Snow Removal

This week, the decision was made to remove snow from the greens.  Since early February, they had been encapsulated in ice, and we were getting close to the 60-day threshold under which Poa annua can generally survive under ice.  The snow depth varied across the course and even on different spots on the same green, but it was generally 8" deep.  The back of number two green had 2' of snowcover thanks to the bowl that it sits in.

We found anywhere from 1-6" of ice on the greens, which was more than we were expecting.  However, now that the snow is gone, the ice has softened, and they are melting quite quickly.  Greens 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 (those that receive more of the southerly sunlight) are mostly or completely exposed, and although it's still too early to say for sure, we like what we see. 

A few greens have a faint hint of the distinctive odor that accompanies winterkill, and of the more exposed greens, 7, 8, and 10 are the most likely to have some damage.  Luckily, it looks nothing like the winterkill that we've seen in recent years.  We will have a better idea about the status of the rest of the greens once more snow and ice melts, but until they start actively growing, the best that we can do is make educated guesses.

Today, we walked to each green to make sure that the water was draining off of the surfaces, and where it wasn't, channels were cut to allow the meltwater to flow.

Below are some pictures of the snow removal process.

We almost lost Omar in the drift on 2 green.



Getting started on the putting green.  After the first pass, it seems as if it will take hours to clear the green, but most were completed in 45 minutes.

The putting green before...

...during...

...and after snow removal.  They would have made nice ice skating rinks.

Even on a relatively cool, cloudy Wednesday, much of 5 green melted between 8 am (above) and 2:30 pm (below).  This green was cleared of snow on Monday.

Heat Wave Approaching

Finally, a hint of spring is in the forecast.  Temperatures are predicted to climb (?) into the 40s by Wednesday, and we might even make it to 50 on Saturday.  Thus far in March, we've only hit 40 degrees once, and the average high temperature has been 32 degrees; quite the polar opposite from last year.  Between the snow and ice that is on the ground and a frost depth of 18", there is a substantial amount of thawing that has to take place before the course can open, but the light is at least at the end of the tunnel. 

As has been mentioned in prior posts, the greens are covered by 1-2" of ice.  To accelerate their melting, we will be blowing snow from the greens this week.

The snowblowers are ready to get to work on the greens.

We've taken samples from 1, 6, and 8 greens to assess any potential winter damage, and it this point, it looks as if we may have some injury.  The samples from 6 look and smell great, but the samples from 1 and 8 are just OK.  The bad samples are nothing like they have been in years where we've had a lot of winterkill, but at this point, we're not expecting the greens to be perfect.  However, it really is hard to say for sure since this is based on two 4" diameter plugs that represent 0.00002% of the total putting surface.  We should have a better idea on winter's wrath by early next week.

Last Friday, we completed the major tree trimming projects that were slated for the winter.  Most notably, the black walnut tree limbs that were overhanging the left side of 16 green were cut back.  Not only will they no longer punish slightly mishit shots, but the relatively large nuts won't land on the green (or us) come autumn.  A silver maple that was crowding three nearby trees between holes 3 and 4 was also trimmed, and aside from helping the adjacent trees, the extra sunlight will also promote the rough in this area.

Our scheduled winter maintenance went extremely well this year, and with the extended winter, we were able to complete a few special projects around the shop, as well.  Now, we are gearing up to get on the course/rake all of the sticks that fell over the past few months.

Winter Melt Version 3.0

An inch of rain over the weekend has once again created some impressive ponds on the low areas of the course.  Dave, the mechanic of 40 years, commented this morning that he has never seen so much water on holes 6 and 7.  This is the third significant rainfall event this winter, and despite all of the rain, the course is still snow covered.  From Friday to today, the snow depth on 6 green went from 13" to 8", and the forecast isn't calling for melting temperatures until Friday.  Below are some pictures of the course from this morning.  Enjoy (?).

The pond by 6 and 7 (above and below) is bigger than it was in February, and it was the biggest that we had ever seen in February.  The forward tee on 6 is nearly an island tee, and you would have a 200 yard carry to reach the fairway as it is now.

This babbling brook connects the (wanted) pond on 5 to the (unwanted) pond shown above.

The water by 3 green and 4 tee didn't fit in one picture (above and below).

Alright spring, we're ready for your arrival.

Old Tractor, New Home

Yesterday, the oldest piece of equipment that we own went to a new home and got another lease on life.  Back in the day, the 1958 Toro General was used for everything from pulling gang mowers to cutting cups, but for the past 25 years, it has been sitting idle in our shop.  Although it was taking up storage space, it was just too cool to send to the scrap heap, and we were always hopeful that it would end up in the hands of someone who would refurbish it.  Well, that's exactly what happened.

At the Wisconsin Golf Course Superintendents Association's Spring Business Meeting, Chad was talking to Michael Lee, and somehow, the old General was brought up.  Michael, who is the manager of golf course maintenance for the Kohler Company, grew up near Blackhawk and worked on the crew for 5 years.  He actually used the General when he worked here, and to make a long story short, his nostalgia has gotten General a new home.

Chris Zugel (superintendent) and Joe Sell (assistant superintendent) from Whistling Straits picked up the tractor, and Joe is already working on getting it started.  Eventually, I suspect that it will look and run like new, and they have every intention of actually putting it to use.  Who knows, maybe it will even make an appearance on TV when the Straits course hosts the 2015 PGA Championship.

Here are a few pictures from yesterday:

Our 1958 Toro General was loaded up (above) for the trip to Kohler, where its accommodations look significantly more comfortable than they were here (below).

March Madness

What a difference a year makes.  Last year on this date, we were only two days away from a high temperature of 65 degrees and ten days from opening the course.  Now, we are awaiting another winter storm that is forecasted to dump 6-10" of snow on top of the 7" that we received last week.  Although we are ready to get to work on the course, we are hoping that this is a sign that 2013 will be a little less extreme than 2012.  Normally, the course opens in the first week of April, and since 1973, the opening dates have ranged from March 7 (2000) to April 22 (1993).  In the meantime, work continues inside and out.

Last week's snow made it a little more difficult than normal, but we were able to get around the course well enough to remove four trees: a dead maple between 1 & 10, an ash tree between 2 & 11, a silver maple right of 11 that had split 3 years ago, and a declining beech tree at the beginning right of 12 fairway.  What resulted from this tree removal was a large pile of wood...

If you drove down Lake Mendota Drive, you may have also noticed that the village removed three ash trees that were adjacent to the course.  Municipalities all over southern Wisconsin are implementing plans to deal with the emerald ash borer, and we have been bracing for its arrival for many years.  Currently, we only have 47 susceptible ash trees on the course (64 have been cut down), and the vast majority of the remaining ashes have an insignificant effect on how the course plays or are small, easily-removed trees.

Otherwise, we have filled out our staff for the coming year, and there will be a few more new faces than normal.  Two of the four new employees are college students with prior landscaping experience and one is a high school senior who will be enrolling in the Golf Enterprise Management Program at UW-Stout.  It is always nice to be able to hire seasonal employees with prior applicable experience and/or interest in the profession.

Stay safe in tomorrow's storm, and cross your fingers (and toes) that this is the last major snow event of the winter.