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.