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.

Nick Nate leaves Chikaming

As you may or may not know Nick Nate has been the 1st Assistant here at the club since the spring of 2008.  Over the years he has proven to be a huge asset to our grounds department through hard work, dedication and diligence.  He will be missed.

Two weeks ago Nick accepted the Superintendents position at South Bend Country Club.  This will work out well for Nick and his family, who live Granger, IN.  For the past 6 years Nick has driven an hour each direction without a complaint and has had impeccable attendance.  Amazing.

A quick background on Nick.  He attended Rutgers University and did an internship at St. Andrews in Scotland.  After graduation, he became the assistant superintendent at Medinah on their championship course #3 for three years.  While there he helped prepare the course for the 2006 PGA Championship.  Furthermore, Nick has volunteered and worked at many US Opens and PGA Championships around the country.

Below is Nick (on the right) at the 2012 US Open.

If you are at South Bend CC sometime, please look him up and say hello.  I know he'll appreciate seeing you.

Good Luck Nick!  The crew and I know you'll do great things at SBCC.
 

2014 Tree Trimming coming to a close.

Winter has been winter this year.  We have had snow cover since Christmas and it has been great.  Currently, it is raining and 37 degrees, but we still have snow on 95% of the course.  The forecast is calling for more cold weather next week.

Up until today snow depths ranged from 1 to 2 feet depending on the location on the course.  This has made getting around the course to trim/remove trees challenging at times.  Fortunately we have a rental lift on tracks that makes getting around relatively effortless.

I always like taking pics of the course from 60 feet in air.  It's a viewpoint rarely seen.  Below is a view from 16 tee toward the green.

Early Snowfall

This past Tuesday we received 6-7" of snow and the next morning was a chilly 23 degrees.  It's odd seeing leaves on the trees and snow on the ground.  It does make for a great picture, though.

Rain, Rain, Rain......

This past Thursday we received 6" of rain from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Before this day a 2 month drought had forced us to lower the ponds on the course and we were in the process of transferring the water up to the reservoir.  Amazingly, every pond on the course was filled and some water was lost over the overflow near the club's entrance in a matter of hours.  We were able to transfer some of the water up to the reservoir for future use.  Below are some videos and pics of the day.

The new short game area got hit hard by the rain.  Washing out in a number of areas.  Thankfully, the greens are still intact. 

The video above is of the river of water going over the entrance drive.  At one point it was over 1 foot in depth.