Has Spring Finally Sprung?!
24 MAR 2022
Has Spring Finally Sprung?!
The calendar sure says that it is Spring and the weather is somewhat cooperating. As turf managers, we are always very excited and always a bit nervous when the snow begins to melt. As our turf grasses begin to show we get to see how things fared after the snow and ice cover. We never know if the ice that accumulated on greens became toxic, how much cold wind desiccation set our fine turfs back, if any of our snow mould fungicides were ineffective, and if there was any other damage from trees, animals digging, snowmobiles or even severe washouts from inactive drains.
At first glance, our courses look great!
We did have a few pine and spruce trees fall from the extreme wet combined with the high winds during mid-January. Thankfully, these fallen trees are not integral to their respective golf holes and will only take a few days to clean up.
Rodent damage is at a minimum and even snow mould in the primary roughs is minimal.
There are a few spots on a couple of greens that the Poa Annua did receive a bit of ice damage. I like to call this natural selection as the Bent grasses often encroach and take over when the Poa has been weakened.
Over the next few weeks, we will be doing some course cleanup, removing snow stakes, rolling greens several times to get those surfaces smooth for opening day, along with continuing our shop equipment maintenance work on the days that are too wet.
We have 3 small construction projects to finish up: bunker fill and grading on CopperHead #2 & #12 and Rattler #5.
And soon!! We will start cutting some grass and prepping the courses for opening day!
I am pleased to announce that our Associate Superintendent, Christine Kumagai, is returning for another year (and let us hope many more) as well as our Second Assistant, Christian Roseblade.
Please welcome Kyle Dulmage as our other Second Assistant who has been running his landscaping company for the past 12 years and we are glad he’s changed careers into golf course management. Kyle also has great construction experience, which will be invaluable as we begin a very large project this year….more on that in the next newsletter.
See you all very soon!
Bill McAllister, Golf Course Superintendent