Rock Nine Pond....Grass Carp??

 The Heart of Americas Rock Nine in my opinion is one of the best par 3 courses out there.  However every year around this time the pond that is located in the middle of the course begins to turn UGLY!!  Every kind of aquatic plant (weed) seems to be growing in this shallow pond.  There are several products/chemicals out there that claim to cure all, and I have tried a few of them with no luck. So, this year I am taking a different approach.  Grass Carp!!  From what I have researched Grass Carp are the most common and effective biological control for aquatic weeds.  Because they are so dominant they are outlawed in several states. Lucky for us they are legal in the state of Missouri.  Grass Carp will not be an instant cure as I am told the extent of control often does not become apparent until 18-24 months. So, we will not see immediate results but once they have time I hope to never purchase an aquatic chemical again. We have just under 2 acres and the recommended rate is 10-12 fish per acre which is why 20 Carp were put in the pond.  The fish were 10-12 inches in size and purchased from a local fishery.    I am hopeful that next year we will have an after picture of a clean pond. Below are photos of the fish and our ugly water.

FootGolf Cups in the ground

The Heart of America Golf Academy will be the first in the state of Missouri to have an 18 hole FootGolf Course. Footgolf is played just like golf only with a soccer ball.  On average Par 3's range from 50-100yds, par 4's 100-160yds, and par 5's 160-215yds.  The course will be played on the Rock 9 and is scheduled to open Saturday May 3rd.  The Photos below are of us putting the 22" cups in the ground.  

FootGolf???

Coming very soon to the Heart of America Golf Academy...FootGolf

Winter Watering

Up until Tuesday February 4th the winter has been warm, windy, and dry.  Which is the perfect ingredient for desiccation damage in cool-season turf (Putting Greens and Rough).  Desiccation occurs when the roots cannot supply enough water to the semi-dormant/dormant plant to keep up with the amount of water lost through the leaves and crowns.  All of our putting greens are 90% sand, and sandy soils have a very low water holding capacity.  Because, the irrigation system is blown out in the winter to prevent pipes from freezing we cannot simply turn on the sprinklers. So, in attempt to prevent our greens from desiccating we were able to rig a hose to the end of our sprayer and pump water to the putting greens 150 gallons at a time.  We successfully watered all the greens just in time for 10" of insulation (snow).  Hopefully, if Spring ever comes we will have some healthy Greens to putt on.

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.