One Year Ago Today

It was just one year ago today that we experienced some of that white stuff.  Hopefully, we are not going to see any more this year.  I was at a WGCSA meeting which included a round of golf in the afternoon, needless to say we didn't play golf.

Continuing Education

I just spent two full days in the classroom learning more about our computer controlled irrigation system. I felt I was already running the system efficiently, but there is always room for improvement. The focus of the class was on new software updates that help us program the system to reach peak efficiency.

We are seeing a trend in increasing government control in water usage, which started in California and is moving east. In response to that trend, I want to be prepared before Wisconsin takes steps in the same direction, or mandates are implemented by the EPA. I will be implementing much of the new programming tweaks into our irrigation control system immediately.



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Location:Reinders in Sussex, WI

Course Looks Like It's June

We have some of our staff here and preparing the golf course for a season that has started like I have never seen before. Today we started up the irrigation system so we can water sod that was installed last fall.



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Summer Has Arrived

It's been a wild week! We are having weather that feels like mid-June already. I have had to start a few of our staff members early so we can get the course cleaned up and start mowing. Today we mowed the greens, collers, and approaches. This is the earliest we have ever started mowing in the 32 years I've been here. There was no frost in the ground this year and the soil temperature is already approaching 60 degrees. I have more of the staff coming in on Monday so we can finish cleaning the course and keep up with the mowing.

Spring Approaching and Education

Winter is coming to an end and we are anxious to get out on the course and begin cleaning up.  As I am writing this we still have about two inches of snow, but the temperature is expected to climb to 55 degrees today, so this may be the last we see of accumulated snow for the year.  Once the snow is gone I will go out and scout for winter damage due to disease or desiccation. 

Last week I attended the GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Assn.) conference and show in Las Vegas.  Educational seminars are offered every day and the equipment display is open for two days.  It’s a great opportunity to view the equipment and speak with the engineers for any piece of equipment that is being considered for purchase.  It is also a great opportunity to visit with colleagues that I haven’t seen in a year or so.  While at the show I attended several seminars that provided information that relates directly to projects that we are undertaking here at LGCC.  Networking with others that have already completed projects that we are planning is invaluable.

What A Difference A Day Makes

Snow is falling again providing a blanket of protection before the cold weather hits.  Tomorrows forcast is for temperatures dropping into the single digits and high winds.  The new snow will help protect our greens from the harsh weather ahead.

Winter Work

By looking at the course you would never guess that we had a blanket of snow about 6 inches deep just a week ago.  The trend this winter has been very mild with very little snow cover.  We have been keeping a close eye on the new putting green surfaces watching for ice build up or desiccation.  If the need arises we will use our oldest spray unit to haul water out and spray the putting surfaces to keep them hydrated.  We will need to seriously consider purchasing green covers for the greens that get fumigated this fall.  A repeat of this year’s winter weather could set back the opening of the new greens if not protected by covers. 

Besides worrying about the winter weather, (or lack of) we have been painting tee markers, applying weather preservitive to wood benches, water coolers, etc. We have also done much of the necessary tree trimming and removed a couple hazardous trees.  Sunlight and air movement has long been an issue on #6 and #5 greens so we have been working on opening up the east-southeast areas to allow for more air movement and to maximize the morning sun.  In the picture below you can see the trees we removed along the property line and we also removed some very large trees in the woods behind the green.