Winter Education

Besides a fresh couple of inches of snow, not a whole lot has changed on the golf course since the last update.  However, the latest snow certainly did come just in time to insulate the turf from the frigid stretch of weather that's being forecasted for the next few days.  Inside the cozy confines of the shop, our scheduled winter maintenance is progressing quickly, and we are on schedule to get everything done before the course reopens.

One of the highlights of the winter season are the various educational seminars that crew members are able to attend.  In this profession, problems, products, and research evolves rapidly, and these seminars keep us up-to-date on the latest and greatest in the turf world.  Each year, things learned at these seminars are incorporated into our maintenance practices, and there is no doubt that they help us in keeping the course up to par.  Besides the formal education involved in the seminars, they offer opportunities to network with our industry peers, and tips learned through these encounters are just as valuable as the university research that we learn about.  Recently, our equipment manager, Dave, attended an electrical troubleshooting seminar that was organized by our Toro distributor, Reinders.  Chad and I have gone to seminars hosted by John Deere Landscapes and the Wisconsin Club Managers Association that dealt with emerald ash borer and the summer of 2010, respectively.  This week, Chad, Nick, and I were fortunate enough to attended the Wisconsin Turfgrass Association EXPO, which is an annual day-long seminar that's filled with great information.

The commitment that Blackhawk has to continuing education is remarkable, especially in today's economic climate.  But, you can be assured that, while it may be impossible to measure, the return on investment is a positive one.

New Year, Old Worries

Happy New Year to you all.  Each year, the grounds crew saves enough vacation time to unwind and enjoy the holiday season.  On December 22, we had our annual cookout to send us off for the year, and we returned to work on January 3.  Besides the disappointing Badgers loss at the Rose Bowl, we all enjoyed this time of relaxation with family and friends. 

When we left on the 22nd, the golf course had a beautiful white blanket of snow cover to insulate it from the harsh winter.  From the tracks that lined the course, it appeared as if everyone was taking advantage of Blackhawk for some winter recreation.  However, after a few dreary, warm days, much of the snow has melted, and we are unfortunately left with a snowless and occassionally icy golf course. 


A look from 1 green down the fairway on December 31 illustrates the New Years Eve thaw.

 

On January 3, a small patch of ice is all that remains on 1 green.

As you can tell from the above pictures, the thaw was slow enough to allow most of the water to disappear, but it did result in sporadic ice accumulation on the greens.  Because they are almost completely shaded during the winter, greens 3 and 6 had less snow melt and more ice accumulate.  Right now, Chad and I aren't too concerned about the ice that we have now because it didn't form rapidly.  However, the ice is clear and hard, and winter injury may occur if this ice persists for longer than 60 days.  Obviously, a lot can change between now and early March, and the best course of action regarding ice on greens is an inexact science.  Hopefully, the snow cover that we had will return, but you just never know with Wisconsin's weather.

We hope that you had an enjoyable holiday season and are looking forward to a great 2011!

BRRRRRR!!

Looking outside, it's hard to imagine that the golf course only closed two weeks ago. And, after getting into my frozen car this morning, it's even more difficult to remember why exactly I like winter, but I digress.  As the following picture illustrates, the cross-country skiers were out in full force following the 4" of fluffy, white snow that we received from Friday night into Saturday morning.  Even though the calendar says winter doesn't officially begin until December 21, the current conditions and extended forecast beg to differ.

Tracks from cross-country skiers are already visible on 7 fairway.

 As far as how this relates to the golf course, we finished putting up ropes and snow fence on Friday, and our course work is essentially done for the year.  People often wonder what the snow means for the turf, and to break it down in simple terms, snow=good and ice=bad.  So, here's to hoping that the snow sticks around until the course is ready to wake up in spring.

The End is Near

After being open for nearly 8 months (the course opened on March 24 this year), the greens have been tentatively scheduled to close on Monday, November 22.  Forecasted highs for the middle of next week through the foreseeable future have highs in the 20s and 30s, and Monday looks as if it may be our last opportunity to apply a protective layer of heavy sand topdressing.  As was mentioned in the first post, this sand protects the plants from drying out over winter.  Despite ceasing growth, turf plants are still alive through winter, and they require water for respiration.  Accordingly, a lack of water that can be caused by a combination of no snow cover and windy conditions has the potential to result in turf injury and/or loss.  In essence, the sand that we will be applying acts as a windbreak for the plants' growing points.  Some courses cover their greens with a breathable fabric to accomplish the same objective, but research studies have yet to show that they offer any sort of definitive advantage over a sand layer.  Plus, the sand is cheaper, easier to apply, promotes a healthy soil profile, and has been done successfully at Blackhawk for years.

If, for some reason, the forecast changes dramatically, topdressing could be postponed, but that doesn't look likely at this point.  Of course, we will be sure to update you if postponement occurs.  To end on a positive note, if the showers stay away, Sunday looks as if it could be a great day to get in your last round of the year.

Irrigation System Blowout

Yesterday, November 10, we started and finished winterizing the course's irrigation system.  Several steps are taken to complete this task.  First, as much water as possible is drained from the system through the pumphouse that sits on the lake below 16 tee.  With an elevation change of approximately 100' from our pumphouse to 10 tee, gravity provides a nice little assist to the process.  During this draining, the pressure in the system drops from 140 p.s.i. to zero.

Next, a large air compressor is hooked into the irrigation system near the pumphouse, and once air starts to fill the system, we manually remove as much water as possible from the low points on the course, such as 3 and 6 green.  Once the air compressor has built up approximately 70 p.s.i. of pressure, we begin turning on each sprinkler until it no longer shoots a solid stream of water.  We cycle through each sprinkler on an individual satellite twice and move to the next satellite, and once we get through all 18 satellites, the process is repeated once more.  In the end, we are left with an irrigation system that is as dry as it can reasonably be.  If we didn't winterize properly, the water in the system would freeze, expand, and crack the irrigation pipes that circumnavigate the course.

Yesterday, we were also able to remove the plastic intake pipes that extend into Lake Mendota.  These pipes connect to the much heavier cast-iron pipes that connect directly to the pumphouse.  Next Monday, we will be removing the cast-iron pipes as was detailed in a previous post.

Please note that the on-course restrooms also had to be winterized and are no longer open.  The extended forecast is calling for much more seasonable weather, so I hope that you were able to take advantage of this week's pleasant weather.