Welcome to the 2015 season at MSGC

Welcome to the 2015 year at MSGC!

We have a lot of updates for everyone, so hold on tight!

MSGC purchased a new fairway mower this year to complete the fairway equipment rotation. The old one that was replace had over 5000 hours on it which is the equivalent to 300,000 miles! It was a piece that was desperately needed and we are grateful to get it.

Our bunker project came to an abrupt halt when we had to stop work in December and the plant was not processing sand in these cold temperatures. When the weather breaks, we will continue to finish these bunker renovations. At this time there is no time frame on when these will be completed.

MSGC has tuned, fixed, rebuilt, sharpened, and maintained the equipment this winter for the upcoming year. It is always a large task to do these jobs but the savings is monumental. Doing these maintenance practices in house versus sending them out is a savings of hundreds to thousands of dollars. We could not be happier with the staff diving into these intricate machines without prior experience or knowledge. It takes dedication to learn the ins and outs of these units. A few pieces of equipment did need to go out as we could not fix them to the standards they need to be.

We have a few surprises for the patrons this year. I won't go any further with that but we would like feedback on the changes.

As for this years pest control, it is extensive. I have implemented plans to apply pre-emergent weed control to the entire course. This is change from previous years as we have never applied pre-emergent weed control to the rough. Added applications to the tees and fairways have been implemented. This is in major part to shopping for best prices on products and saving copious amounts of money so we can better use spray programs on the course. MSGC staff will also be making an extra grub control application as 2014 showed us our weaknesses in the fall grub flush.

As the year goes on we are planning to change any old irrigation heads with new more efficient heads, permanently mounting ball washers into small concrete pads to prevent theft, finishing the bunker renovations, prune trees when time permits, put fresh gravel down where needed, etc.

On that note, we will be closing the cart path on top of the levee to #14 green. The trees have undermined it along with ground burrowing animals. It is safer and more economical to put the path along the left side of the hole at the bottom of the levee.

As always we would like feedback, comments, and questions. You can email me at ryan.leach@troyohio.gov or call us at 937-339-4078.

New Year 2014

MSGC Turf Staff has been working hard this winter doing multiple things around the course

1. Cut down 35 trees
1. Limb, Log, and Haul Debris
2. Grind Stumps
3. Grade out Stump Holes
2. Clean up the flood debris
3. Renovate the right bunker on #10
4. Renovate #14 Bunker to Grass Bunker
5. Maintenance of equipment
6. Renovate Benches
7. Flower Bed Renovation
8. Equipment Purchases

With a four man crew year round, this winter has been very busy.

The trees were mostly Ash trees that were infected with Emerald Ash Borer. Those trees were deemed a safety hazard and had to come down. We are planning to incorporate ornamental grasses in key locations where trees have been eliminated to maintain playing standards.

We also had some flood damage from Decembers flood. We have picked up most of that debris and are waiting for snow to melt to pick up the tiny drift garbage.

The right side of #10 bunker had been closed for most of the 2013 season. It will be renovated with white sand and a new drain. We plan on doing a few more if we can get to them in a timely manner.

The back bunker on #14 is getting renovated to a grass bunker. We feel that the bunker is not in play very often, and it can be a maintenance nightmare.

Equipment maintenance is always a winter project. We have spent the better part of a month making sure the equipment will be ready and top notch for the 2014 season. With an older fleet, fine tune maintenance practices are essential to keep the fleet at its best.

Benches around the course have been deteriorating and been vandalized throughout the years. We are staining 12 benches with a cedar stain. We are rebuilding 6 (to see how they look) with a composite redwood that will resist vandalism and degradation from the weather. We look to do the rest of the benches this way if the composite works well. 

The flower bed near the restaurant is being renovated to meet maintenance needs. Ornamental grasses will take the place of the removed Taxis bushes.

We are also getting a new fairway mower this year. It will greatly improve the quality of cut on the fairways and keep them looking great.

As always feel free to email, call, or visit us with questions, comments, or concerns.

Winter Work

As all the leaves are down and decomposing, we can focus on our winter work before the new year. We are doing a few things around the course these coming weeks.

1. Flower bed renovation behind the clubhouse restaurant.
1. Tearing out 3 Taxis bushes, narrowing the bed, and planting ornamental grasses
2. Tearing down the shelter at #11 tee
1. It is rotting and is too low to get carts under for shelter to begin with.
3. Starting the renovation on the right side bunker of #10
1. That bunker has been shut down the last half of the year due to degradation of sand and clay.
4. Cutting some 35 ash trees that are going to be dangerous to play near in the 2014 season.
1. Emerald Ash Borer is the culprit. 
1. For more information see: http://www.emeraldashborer.info/#sthash.Cd2G2Yk1.dpbs

There are other jobs that need done but these are the major projects.

The turf has quit growing and is dormant. We will be applying our dormant fertilizer during our warm spell this week. The dormant fertilizer feeds the roots so the turf will overwinter better and come back with a healthy stand of turf immediately when the temps turn in the spring.

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday and stays warm this winter. The signs nature has given us leans towards a rough winter.

Leaves, Leaves, and More Leaves

We are chopping leaves everyday. The turf has slowed down in terms of growth and we are mowing as needed. It seems as though the trees don't quite want to give the leaves up this season as they are hanging on longer than usual. The leaves are chopping nicely and you should have no problem finding the ball in the playing areas. 

We will be starting renovation on the ride side bunker of #10 soon and all the little things to get the course winterized. 

Spring is knocking on the door.

It has been some months since I last posted on the course's blog but I have some updates.

This winter we repaired our equipment and did the normal maintenance. We sharpened the reels and got them adjusted and prepped for this season. We will be getting two new, much needed, pieces of equipment this year. A Ventrac and a Gator. These pieces are a must with the older equipment that we have and will provide a cushion if something very serious were to happen to that older equipment.

We also saved up to $1000 by renovating the tee markers. The sun fades and the irrigation water stains the markers and I decided to clean them and then shoot them with enamel and a clear coat. We will see how they hold up to the elements this year.

We have taken down a number of trees this year as well. The EAB (Emerald Ash Borer) has got a hold of dozens of Ash trees and unfortunately they have to come down. They will eventually die and they are a severe safety risk to the patrons if they stay up. The biggest ones that were taken down were the two on the right of #3 they were 50+ years old and it is a shame that they had to come down. They made that hole difficult to reach if you hit into the right side of the rough. We also cut down a Maple tree on the right side of #8 tee that was dying of Verticillium Wilt. 

Also, we will be finishing up a few other projects on the course before it opens on March 1. We put some posts and rope fence up behind #10 green. I have tried to guide patrons away from the natural area and towards the path to #11 tee. Unfortunately, I have noticed many patrons driving and pushing their bags through the natural area. Those areas are not designed for traffic and meant to be as native as possible. It was necessary to put a small physical barrier to stop the traffic. This fence is not an out of bounds and does not change the rules for that hole. It is just a fence to keep patrons out. For those of you who have followed it, thank you very much for your cooperation.

A few bunkers are being renovated this year as well. The two bunkers on #18 are being renovated and the left side of #4 as well. These bunkers will have French drains and white sand will be installed. We are trying to complete a few bunkers a year until they are all renovated. We finished edging the bunkers last week and are moving sand back on the edges before the season starts; weather permitting. 

We look forward to the course opening and hope all the members and patrons will have a great year with low scores! 

Winding down to winter

As we get closer and closer to closing for the season (60 days or so) we have a lot to do to get things buttoned up. We have sprayed our clover and broad leaf weeds for seeding preparations. We then proceed to slice seed in about 4000 lbs of seed in the fairways and fertilized them. There are always a few places where the weeds are stubborn but with time and dedication we will eradicate those pesky plants.

(Slice seeding and verticutting #7)

We are applying granular fertilizers to the greens as foliar is not as effective or even needed. The outside restrooms have been closed for the season however, the maintenance barn restroom is open and the portable restroom on #5 tee is open as well. We will be winterizing the irrigation system within the next few weeks and we will be renovating #18 right, greenside bunker.