Tree Planting

Stuarts Nursery in Fond du Lac had a stock reduction sale to sell their 2.5" and above nursery stock with great trees for only $90.   Considering these trees often cost $250 to $320 this was too good to pass up and we purchased a variety of oak, maple, cherry, beech, ironwood and coffeetree's for the golf course.

46% of our trees are ash and will expected to die in the next 10 years both due to age and the emerald ash borer, so it is important we keep planting trees.  Our goal is not to have tree lines fairways as that is not the type of course we have but to use trees as back drops and to provide definition to holes.

We took delivery of 16 nice specimens and planted them behind the greens on holes 5,7,8 and 20 to make up for ash and maples that in decline.  The current trees are too close to the greens causing problems with airflow, shade and roots encroaching under the green.  So although these trees are not close to the green they will be visually appealing for years to come.  Other trees were placed right of hole 8 to replace three pines that died and one oak left of 22 fairway to separate it from hole 16.  The last tree is a cherry and will be planted near the clubhouse area for aesthetics. 

On the subject of trees we have quite a few of memorial trees throughout the golf course and a plaque in the clubhouse stating the person the tree is for, the year, the type and location of the tree.

Mike Nelson steadies the tree while it is being backfilled.

What a stretch of weather!!!!

We must thank Mother Nature for this just incredible stretch of weather that not only took us from snow to open in 5 days but has provided some of the best March turf conditions ever.  The crazy thing is not only are the days summerlike the nights are summer like with lows in the mid 50's or higher.  Greens are being mowed daily while we are nearing summer schedule on tees and fairways. 

We have not mowed rough yet but just like your lawns it is time.  The bad thing is once we start mowing it encourages growth so the more we need to mow, the same will happen at home so get that lawnmower tuned up.

Trees are starting to bud and should be hardy through any cold snaps but if you have fruit trees you really need to hope for some cooler nights to slow the process.  If it freezes after they go to far you will lose your crop for the year.

Due to the early opening we are going the first few weeks with the tees open but no tee markers allowing players to tee off wherever they want.  The golfers seem to enjoy it and the staff mowing tees do not mind not having to pick up 90 rocks per 9 holes.

If you have played the front 9 you may have noticed the sink hole on the path between hole 1 white and silver tee.  We will not know how or why until we dig it up but the 24" plastic culvert but it seems to have been crushed and moved underground by some force of nature.  The new pipe is ordered and will be here next week. 

Enjoy your time out on the course during these bonus days!

Not open yet, but soon.

Wow what an amazing change in the weather!  We were able to open the driving range on Friday March 9th and will open 18 holes on the golf course on Tuesday March 12th.  Last weeks 8" snow melted fast but left the ground pretty soft and then Thursday night the low was 22 and Friday never got over 34 so that slowed our progress and prevented a weekend opening.

I took a long walk on the course Saturday and while the turf is still quite dormant everything looks healthy with little damage from ice, voles or snow molds.  The ground was still frozen solid in most places from Fridays cold temps but is thawed now.  We do have quite a bit of snow between hole 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 while 15 green has at least 10" on the left half.

You can see only the front right corner is clear of snow.  I expect that to be gone by the end of this week.

We will be walking only on Tuesday but without rain we should be able to allow carts soon.  We are going to start without formal tee markers and just have a sign asking players to tee off wherever they want for the first few days.

I hope to see you on the links!

When will we open?

This is a common question I hear every year from customers and co-workers when the days get longer and the snow starts to melt but even more so this year with the very mild weather we are having.  I can pretend and give a great answer based on science, weather facts etc etc but the truth is I have no idea.  Yep! That's right I really have no idea this far out when we might open.

I assume it will be earlier rather than later because it has been a mild winter with little snow to melt or frost in the ground but weather patterns can change overnight and a cold spell or a heavy snow will change everything. 

I really would need to know the high and low temperatures and amount of sunshine we will have for the next few weeks in order to give any kind of educated guess on when we could open.  Given the weather forecasters have trouble forecasting later today it is unlikely they can forecast the next three weeks.

I will say what is most important to thawing the soil, melting the snow and getting the course firmed up for play is the low temperature and sunshine.  Sure 50 degree afternoons help but if we can go a couple nights without freezing so the thaw extends 24 hours we make greater progress than with warm days and cold nights.

I can say as of today (Feb 21) all it will take is 4 or 5 days of good weather to get ready to go.  But the forecast is not looking like that is going to happen at least in the next ten days.

Due in part to the heavy soils we have and to avoid any potential damage or footprinting on the soft greens we open the course the first possible day after the frost leaves the top foot of soil through most of the golf course.

This is a change from just a few years ago when most courses waited for the ground to firm up, then they would mow greens, tees and fairways one or two times over a three or five day period to encourage growth and some greening of the plants. During that time they would put out all the newly painted benches, tee markers, ball washers and hazard stakes.

Now the first day we can change 9 cups and roll or mow 9 greens without damage we are open for play.  Benches, ballwashers and other features can wait until the paths firm up and we can travel the course without damage.  Those first couple rounds of the year the golfers do not seem to mind the lack of features.

So if you are dreaming of hitting the links in March, pray for sunny days and warm nights and before you know it your dreams will come true!

Winter finally shows itself

After a mild December and early January that saw many rounds played at surrounding golf courses winter is here with snow and below zero lows.  Fortunately we had some snow before the extreme cold to protect some of the poa annua plants that came out of dormancy after being fooled into thinking it was spring.

Although some of our neighboring courses were able to open our 4th and 15th greens were completely covered by snow the entire time and with the frozen ground the cups were full of ice.  As all warm spells this one came to a end and now thoughts can turn from golf to ice fishing again.  The benefit of a late winter will be a short winter as the lengthening days will soon (hopefully) bring warmer temperatures.

With the now frozen soil we are having Bill and Wayne's Tree Service come in to trim up the oak trees on hole 7 and the famous single oak in the 9th fairway.  At the same time they will prune the tree for health and remove any deadwood in the canopy.  By pruning the lower branches it will allow a few more shots to escape under the trees.

Reel grinding is a major part of winter service.  In order to achieve the low heights golf course fairways, tees and greens are mowed at, reel mowers are used to provide a consistent surface.  Reel mowers require more winter maintenance but less in-season service when they cut cleanly for months between without grinding.

We grind all tee, green and fairway reels every year while checking bearings, seals, rollers for proper operation each year we pick one of the three and totally rebuild the reels.  With three types by doing one set a year it means every third year every reel is completely rebuilt.  The reels and frames are stripped down of all parts, washed, painted and rebuilt with new bearings and seals.  Then they are precision ground with our Foley reel grinder.  First we spin grind to true the reel and remove any cone shape that naturally occurs from use followed by relief grinding that puts a angle on the blade to allow it to go the entire season without re-grinding.  This year we are rebuilding the 20 fairway mower reels. (4 mowers with 5 reels each).

Freshly painted reels, frames, and shields awaiting re-assembly

A reel ready for grinding in the Foley Grinder.  The

bedknive grinder can be seen in the background.

While James works on the reels my job is the equipment.  Winter service means more than just oil changes as our goal is to inspect the equipment and find potential future problems or fix nagging issues from the  past season.  Mowers are just like cars with engines, differentials, transmissions, brakes and controls.  Our hoist allows us to get underneath the equipment and see what we are doing much easier.  As the equipment has gotten more advanced over the years work on axles, frames, electronics and hydraulic systems would be near impossible from the ground.

A 1997 Cushman utility cart on the hoist while the

2001 and 1989 await their turn.

We took the opprotunity of a rebate from Focus on Energy to replace the lighting in the maintenance building where we replaced 20 year old T-12 flourescent fixtures with T-8 technology.  The new lights provide a brighter whiter light while using 35 to 40% less electricity. 

New bulbs and fixtures provide for better lighting and lower costs.

What do we do in winter?

The easy answer to the common question "what do you do in the winter" is long lunches and card games but nothing is further from the truth.  It takes quite a bit of time and work to prepare the course for winter and bring in the golf course equipment.  Then the equipment and building maintenance work begins.
The first step is renting a hot water pressure washer and thoroughly clean the grime, grass and grease off the outside, inside and underbody of the mowers.  The shields are removed to allow access to all the nooks and crannies.  Then we remove the reels off of the reel mowers and store everything for easy access.

James grinds the 50+ reels we have by disassembling them, installing new bedknives and using the reel and bedknive grinders to provide a long lasting cutting surface.   Each year we grind all the reels while completely disassembling and rebuilding 1/3 of the reels with new bearings, seals, bushings while painting the frames and housings.

My work includes changing oil and fluids, filters as needed, repacking axle bearings, checking electrical connections, brakes, bearings, clutches, blades, cables, safety switches and hydraulic lines.  Golf course equipment takes a beating from working in wet conditions so often so preventative maintenance is key to making it through the season.

The hustle of the golf season makes it difficult  to use any vacation so we take some much deserved time off in December and work a normal a 40 hour week the rest of the winter unless we have to plow on a weekend.

Winter is a great time to catch up on a education and we sit in on a couple opportunities through the Wisconsin Turfgrass Association or Wisconsin Golf Course Superintendents Association.\

If you ever want to see hands on what we do feel free to stop in and say hi.  Our normal winter hours are 6:00 to 2:30.