Winter Projects

Winter has arrived! WooHoo, we get to take 4 months off and relax....NOT.  We are still plenty busy, just not mowing any grass.  Some of the jobs that we work on this time of year include

• Painting...ball washers, yardage signs, benches, etc.etc.etc
• All equipment is serviced...blades sharpened, oil, air filters, fuel filters etc.etc.etc
• Tree trimming...Several trees had fallen throughout the summer and now we have time to cut them up
• Attend turf conferences...learn from leaders in the industry, recertify pesticide applicators license 

Though we are not putting in the hours like we do in the summer, we are still here working to make HOA a better place to play!

Before and After painting

Fallen trees waiting to be cut into firewood

Spencer Roberts from the Omaha CC spoke about the 2013 US Senior Open and the preparation required to make it a success.   

November Leaves

The photo above is what we have been doing a lot of this time of year...Herding leaves!  The idea is to blow down wind and push the leaves into the timber.  I know that it is frustrating trying to find that little white ball under piles of leaves so if you can put up with a little leave blowing noise we can make the searching a little easier. Just don't hit it in the timber, Ha.

Cart Path Only Starting November 1

Starting in November we will be cart path only on the River Course and no carts allowed on the Rock Course.  The reason we do this is to protect the Zoysia Turf.  The crown of the turf (growth point of grass blades) is the heart of the plant.  Golf Cart traffic can severely damage the crown and the result is dead turf in the spring.  So to insure a quality playing surface for the upcoming season please stay on the paths.  Thanks for your cooperation.  Above is a photo of the dormant zoysia.

 

Fall Projects

Fall is a busy time of year for us.  It is the time of year when the cool season grass makes it recovery from the long hot summer.  So far this fall we have aerified, fertilized, and topdressed all the greens, fertilized the zoysia (fairways and tees) for the last time this season, seeded all thin areas in the rough with a slit seeder, and finally finished repairing #9 on the River Courses fairway bunker.  The above photo is of Rob aerifying the greens and the bottom photos are of some of the work that was done on 9 bunker. 

Removing all old contaminated sand

After pulling out old drainage we put in new and covered with pea gravel 

The finished project after we lowered the bunker faces to reduce washouts and added sand

Greens Aerification and Range Tee Info

Just a quick reminder that we will be aerifying the River Greens on Monday the 16th of September and the Rock Greens the 17th.  Also Wednesday the 18th will be the last day the Turf Tee on the Range will be open for the year. Starting on the 19th we will shut it down to overseed with Rye Grass. However you will be allowed to hit from the Synthetic tee at the back of the Range.  Thanks for your patience Sam

Natural Area Clean-Up

 If you have played golf recently you probably noticed that all the natural areas have been cut.  This is an annual process that we will do to keep these areas free from weeds.  Once we cut it we are then able to spray the areas with a post emergent herbicide to kill all the weeds.  And if it ever decides to cool down we will then seed some of the thin areas with a Fescue grass. So, that eventually we will have a nice stand of tall grass that is free of weeds.  Please keep the carts out of these areas.

Driving Range Prep

The first job we perform every morning when we get to the course is on the Range Tee Top.  The 1 acre tee takes a beating everyday.  Keeping the turf plush and thick is nearly impossible, it is one of the many challenges Superintendents face.  What we have been doing this year is as follow:

• First we blow off the divots from the previous day
• Second we solid tine the area that was hacked
• Third we take a slit seeder over the bare areas
• And Forth we topdress the area with sand
• On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we mow the tee
• Every two weeks we put down a starter fertilizer (18-24-12)
• The ropes get moved forward everyday to allow for a fresh area of grass to hit on.

So far this year I would say it is looking better than it did last year.  It is definitely a challenge and with experience through trial and error we hope to have it in better shape year after year.  Below are photos of the work that is performed.

Blowing off debris and divots 

Solid Tine/Venting damaged area

Slit seeding bare areas

Topdressing with sand

Blue River Flood

The Blue River got out of its banks once again.  Some of the regulars have said they have seen it worse, but for me this tops all other floods.  The top photo is of 7 fairway looking from the tee before the flood and the bottom was taken around 2 P.M. at the same location.  Ouch. However 24 hours later it only left some muddy silt behind.  We will aerify these areas and it should recover nicely.  After 2 days of being closed we are now open, cart path only.

Summer Annuals Are In

This years summer annuals are finally in the ground.  It was a cold spring and so we got them in the ground a little later than we did last year.  The flowers you will see on the course include Vinca, Coleus, Petunia, Lantanas, Canna Lily, and Ornamental Sweet Potato.  

Driving Range Tee is Open

Since September the grass on the Range Tee has been closed.  Well, it is finally open!! We seeded it last fall so this spring you would all have good turf to practice on. It is an acre large and consists of Rye and Blue Grass.  Come on out and enjoy!

Ornamental Grass Fire

Instead of cutting the ornamental grasses this year, we saved some time by setting them a blaze.  In the video you can watch this fun and effective way to get the grass ready for spring.  Commentary by the legendary Tony Bertels.

Winter is back!

Up until now, this winter has been fairly mild.  In the past week we have received around 20" of snow.  The snow we received yesterday was extremely wet and heavy, and unfortunately I have noticed a lot of tree branches down.   We won't know the extent of it until the snow melts and we are able to get on the course. Keeping our fingers crossed!  

Range Targets

We took a break from trimming trees this morning and gave the range targets a new look.  They now have a fresh coat of  paint and flags on top.  Fire Away!

Drainage Basin Clean-up

This winter we have been working on cleaning up the Blue River over flow basins.  Inside the river bend (holes 2,3,4&7) many trees in the drainage basins have been taken down. The clearing is being done to return the course to its original design of a “links style” course.  Over time, these areas will be returned to a mixture of native grasses, wildflowers, and the present river birches.  The top three photos show the work that has been done and the bottom photo is an example of what it will look like.