Melting Update and a Farewell

Spring appears to be springing earlier than normal this year, and with a high temperature of 65 degrees yesterday, the course quickly went from being covered in four inches of snow to mostly snow-free over the course of our eight-hour workday.  The long range forecast calls for a brief cool down tomorrow and Friday before a sustained warming trend next week.  As of yesterday afternoon, frost could still be found 2.5 inches below the surface of the greens, and the below picture shows just that...

Inevitably, you're probably wondering when the course will be opening.  Unfortunately, at this point, it's hard to say.  Prior to opening, we like to see the following:  no snow, no frost, actively growing turf, and a favorable long-term forecast.  Thus, with minimal snow and frost and a good 10-day forecast, it looks as if it'll be sooner rather than later.

Two green (in the foreground) was nearly clear as of yesterday, and eleven green (in the background) is still covered in not snow but a white, impermeable plastic cover.  The covers on 11 and 17 will likely be coming off shortly.

As of right now, our best guess is that the course will have little to no winter damage, which is fantastic news.  In previous posts, some concern was expressed for the third green, which was still 100% snow covered as of yesterday afternoon.  However, two weeks ago, we pulled two plugs from this green, and they sprung to life very nicely.  Our ice concerns have basically passed, but until it really warms up, damage from crown hydration and snow mold are still possibilities.

In other, unrelated news, we will be saying farewell to a member of our crew, Jake Rath, this Friday.  Jake interned for us during the 2010 and 2011 golf seasons while finishing his Golf Enterprise Management degree at UW-Stout, and he was converted to a full-time employee this past fall.  Last week, he was hired as the assistant superintendent at Bishops Bay, and although we'll be sad to see him go, we're proud to see him advance his career.

Earlier this winter, we were also thrilled to learn that our other intern in '10 and '11, Cody Semingson, was hired as the superintendent at The Valley Golf Course in Mondovi, WI.  Cody grew up near The Valley and is looking forward to the challenge.

In a very competitive job market, it's very rewarding to see former Blackhawk interns, Jake (left) and Cody (right), progress in the industry.