Spring is Here?

Spring is officially here, at least the calendar thinks so.  Yesterday we had 2" of fresh snow on the ground and this morning it was 15 degrees.  With the cold temps over the last few weeks the ground was hard enough for the crew and I to grind the stumps that were created from the winter tree removal.  Typically, we accomplish this task after the snow melts and the ground has dried.  So, a bit of a silver lining.

Normally, we are mowing at this time of the year.  But, this year it looks as though it will be a couple of weeks yet.  The 10 day weather forecast shows signs of warming but temps in the 40's with a couple of low 50's mixed in.  

A New Viewpoint from 86ft in the Air

This past week I needed to rent a 86 foot tall mobile lift to remove a couple of dead trees near the buildings and to also trim the top of a large oak near 9t that had a large hanging branch in the top.  As I was driving the machine back to the shop I decided to take a picture.  Quite a view.....

Winter is still here.

This past Monday the low was -9 degrees.  Winter is hanging on this year and the long range forecast shows another week of below freezing temperature.

The ground, as you can imagine, is frozen beneath the snow.  I believe the frost is the deeper than it has been since I have been here at the club and I am concerned about how the irrigation piping will react.  I am also concerned about how quickly we will be able to begin prepping the course after the thaw occurs.  A very soft ground is inevitable around the course this spring, which will limit our maintenance throughout the course. 

April 1st is just around the corner and typically we are seeing the grass throughout the course at this time with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees.