CONSTRUCTION

SHORT GAME COMPLEX

Construction is now underway on the new short game complex, that includes a practice green and bunker. The project will be completed over two phases, with Phase One being the rough grading of the site completed this fall. The spring will see the completion of Phase Two which includes the detail shaping, irrigation and drainage installation, placement of sand/soil and grassing. The existing cartpath will be removed and relocated. This location near #10 Tee will provide for practice greens now at both the 1st Tee and the 10th Tee as well as a training and learning complex that allows for bunkers shots, chipping and putting.

WEATHER

FROST

We all deal with frost but it never ceases to amaze me the power and heat behind the sun. This photo of #2 Fairway clearly shows a vast temperature distance between the sunny and shaded areas. Despite a still cool ambient temperature the sun reaching and heating the exposed turf is vastly different than in the shade.

WILDLIFE

THE ELK STRIKE AGAIN

As mentioned, every fall brings turf damage from the visiting elk and deer. We brace ourselves each morning to hope we don't find what we did here on #5 Fairway. Unfortunately this damage was on the heels of 1" rain the prior day which made the turf very soft and easy prey for the elk. It can always be worse, this could be the green. The damage was repaired, the turf re-knitted, sanded and seeded prior to golf reaching that hole.

WEATHER

LATE SUMMER RAINS

Most often after a late season rain, when the clouds pull back, snow is revealed. At this point in the season we begin to see very cool and frosty night time temperatures after a system like this comes through. Prior to this snow accumulation at higher levels we had a very warm run of day and night time temperatures. 1.5" of rain fell late August and after 2 days of rain snow had accumulated above the tree line above the golf course. This photo of Hole 9 fairway shows Lady MacDonald Mountain covered in snow. The Town of Canmore can be slightly seen and her base. On days like these it is very easy to come to work and take in the scenery.

WILDLIFE

ELK ON GOLF COURSE

When you do your morning tour of the golf course and you see this on one of the fairways you can expect there is going to be some damage on the golf course. And of course we get proven right during the August and September Elk rutting period. Just part of some of the challenges of growing turf in a mountain setting.

Here on Hole #4 fairway the herd trampled through on the way to bedding down on Hole #6, see above.

Aside from hoof damage from the elk running or walking, sometimes the bull elk will use their antlers to create a "wallow". This is either in preparation of laying down or simply to scratch their antlers. Sometimes it can be them using their hooves to "paw" away at the turf. In this case on Hole #10 it was hard to tell what the reason was.

And when they travel across a green, in this case #9 green, there is no mercy due to the softer rootzone and shorter cut turf. All repairs were done by hand using turf cover staples to knit the turf together. Topdressing sand and divot seed mix is used to smooth out the final fix. Many man hours are consumed each day searching for and repairing damage.

DRAINAGE

DRAINAGE TRENCH

When dealing with water related issues sometimes the simplest solutions are the most practical. Rather than overcomplicate a problem, a long standing practice was implemented to solve the issue. In this case with a supercharged flooding issue from the treeline along #11 fairway, a simple and tidy French Drain was the answer. After conferring with course architects Gary Browning and Wade Horrocks as well as hydraulic engineer Dennis Westoff it was concluded that less is more. So it was devised that with the water pouring along the surface and into the fairway, as well as subsurface springs popping up, a simple trech was dug to move the water into our pond and keep it from the fairway. When the water receded and subsided, after more than 6 weeks of flow, drain rock and tile was added.

The trench will remain open open to the surface in order to function to maximum capacity during flow events in the future. The photos depict the initiation of the project and show some of the flow we were experiencing. Next the trench is shown intercepting and moving the water. What then follows is the steps to complete the project.

WEATHER

WINDSTORM IN JULY

At all golf courses trees become a highly concernable maintenance issue during extreme weather conditions. In this case on a severely windy night we were greeted, in the morning, with downed trees similar to the one shown in the picture of #7 fairway and cartpath. This was a perfectly healthy tree that had fallen due to high winds. It is always amazing what trees continue to stand or fall during high winds as it can very highly unpredictable.