2017 was a year full of extreme weather fluctuations. This pattern did indeed continue in the month of October. We recorded our first hard frost on October 6 (close to a month later than usual) and honestly we enjoyed some of our best weather of the year in October. This is a great thing as we were able to really get a great deal of work done in the two week window after closing and before winter conditions. This nice weather left on October 27 when we received 4” of snow and temperatures in the 20s that made sure the snow did not go anywhere. Needless to say, winter settled in about three weeks earlier than “normal” this year. While I wish that we could have been a little more active outside continuing with some of our cultural practices on fairways this fall, I feel pretty good about our winter preparations and expect to come out of the winter in good shape. Unlike some of our golf course accessories which in some instances need replacing.
As many of you know, we try to make accessories for the golf course that look like they belong by using materials that the site offers us. Things like the custom made engraved rock tees signs and the blast rock/chain cart barriers on holes 1 and 4. These are things unique to our golf course/part of the country and fit in better than a “store-bought” piece of plastic that is probably used by other courses somewhere. Another such item for us is the cedar posts we use for rope posts. We scavenge the materials to make these posts from the golf course, strip the logs using a draw shave, and then cut them to the appropriate lengths for fabrication into posts.
Cedar posts after stripping
Ready for routering, sanding, spike mounting, and finishing
November 17, 2017
We are excited to be replacing our “going on 15 years old” posts like the one below:
Needs replacing due to staining and rot
November 17, 2017
Creating the 200 or so cedar posts that we plan on adding to the golf course next year (replacing old ones) is a time consuming chore from start to finish but in the end, like much of the custom work that we do for the golf course, well worth it. I think that it is this sort of unique, ambiance creating item that gives our golf course a more polished and distinctive look. Another accessory that I would like to briefly discuss is ball washers.
Much like seed boxes on Par 3 tees, I am starting to question a bit the need for stationary ball washers by golf course tees. They are, like everything else, an expense to maintain and I wonder, frankly, if they are really necessary. Or do they just get in the way and add to golf course clutter. I myself would prefer to just install a ball washer on each cart or do away with ball washers altogether (or maybe put one on every third hole). I am not really sure at the moment about how we should proceed in 2018. I would appreciate feedback from any of you regarding this topic if you care to offer an opinion-contrary, in agreement, or somewhere in between the two. My e-mail address is: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thank you for both your time and your patronage and I look forward to seeing all of you in the spring.
Vincent Dodge