway and rough.  This year we continued by sodding the fairway edges on 2, 11, 12 & 17.

The staff and I removed the old fairway edge with a big roll sod cutter attached to our tractor.  Dan Kaiser and his crew then laid the new Kentucky Bluegrass sod that we purchased from Red Hen Turf Farm.

Below is a picture of us removing the old fairway edge.