Fore The Golfer: Why Bunkers Are Not Consistent

This is a great video about bunkers and bunker quality. We try our very best to give the golfers the best playing conditions in bunkers however, there are times that we cannot get to them and the USGA does a great job explaining why.

Gearing up for the 2014 Season

This year we have some high expectations.

Not only are we trying to keep the turf at a high quality level but also making sure that the littlest of items are not overlooked.

We have noticed that the cups are not always in the best locations. I specifically mean the cups might be on an angle or near a plug. We generally cut cups before sunrise everyday before play begins. Even with the best lights, our efforts are not always fruitful. This year we are going to attempt to cut the cups in the twilight part of the morning. If this does not seem to work out, we will have to find other means of cutting them i.e. more lights to mount on the equipment. 

After inspection of the greens, there does not seem to be any winter kill. The definite answer will be when the greens come out of dormancy and start growing. When a layer of ice sits on top of the greens, they can become anoxic, which means lack of oxygen. The greens can subsequently have winter kill. Snow sitting on top of greens does not produce the same kind of damage unless they are covered for a long period of time. As a matter of fact, snow insulates the greens from the bitter cold and in the long run can help get them through the types of winters like this one. 

On another note, we received a new piece of equipment this year. It is a John Deere 7500 Fairway mower. Our oldest fairway mower in the fleet was 15 years old and worn out. 

Again we are looking forward to a great season and we encourage you to hit them long and straight!

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. 

Season Wrap Up

This year has been a pretty good year in terms of weather and maintenance on the course. We had cooler temperatures than last year and precipitation on a regular basis.

The turf maintained well with exceptions to the back of #16 green. Our disease pressure was steady but with a preventative program, little disease was present.

We did have some issues around the course throughout the year.
One of the issues was our irrigation system. The pump needed repaired and our control boxes located throughout the course were temperamental at times. The box between #'s 15 and 16 fairway was the worst. It did not want to irrigate when it was scheduled to and unfortunately it took most of the season for a repair man to come out and diagnose it.
Another issue was equipment breakdowns. We had a lot of break downs this season and with a four man crew it was difficult at times to keep up. The crew stepped up and did their best to keep things running.
The last and biggest issue is bunkers. Our bunkers are degrading more and more each year and we are renovating as many as we can in a given year.

We have a lot of work to do around the course such as flower bed renovations, deconstruction on a shelter, equipment maintenance, bunker renovation, pruning, and the cutting of approximately 35 Ash trees around the course.

As always if you have any question, you can find us on the course or email me at ryan.leach@troyohio.gov

Its been a busy summer

We have had rain for the past 18 days straight. It looks like the hot weather is just around the corner.
We also had repair work done on the irrigation system as the pump and pump motor decided to fall to the bottom of the well. They are wrapping up the well today with a cleaning to make sure the water is clean and free of obstructions.
The course is looking good. The disease pressure is very high but the applications of low rate fungicides at as a preventative approach has worked wonders.
There was very little damage from the storms last night and the clean up will be swift.
As always, if there are any questions, you can email me or come find me on the course.