2015 So Far

The Weather
The year so far has been very good for course conditions here at Blackhawk. Almost without fail it has rained when we needed it but still been dry enough to have excellent playing conditions.


The Course

3/30/15

7/10/15

It's funny to imagine the picture on the left actually looking good at one point, but two days before opening  we thought the range was starting to look great. As with the rest of the course, July looks much better on the range.

The Crew

We ended up with quite a few new faces this year on the seasonal crew. The good news is, everyone has been eager to learn and improve every day. Going forward I can only see conditions improve as everyone is able to focus less on learning and more on the details of every job.

The Projects

Once the course is playing well we are always looking for ways to improve the overall look of the course. Going forward we hope to finish cleaning up all of the plantings on the course. One of the best gardens this year is the bed between 9 tee and 1. If you haven't had a chance to see it, it's much better in person. It smells even better than it looks.

9 Tee Flower Bed

                                                             Another focus so far this year has been the clubhouse. Aside from the new parking lot, we have started some work on improving the flower beds and hope to have some larger changes in the future.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       This year we also have a gentleman on the crew who is familiar with prairies and native plants. In his own words he "knows just enough to be dangerous", and has helped out tremendously with his work on 3,7 and near 8 tee.

The last major project so far has been the work done with the pond. Over the past 25 years grass, mud and leaves have made their way into the rock surrounding the water. It has been providing a perfect spot for weeds to grow and was only getting worse as time went on. The difference between the finished area on the south side and the rest of pond is dramatic. I can't thank the crew enough as the work is hard and messy, but the end product will last for years to come.

The Final Word

As always we hope everyone is enjoying their year here at Blackhawk and look forward to seeing you out on the course.

Spring Opening and More

As everyone probably knows we opened the course on April 1st. We were very excited to finally be able to pull the trigger and let the 2015 golf season begin at Blackhawk. See here how opening dates compare all the way back to 1973. The weather hasn't been great so far but every day the course seems to come more and more alive. Hopefully after the rain this week there will be more green for everyone to enjoy.

Opening Day Pictures

A few pictures can't show the whole story. Hopefully you can have your own before and after experience after seeing these photos and coming out to play.

The Range

Hole 1 - The Trail

Chad mowing the green

A view from the back tee

Down by the lake

We had a chance today to start work on one of the unsung heroes of the golf course. We spent the morning installing the check valves, pipes and baskets for the irrigation system. It's nice to have them all in so the system is ready when we inevitably need it.

As cold as it looks

Omar and Angel are in the wet suits battling the waves. Dave and Victor are in the waders, staying closer to shore.

Lining up the 4" pipe and basket

Attaching the 6" pipe to the check valve

Working on the 8" pipe

At the Mercy of Mother Nature

Contrast

What a difference 10 days can make. Just last week we were out cleaning the course and hoping the weather would stay warm. Now we are wondering when the snow will stop. That's March in Wisconsin for you.

8 Green on 3/13/15

7 Fairway on 3/23/15

Course Work

We had a few days during the stretch of warm weather where we could get out to most parts of the course. Aside from removing the covers (and some snow on 3 that never melted), we were able to mulch a lot of leaves. We also had a chance to pick up 90% of the sticks and branches that fell over the winter. The other project we tackled was adding a permanent line for air along the pro shop. This will allow us to move the shoe cleaner closer to the door for easier access. 

8 Green freshly uncovered

Removing snow on 3 green

Rolling the foam on 8 green

Cross Country Skiing Trails at Blackhawk CC

It's hard to believe it's already February. Even more surprising was the reported 10 inch snowfall we received. If you are a fan of cross country skiing you may have already been out on the course cutting your own trails. With the storm this weekend we finally had enough snow on the ground to warrant going out and doing some trail grooming. Hopefully you enjoy exploring the route we set up. If you still want to go off the beaten path feel free, and we thank you for staying out of roped and fenced areas.

We use a simple set-up to groom the trails. It simply consists of a groomer pulled by a snowmobile. Chad reported going 5 miles with 2 passes over all the trails. That should put as at about 2.5 miles of groomed trail on the course.

Hopefully you will be able to enjoy these views and more as you make your way around the course.

Work in Progress

     One of the questions the crew gets asked most often is, don't you get bored sitting around the shop doing nothing all winter? Of course, anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows the answer to that question. Maintaining all of the equipment and course accessories takes a lot of time each winter, but is well worth it. Not only does proper maintenance extend the life of our machines and accessories, it also keeps them running in top form during the golf season when we don't have time to spare. With that said, a quick update on what we've done so far and a few pictures that hopefully illustrate how well our maintenance plan keeps an aging fleet running and looking like new.

Our GM1000's used for tee and approach mowing have been completely prepared for the 2015 golf season. There was no major maintenance needed on these 20+ year old machines.

The Flex-21 mowers used for greens are due for new bearings and seals on the cutting head this year. Once they are sharpened and the annual maintenance is performed, they will be ready for another year.

Our fairway mowers have had all essential maintenance completed and only lack the final polishing we like to do if time allows. This particular machine is a 2004.











Other projects we are working on include our rough and bank mowers, and finishing all the preparations for course accessories.