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.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Hopefully the lack of snow isn't putting a damper on the holiday's for anyone (depending on your perspective it might be a good thing!). On behalf of the Blackhawk ground's crew, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy finish to the holiday season and can't wait to ring in the New Year.

Venting Greens

On Tuesday (6/24) the greens recieved some much needed relief. The greens were vented with 3/8" solid tines, rolled, mowed, topdressed, and rolled again. Ideally, we would like to vent greens once a month through the summer. Venting the greens at this time will help improve air and gas exchange. By opening these small holes at the surface, the warm soil is allowed to cool when the fresh air moves into the openings. In addition, venting increases water infiltration by creating small channels for irrigation and rain water to move down into the soil profile. After last weeks severe weather and seemingly endless rain, the soil is completely saturated. Finally, venting stimulates new root initiation. By allowing the gas that builds up in the soil to escape and be replaced by fresh oxygen, in addition to the soil temperature cooling, the roots and soil can essentially breathe better which helps stimulate root growth.

The first step in the process is the actual venting. To accomplish this we use the same machines that we use for core aerification in the fall on greens. However, unlike the core aerification process which uses 1/2" hollow tines that removes a small core of thatch and soil, today we used 3/8" solid tines which create a much smaller and less disruptive hole. The healing time on core aerification can be a week or two with good weather whereas venting should fill in within a few days.

After the green gets vented, it then gets rolled using heavy rollers. When the holes on the green are made by the aerifier, the edges of the hole may get pulled up slightly from the action of the tine going in and coming out of the putting surface. The purpose of the rolling is to make sure any areas that get raised or uneven get smoothed out so it does not get scalped by the mowers.

Once the green has been rolled and is smooth then it gets mowed. After the greens have been mowed they can then be topdressed. Todressing is the process of putting a light layer of sand on the putting surface. The purpose of topdressing is two-fold. First, the sand helps smooth out any imperfections on the putting surface. Second, the sand helps prevent thatch production by reducing organic matter in the soil.

The sand then needs to be allowed to dry before the greens get rolled for the second time. The rolling after the topdressing is done to move the sand down further towards the soil surface.

Speaking of the weather...

The severe weather this week has been less then ideal for getting even routine maintenance done on the golf course. Fortunately, given that there was a tornado in Verona earlier in the week, the course did not suffer any major damage due to fallen trees or broken course accessories. We had a few large limbs fall but nothing too disruptive to play. The biggest headache from the strong winds is cleaning up the small and medium sized sticks that litter the course after storms like this one.

In addition to the strong winds, the course has also received over 3" of rain since Monday night. This has caused the bunkers to wash out, the greens and fairways to become soft and getting carts and maintenance vehicles around the course a challenge. When the course is so saturated, getting any mowing done becomes difficult.

Course Reminders

While playing the course, you may notice that some of our smaller trees have their bases wrapped with white covers. These trees and slightly larger trees also have a green or orange ribbon tied to them. Both of these measures are in place to help protect the trees while they are small to ensure that they grow as normal and healthy as possible. If you encounter one of these trees during the course of your round please remember that you get free relief so as not to hit the tree with your swing.

A few other things to remember while on the golf course; first, repair all divots. Please take the time to retrive and replace any divots that you take. Even if the divot breaks into several pieces, replace what you can because it will greatly reduce the amount of time needed to recover. Second, please remember to repair all ball marks on the greens. Repairing your ball mark and any others that you see will help ensure your putts roll as smooth as possible. To properly fix a ball mark, insert the repair tool along the edge of the indentation and push the sides in towards the middle. Then lightly step down or use your putter to smooth the mark. Do not push up the bottom of the indentation as this will tear the roots. Finally, please rake all footprints after playing from the bunker. To help us better maintain bunker faces, please enter and exit from the back side of the bunker where it is more flat. In addition, bunker rakes should be left at these flatter locations to help the next player and should be left outside the bunker.

Remembering to do these tasks during your round will help keep the course in the best possible condition and will make your round, and those playing after you, more enjoyable.