Let me start with the cynical statements seen on many Superintendents' blog pages. It's been a while since my last post. It has been hot and I have not had time to make a new post, and I'll attempt to be more diligent in updating information for the membership and my legions of followers.
Let's just go for a quick update on items happening around the course. Unless you've been out of town or on a Lindblad Expedition to Antarctica, it has been hot and dry. Temperature records have fallen and our rainfall for the month of June was .5"! I will give quick credit to our staff for their outstanding job of maintaining the course in these conditions. We truly have a classic looking and playing course on our hands.
June stared out with the Board of Directors having their monthly meeting at our maintenance facility. It was delightful to host them and enlighten them on the behind-the-scenes activities that take place here. One of my staff members, Tony Tuttle, helped stage a gourmet summer cookout.
Our project is now over and it went beautifully. Another "thank you" to the membership and Board for their support and patience. The final product is maturing nicely. We did have a few moles decide that the soft, freshly disturbed soil was easy picking for a quick meal. A few traps later and...
As soon as the Weather Channel told us that the onslaught of heat was coming our way, we began to prepare the course, especially the greens. The best practice we performed was needle tining the greens. We periodically perform this task to allow for a gas and oxygen exchange to occur. This gives the greens a chance to breath and it aids in water infiltration. Needle tining our greens happens more than you think. Fortunately, it is an activity that virtually goes unnoticed. After the aerifier punches the holes we follow by rolling the green. One of our staff members asked why were doing this practice. I told him to put a plastic bag over his head and work the rest of the day, that will let you know what the greens are feeling right now.
The wet area right of the 8th fairway is finally receiving some attention. I have heard from numerous members that it has taken on a name of its own, depending on the group of players. Some detective work has revealed that it was not a spring as previously thought. As we continued to dig we located an old terracotta pipe that was releasing water at a rate of about 4 gallons per minute. The question remains, where does to the pipe lead to? We don't really know. Perhaps a seance with Mr. Ross would produce an answer. We are now capturing the water and moving it off the golf hole.
