This summer seems to be hanging on this year and I for one am not complaining. I truly enjoy when we have warm and dry summers like this one has been. While it does mean more work for us on golf course in the form of hand watering it also means that the good working conditions allow us to more handily perform our more disruptive maintenance operations. Many of you may have noted that over the past few weeks we have been performing aerification and topdressing functions on fairways and approaches. As of today all fairways are done with the exception of number eleven which we hope to complete tomorrow morning weather permitting. Performing this operation ensures better conditions for years to come and helps to alleviate the compaction from excessive traffic that this year has seen. Seems like this golf course is always busy and that is a good thing.
I truly appreciated the feedback received from last month’s newsletter-and have noted how it seems as though our players are doing a better job of taking care of the golf course-at least on fairways. That being said, I do have a picture from the 7th tee after a Saturday of golf in August. As I see it, it looks like about 25% or less of players actually used the seed boxes located next to the tee markers. The box was full of unused seed mix.
Respecting the golf course is everyone’s responsibility and seeing improvement in this area has been very encouraging but can be improved. I would like to say thank you to everyone for their efforts to date and hope that we can continue to improve.
Our closing date is scheduled for October 9th. Many may think why we close so soon compared to other places in the area. The reason for this is that our winter preparations are as follows:
- Deep tine aerify all greens-we use solid tines that go down 10 inches. This helps to alleviate compaction on putting greens. We will roll greens after this process to firm them up.
- We also plan on rebuilding some of the damaged curbs on the golf course as well as repairing the cart path adjacent to the bridge on 9.
- Spray greens and approaches with a preventative application for snow mold diseases.
- Begin to topdress with sand and then cover greens. We cover all putting greens at the Wilderness with a permeable cover that we have found to be beneficial-especially in years with little snow cover. It is a kind of insurance policy for a dry winter season.
- Begin preventative applications for snow mold on tees and fairways. This process takes about a week. At this time we will also add a thick layer of sand i.e. topdress our tees.
- Begin to perform drainage work throughout the golf course. The focus this fall will be on 2, 8, and 9. This work can be very disruptive to play and so is best left for after we close.
- Install the hundreds of yards of snow fence to protect the golf course from snowmobile traffic.
- Winterize golf course buildings on 5 and 14.
- Perform final course cleanup-ensuring all drainage basins are clear so that drainage in the spring functions properly.
- Brush clearing on 8, 11, and 15 to facilitate better visibility for the player.
All of this is in addition to all the other work involved with closing a golf course such as bringing in all accessories and equipment. We will work until there is too much snow on the ground to continue or the temperatures become too cold to be effective. Typically, we are busy outside until November 10th.
On a final note, on August 19th Anita Lynn was voted by her peers as the employee of the month for August. We all appreciate her willingness to work extra to make the golf course the best that it can be. Congratulations Anita.
Anita Lynn
See you on the golf course,
Vincent Dodge