Recent Activities

Over the last 10 days or so we have accomplished quite a bit !  On Monday and Tuesday, August 3rd and 4th, we Aggressively verticutt , top-dressed and aerified our greens. This time during aerification we simply poked holes rather than the more invasive pulling of cores. I decided with the extreme heat and lack of rain that it would be better not to disrupt the putting surface as severely to ensure rapid recovery.

The following Monday, August 10th, we completed our follow up verticut. This time it was not quite as aggressive, but still very important in the overall playability of the greens. We perform this second verticut because of the fertility we add to the greens during aerification combined with the aerification it self, create a flush of growth. If we do not perform the follow up verticutt the grain and the thatch build up could re plentish rapidly.

Verticutting is a type of mowing. The blades are vertical and slice downward into the thatch layer of the turf. this helps to thin the thatch preventing a build up of decomposing matter that creates a spongy feel to the greens and prevents air and water from moving as freely into the soil.Verticutting is also one of our tools to help manage the grain on the putting surface. 

Here is Jose Verticutting a green

Here is what it looks like while cutting, the left side of green is cut, the right has not been.

We we verticutt the greens at varying degrees of aggressiveness every two weeks during the growing season.  

We topdress the greens every week. Topdressing is another tool to improve the putting surface.

The sand is drug in creating a smoother surface and standing up the leaf blade. This helps control grain and reduces friction, which allows the ball to roll further or "faster".

Here is an example of a weekly topdressing and the sand being drug into the turf.

Back Nine To Re-Open !

Thanks to some Volunteers and the hard work of my staff we will be opening the Back Nine Tomorrow for Play!

We still have green side bunkers on three holes to clean and rake, and all of the fairway bunkers, but the rest of the Course is in good shape!

#12 will even be played as normal! There are stil a few wet spots out there but we were able to mow nearly the entire fairway, twice!

 Irrigation is working at all the greens and I hope to have everything else back to normal by end of next week.

I hope everyone enjoys the course and let's hope we never have a flood like that again!

Back Nine Update.

MCC members,

 

The water is receding quickly, which is nice. 

 

Tomorrow and Tuesday all of my resources will be used for aerification. Once completed we will get after the back. By then it will be much drier and we should be able to get equipment and mowers back there. 

 

Here is a preliminary assessment of  the conditions on the back nine. 

I ask that any member touring the back to please stay on cartpaths or the gravel road, it is very muddy anmd wet.

 

Debris is minimal so far. Once the course dries out and we can get equipment out there more easily it should clean up quickly.

There does not appear to be any damage to the damn on 17 or the cartpath. We may have lost a little rip rap but no big deal.

I will not be sure about bunkers until we get them cleaned and raked again. But I hope we will only need a few loads of sand at most. the front bunker on ten is my biggest concern. 

I have opened up all the irrigation boxes this morning and have sprayed the components with wd40 to displace the water and prevent corrosion, per suggestion of my vendor and other Superintendents I know who have gone through similar flooding. I can see that a few pieces have already begun to corrode but the majority look good. I have high hopes that these repairs will be minimal too. But, I will not know for another few days as a couple of boxes are still in standing water. I hope to turn on the power on Tuesday. I have not yet gotten into the pump house back there.

The silt is the biggest mess right now but it is mostly just staining the grass, A good rain will really help us, Hopefully we will get a good shower Tuesday after aerification! 

Greens look good. We are mowing them right now, we cannot get to 12. but should be able to tomorrow.

The place is wet. And muddy. And it will take a while for it to get back to normal,  but I think we got out of this pretty light!!!! 

A few pics from 5.30.15

 Waters continued to rise Friday Night.

I took these Saturday morning

Irrigation box left of 12 fairway.

Bathrooms

13 Blue and Black tees.

Grill on 13

14 green, water was upto and in bunker front left.

Water still rising

What it looked like yesterday afternoon.

What it looks like this morning.

Pics from flood May 29, 2015

Here are some Pics I took from the morning of the 29th while using a tractor to go through the high water to turn off all electrical power on the back nine.

 Gravel Road on 11

 Irrigation boxes are under water.

 The greens are not Dry. When those irrigation boxes go under like this we sometimes have shorts in the electrical system.

 Here is the Pump house on 13, as you can see the Breaker Boxes are on the side of the building. This is what I had to turn off.

 Here is the Fire Pit area.

And this is the High water bridge on 17. Not safe for travel.

Flood May 29, 2015

Here is a photo album of my kayak tour of the flood on 5.29.15

 Gate

 10 Bridge

 10 green

 going around 10 Island Green

 Paddled into 10 fairway bunker

 Looking up 11 fairway from tee area

 going by 11 green on right side

 Looking up 12 fairway from behind 11 green. No Tees in sight

 12 green from approach

 approaching 13 tee sign

 going around 13 island green

 Passing by 14 tee sign and entering pond on 13.

 here is a picture I took earlier from a tractor near 14 green. it is 14 fairway half under.

17 Green.