Grounds Crew Update

We’ve had unseasonably warm weather for most of November and the beginning of December. This has allowed us to get some on course tree trimming and removal done. We have also completed a few small drainage projects on #6 and #11 fairways to help alleviate summer flooding. 

 

In early November we rented a boom trailer to tackle a few holes that needed some branch removal higher than we could reach from the ground. We spent a lot of time on the cottonwood trees on the left side of #12 and the left side of #14 near the tee boxes on both holes. We were also able to remove many “widow makers” throughout the golf course. These are the branches up in the trees that have broken and lay on top of other branches. I wanted to get as many removed as possible as it can be a safety issue out on the course. 

#14 tree trimming looking towards the tee box

#14 cottonwood tree trimming completed

#12 tree trimming on the left side

"Widow maker" removal along right side of 11 fairway. We spent a full day removing branches like this around the golf course. 

This fall we were also able to remove about 22 trees throughout the golf course. Many of these trees had issues present. Most of these trees had out grown their lifespan and had multiple broken branches, while others have not grow any leaves on them the past few seasons. There were also a handful of trees that were creating shade issues around the course resulting in turfgrass decline. 

We removed two trees on the right side of #16 tee box. One of the pine trees was about 4' from the tee box and the only Ash tree in this row was starting to rot at the base of the tree. Removing these two trees will help the overall health of this tee box. 

This is a picture of an Ash tree that we cut down behind #4 green. It is approximately 14"x20" and almost completely rotted in the center of it. 

 

We were fortunate to have great weather to get a lot of this work completed, and all that remains is the stumps to remove in the spring. Besides tree work, we were able to complete a few drainage projects on 6 and 11 fairways. We graciously received about ten truck loads of immaculate top soil this past summer from a few of our generous members. We used a lot of this top soil to build new red tee boxes on #4 and #9. We also used much of this soil to help level a lot of our "potholes" on 6 and 11 fairways. We did our best to level some of these areas out and funnel them to a few new drainage holes before the ground froze up. We will need to do some finish work in the spring once the snow melts and the ground thaws, but this should help alleviate some of our summer flooding issues. This is a temporary fix and our Master Plan with Norby Golf Design will be the best option for us to completely fix these flooding issues. 

 

Tran and I have also started to work on some of our equipment fleet. Every piece will come into the warm side of the shop and get a thorough look over. We will change fluids and filters, replace any broken parts, and sharpen all of the blades in preparation for next season. It is a nice change of pace for us to recharge our minds, take in some educational opportunities, and turn some wrenches instead of worry about our turf playing surfaces for a few months. 

Come on out for a walk around the golf course while it is still this nice out in December! Just remember to please keep off of the greens completely and the fairways as much as possible!