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.

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.