EQUIPMENT

 Fabrication and Storage

While our time on the golf course itself, in winter, may be basic, our mechanic, Steve Lowe, is busy repairing, maintaining and fabricating equipment.  As an example, when it comes to debris blowers we try to utilize "out front" equipment to maximize the comfortness of the operator and improve efficiency.  As such, Steve cleverly mounted a pull type Toro blower to the front of a Toro 3100 utilizing the hydraulic system to operate the turbine.  (The blower previously had been hard mounted to the unit complete with it's own gas engine, fuel tank, battery, frame with castor wheels)  This greatly reduced the weight and cumberness of the unit and shortened it's overall length dramatically.  Now the operator will be able to effectively complete the task much better without concern of castor wheels breaking off, running out of fuel, fighting the long length of the unit (the further away the unit was from the operator the more dust and debris the person would be exposed to) and is able to go places we could not before with the wheels.
 

This is a shot of what cart storage looks like over the winter.  Here our 80+ carts are stored in the cart area in the basement of the clubhouse.  We tightened up the parking of the units to add space to store additional maintenance equipment.  I know most golf courses face similar off season storage issues and we are not without our own limitations.  The photo itself is not glamourous but it does depict nicely what you need to do to protect thousands of dollars worth of equipment.

POND HOCKEY

Winter Rink Preparations

At #18 pond we continue to prepare the pond for a skating surface.  Here the skating path to the rink has been flooded and is freezing to help smooth the ice to a nice finish.  Rink preparations begin with ice thickness checks, clearing of the snow, boards and netting installation and final flooding of the surface.  We use a 2" trash pump and flood the ice with the pond water using a 1 1/4" canvas hose to  the water to the surface.  Note the hockey net placed out of the way but soon ready for action.  Right now the ice is between 6" to 12" thick with the thinnest sections being near the edges of the pond.  The upcoming cold weather and removed snow cover should accelerate the ice buildup to a thicker level.

WINTER PREPARATION PART 4

Turf Cover Benefits

Following a recent rain of 1/8" and the subsequent inspection of the golf course we proved out again the benefits of turf covers to minimize ice formation/damage.  Here on #1 green, at a tear in the cover, note the ice developed on the uncovered turf and the lack of ice that was under the cover.  (Noticeable where the turf cover was pulled back and photographed by my foot).  This is especially critical protection to have from winter rain events or warm snow melting events.  It is not a perfect protection but it does provide some confidence from the detrimental effects of ice formation.  We cover all the greens with permeable Evergreen covers, for just this purpose, every fall.  Last winter, the covers provided a critical barrier between the ice and the turf (heavy, thick ice up to 2" thick had formed on all the greens early in the fall of 2011) and allowed us to aerate the ice off the greens without destroying the greens.

WINTER PREPARATION PART 3

Drainage Tile Repair

Here at #18 green we began mapping our tile network at this site.  We had no knowledge of the exact location of the drainage exits other than the fact we had 2 catch basins in the general area.  Using the drainage camera we exposed a section of the drain tile at the front of the green approach and discovered damaged pipe along the exit line.  During construction the irrigation contractor had dug through the drain tile while installing the main line and never repaired the damage upon backfilling.  This helped explain why this area of the rough was always wet during rain or drainage events.  Note the orange "plug" in the drain tile that leads away from the covered green.  This was put in place to stop the water draining from the green from filling the excated hole.  (We had recieved 3/4" rain the day before)

After repairing the drain line we also added a vent access port to the drainage network at the back left of the green in the collar

WINTER PREPARATION PART 2

 Course Shutdown Programs

Here we begin the deep tine work on all greens this season.  It has been 3 years since we deep tined all the greens so it was time to go back to this process to assist with root deepening and moisture and nutrient penetration.  Here we apply the process to #10 green

 After a full, heavy topdressing of the greens to fill the holes in completely we install protective elk fencing around all the greens.  Here #7 green recieves the treatment.

In addition to cultural programs we continue with our drainage improvement program in the fall.  Here we are using the drainage camera to scope #5 green through an access port at the front of the green.  We found a full collapse at this point and also added a vent a the back left of the green in the collar.

WILDLIFE

End of Season Elk Damage

Almost as if leaving us a big send off for the winter the elk decided to tear apart #4 fairway the second day we were officially closed for the season.  This required 6 manhours to tidy up once the frozen turf thawed enough to manipulate the remaining pieces of the Elk "jigsaw puzzle".

WEATHER

Late Season Snowfall

Late in the season if we get a snowfall the snow can take several days to melt away due to the sun angles and ambient temperatures.  Here #6 green is shown with the shorter cut turf having melted clear and the rough still holding the snow.  This is due to the fact the ground temperatures were still warm enough to melt the snow in short turf while the longer turf insulates the snow from the warmer temps.

WINTER PREPARATION

IRRIGATION SYSTEM SHUTDOWN AND BLOWOUT

Each fall we blow our irrigation system clear using compressed air.  With the warm weather we have had this September the blowout has resulted in fewer broken sprinkler heads and caps due to warmer ground and air temperatures.  Typically we can break heads and caps frequently if temperatures are cool due to the violent nature of the operation.  Here is an example of the remaining mist on green #1.  When we have completed we will have put over 50 hours of runtime on a 1600 cfm compressor and consumed over 4,000 litres of diesel.

WEATHER

GOLF COURSE FALL COLOURS

Despite late into September, most trees still have all their leaves.  The turf is holding up well and the native grasses have started to head out.  The top photo is taken from hole #11 tee and the bottom is taken from hole #10 tee.

WILDLIFE

ELK DAMAGE AND REPAIR

Elk damage in the morning to hole #5 green.  12 manhours later and the smooth surface is back.  Unfortunately the later into fall we get the less chance the turf has of mending back to health with any subsequent damage.  This was just one green to deal with on a day there was 4 greens that had varying elk traffic damage.  The photo below shows the repaired green and also a photo of hole #1 green a few days later.  All part of golf in the Canadian Rockies.

WEATHER

LATE SEASON WEATHER

We have had great weather the last part of the season.  Here is a terrific August 30th sunrise on hole #7, Pigeon Mountain in the background and an irrigation cycle finishing.  The photo was taken using a Blackberry so apologies to those photography enthusiasts who would have had been using something far more substantial. 

WILDLIFE

ELK URINE
As we enter the late summer months we see heightened levels of Elk activity on the golf course.  This is due to the Elk having calved their young and are feeding on lush turf and are protected within the large open spaces of the fairways.  Unfortunately, at night, the wildlife have the full run of the place and in this instance, #9 green, bedded down and marked their territory many times.  The high concentration of ammonia quickly stunts and kills the bentgrass and despite repeated forking and flushing of the spots, the turf dies over the period of 3-4 days.  Whilever playable, these unsightly spots have been plugged out replaced with healthy turf.

WILDLIFE

GRIZZLY BEAR
We have all forms of wildlife activity each season but this was one of the better shots of a grizzly bear visiting the golf course.  Black bears or grizzly bears, when we have a bear on the property we seldom are thinking of taking pictures but instead are concerned about everyone's safety.  This image was courtesy of an employee who was shuttling a Fish and Wildlife officer.

SHORT GAME COMPLEX

NEW SHORT GAME COMPLEX

Beginning in late April and completed just prior to the July long weekend a new short game area was added into an out of play area near the 10th tee.  The area was elevated by 1.5 metres to provide the soft look.  The complex includes a 4,000 ft2 green, bunker and sizeable bluegrass chipping area.  This will be an excellent compliment to our existing practice putting green and driving range.

WEATHER

JUNE FLOODS
The typical spring melt each season is gentle and mild.  However, this year, with melting snow and 1.5" of rain overnight in early June brought heavy flow, rock, silt and wood down through the Stewart Creek.  As the creek flattens out debris fills the creek channel forcing water over it's banks.  Here on #14 the water and heavy rock and silt poured into the rough.  There is over 3 feet of debris, at it's highest, in the photo.

SPRING PREPARATIONS

WINTER ICE REMOVAL RESULTS
The results of several mid-winter aerations to remove ice are shown in the photo.  #17 green saw 4 different aerations, each following a different direction to remove the ice layers during the winter.  We knew we would have aeration holes to deal with in the spring, but the upside is evident in terms of healthy and slightly stunted turf.  The downside to having done nothing to eliminate the ice conditions of winter would be to have dead greens.  As it was there were many areas of the golf course that were under ice for over 120 days.  Within 7 to 10 days of the greens warming under a permeable cover, we began mowing the greens and added a topdressing to fill in the holes and allowing the turf to begin knitting.

Here we are topdressing #8 green following a mowing.  Once topdressed with sand heavily, we brush the sand level into the holes and replace the cover to continue with the healing process.

Following the topdressing and warming under a cover the subsequent mowing of #1 green is presented in the photo.  The covers accelerate turf growth as ambient temperatures almost double under the covers on a typical day.  This is critical to ensure the turf repair period is minimal.  In addition the covers assist in retaining moisture therefore the combination of increased moisture and warmth helps the turf immensely.  The poa spots visible in the, mostly bentgrass, green are slowly filling in as part of the recovery.  Having been stressed over the winter the poa annua spots are the last to begin filling in within our region.

SNOW REMOVAL

TEE DECK CLEARING
Once all the greens and surrounds have been cleared of snow we move to the tees then to the fairways to accelerate the snow melt and ground warming.  Here we are blowing #7 tee deck clear of snow.  Once we clear the decks of snow, we clear the tee surrounds and then move to the fairways and cast snow into melted locations or into the trees and out of play areas.  This spring we will manually move snow on approximately 50% of the golf course.  This is necessary due to our location on a north facing slope of a mountain.  If we were to allow the snow to melt on it's own the golf course opening date would always be delayed.

SNOW REMOVAL

From ice removal on the greens to final snow removal and greens examination.  The photo shows the varying layers of ice that formed throughtout the winter in the remaining snow to the left of the staff member.  This is indicative of the freeze/thaw effects we experienced during the winter.  The evergreen cover that remains on #8 green has been damaged due to the mechanical aeration of the ice that sat on the green surface and the frequent snow removals throughout the last few months of winter.  This cover will be replaced with a new cover to allow the green to begin warming up in spring.  This was a small price to pay to keep the turf on the greens alive.

WEATHER

ICE REMOVAL TECHNIQUE

In previous years we have had great success with ice removal utilizing mechanical techniques. The weather does need to assist with this ice removal technique as it requires a "chinook" or warming winds that frequently flow through our valley in winter. Due to our north facing location on the side of a mountain and very minimal sunlight, typical techniques such as the application of dark or black sand to green surfaces, letting the sun warm the surface, placing green covers over the ice or risk using ice melt products are all useless. Therefore mechanical processes are required. And fortunately or unfortunately with have come up with a system that is both quick and effective during a warming period.



In late November of 2011 warm weather, melting snow and rains contributed to the formation of an ice layer on all of the greens. 1/4" to 1/2" of ice formed and was added to during rain events in December to create a 1/2" to 1" layer. Just prior to 45 days of ice cover, in early January 2012, warm weather allowed us to begin with our process. +7C daytime temperature proceded by +5C or better night allows the ice be workable. We use a John Deere 1500 fairway aerator with solid tines to fracture the ice loose from the evergreen turf cover that is laid over the greens in the fall of each year. These ice chucks are then pushed aside using a Toro Sandpro blade with a leading rubber edge on the blade itself. Utilizing two Toro Sandpros we eliminate the need for 6-8 staff with shovels. Fortunately having the evergreen covers in place prior to winter allows us to work the ice as needed as the ice breaks away from and slides off the cover well. Without covers the turf would be fully encased within the ice and would deem the ice virtually unworkable. Within 45 minutes to 1 hour we can aerate the ice on a green, clear it completely off and have a green breathing again. To date we have been able to clear 12 greens free of ice due to two warming periods early in January at the 42 day and 47 day period. We have previous experience in dealing with turf that has been under ice for 45, 60, 90 and 120+ days. As the covered period extends it greatly increases the likelihood of stressed turf come spring time.



The photos show the process beginning with aeration on green #8. We push the ice chucks aside as shown on green #14. The final look of the green with the cover still intact is shown on green #2. The plugs in the photo were taken from low areas of greens #7 and 11 and have greened up well despite having been covered under an ice layer for 43 days. This provides us with some level of confidence that the turf now has a good chance the rest of the winter on the greens we have cleared. Please do not hesitate to contact us about these processes if you are interested. If we can help others faced with these types of conditions we are more than happy to assist where possible.