Aerification of the Putting Greens
Spring ~ April 1st
Fall ~ September 3rd and 4th
Course Maintenance Practices
We hope you enjoyed the 2013 season! Do you ever wonder how we prepare in the winter for the spring? Here are some of the things we are doing to help have a successful 2014 season. We look forward to seeing you in the spring!
Ideally we will have a good heavy snow cover that will keep the greens insulated throughout the winter. When we do not have enough snow the ground freezes and does not allow the water to percolate through the surface. This creates a layer of ice that will damage the turf. You probably noticed recently that we cut drainage cups in the putting greens. This helps reduce the surface water on the greens.
Equipment Servicing: Address any machines that are in need of repairs. This includes oil and filter changes, lubrication and preventative maintenance practices. This will continue throughout the winter months.
Sharpening all cutting units: This includes sharpening all reels and repairing any damaged rollers and reel units. We try to complete sharpening all of the units by the end of December.
Packing the perimeters of the golf course: We will use the snowmobile to pack the snow down around the perimeters of the golf course to make it more difficult for the voles to burrow into the property. This will create a hard layer that will deter the rodents from intruding. This is done throughout the winter.
Renovation of tees and ball washers: This includes preparing the tee markers by trimming off the ends with a miter saw and repainting and staining them. Once all of the tees are complete we sand the old paint off of the ball washers and repaint them as well.
Potholing greens to check for ice: We check our greens weekly for ice. This includes walking out to several greens and digging a pothole through the snow to check the surface of the green.
Snowshoe and ski track: Hopefully we will have sufficient snow to set a track up on the course. This will require weekly runs with the track groomer at a minimum.
Plowing the facilities: We are required to keep the lots clear of snow by the Summit County Fire Marshall. This includes snow from frequent storms as well as snow drifting from the wind.
Greens covers: We use greens covers to speed up the recovery time of our greens in the spring. Typically we do not put them out until mid to late March depending on the amount of snow we have. Greens covers increase the temperature underneath and speed up the growth of the plants. We do not put them out for the winter.
Preparation for winter and spring: Our winter schedule is used in preparation for spring startup. If we complete all of the projects and repairs we are then ready to hit the ground running when the snow begins to melt. We begin preparing for winter in August and September through our fall fertilizer applications and fungicide applications. We blow out irrigation in October and apply fungicide for snow mold in October. During the winter months I meet with my vendors to plan our fertilizer and pesticide applications for the next year. I will also be attending Intermountain Golf Course Superintendent Association board meetings now that I have been elected to the board.
Challenges: The weather is our biggest challenge. It is hard to predict the weather patterns in the mountains and it can be difficult to prepare for every situation that could arise.
Thank you,
Tom Rhoades
Golf Course Superintendent
|