COURSE PREPARATION

OPENING SOON
With opening day now scheduled for Saturday, May 21st more intense labor is directed at the key areas of the course. As an example here we are double cutting #4 green which will also see a light topdressing and rolling prior to this weekend.

IRRIGATION SYSTEM

IRRIGATION SYSTEM START UP
As the temperatures rise and the winds pick up, the drying effect on the greens increases. Tank watering of the greens provides an adequate watering source, until the turf density begins to increase. As the density increases, the root mass of the turf draws in more water requiring a higher level of replenishment. As such, the irrigation system needs to come online to maintain the turf requirements. With sufficient frost out of the ground, the system can be initiated with great control of individual greens, tees and fairways. Greens are the first to recieve water, then tees and finishing with fairways and roughs. The main lines are High Density Polyethylene with all laterals to greens, tees and fairways being PVC. Here we have a successful start up on the Practice Green. Using sprinkler heads and handwatering with hoses from the system provides the proper moisture as needed. Due to frost levels moving at various rates, the system will take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to bring fully online, with all air purged and maintaining proper system pressure.

SPRING GREENUP

SNOW REMOVAL

Just one week later and this photo of #14 fairway reveals the success of manually moving the snow. If we were not to manipulate the snow to accelerate the melt this fairway would have the same snow level as the snow that remains beside the pathway. What will finish this hole is track driven, walking snowblowers. Next the turf needs to dry, then the frost needs to come out of the ground and the spring vertical mowing and cleanup can begin.

SNOW REMOVAL

SNOW REMOVAL IN SHADED LOCATIONS

As the weather warms and the sun angle rises to assist in the snow melt, we cast remaining snow into previously melted areas. To accelerate the melting process in shaded areas, the blowing of snow into warmer locations enhances the melting and subsequent drying. This photo shows #14 fairway, the left side being the southern shaded section and the right side being the northern warm section. The northern section faces south towards the sun angle which attracts heat and melts at a much more rapid pace than the opposite side. If we were not to manually manipulate the snow in many spots of the course, the natural melt would be greatly extended.

MOWING

FIRST MOWING OF GREENS

Here we are with the first mowings of the season beginning on Hole #5. There has been no evidence of snowmold damage to the greens nor ice damage. Despite heavy snow levels this spring, the accumulation all winter was a great insulator for the greens.

WEATHER

IMPROVED WEATHER

Finally the temperatures are pushing near normal levels to help us move snow off the golf course. The temperatures, in addition to us snowblowing greens, tees and fairways, have accelerated the melt. With longer daylight hours this will aide in the snow melt and drying the course. This shot of #16 green shows how the green has wintered and began to warm up. With each day we see more portions of the golf course open up.

DRAINAGE

GREENS DRAINAGE

After we cleared #14 green of snow and allowed the remaining 4" of snow to melt away (see the photo of the green) we checked our repaired drainage system and were pleased to see the results. The green was already beginning to evacuate drainage water from the green that was collecting in the subsurface network and removed out the 4" drain tile exits. The photo below shows draining water icing up as it exits the pipe due the outside cooler temperatures. On this day, April 20th, the water was draining at a rate of .50 USGal/min or 2.0 Litres/min. The value of a properly installed drainge systems is put to the test not just in summer but also in spring and in fall. The last interesting note is the quality of the water moving out of drain exit, clean smelling with no anaerobic scent to it at all. All signs pointing towards clean air and water moving through the green as it was designed to do.