Covering Greens/ Tree work.

We Are covering Greens today. Tomorrow is forecasted to be a total washout and Tuesday night has a chance of winter precipitation and Wednesday's high temp. is forecasted to be in the low 30's so I decided to play it safe and get ahead of the weather.

Fyi,
Our tree company is out today removing several dead trees from around the course. A few small ones right of two fairway and a couple of dead pines on 4.

these are before pictures of the two dead trees on 4.

Covering tomorrow ?

According to the two forecasts that I typically watch we will probably cover Monday (tomorrow). The NOAA forecast is below and the Weather channel link is to the right. Rain Tuesday and a possible wintery mix Tuesday night will likely prevent us from being able to cover Tuesday. So unless the forecast changes we will be safe and cover Monday.


7-Day Forecast for Latitude 34.73°N and Longitude 92.34°W

Beautiful Day!

Today is going to be Great! I hope everyone comes out to play and brings a guest!

Typically during the winter months we change pin locations on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. Since the old plugs do not recover while the turf is dormant we need to reduce the frequency of moving the cup.

Since we had quite a bit of play yesterday, today's weather is going to be so nice, and tomorrow looks questionable, I decided to change the pin location again today. The plan is to not change tomorrow. However if I arrive in the morning and the forecast is for another beautiful golf day I can reconsider.

Frosty Again

Once again we have a frost delay. The frost is not as heavy as yesterday  so I hope it will melt quickly, although I do not have an accurate time estimate yet. Please contact the Proshop as the temperature rises.
Here is a video that helps explain the reason we have these delays. Please excuse the cheesiness of the first 90 seconds! .

Wednesday Frost delay

This morning we have a significant frost delay. I will be in constant contact with the proshop. Please contact them in regards to tee times. I do not have a n accurate time estimate right now. Thanks.

Monday

We are now able to get back to spraying the course. We are spraying a non selective herbicide along with a pre-emerge on the fairways, tees and green surrounds.This application will clean up all weeds in these areas and should prevent most from coming back. It will take a week or more for the weeds to begin to die, it depends on the weather and how fast the weeds grow. We use a very low rate so we do not damage the dormant bermuda.

Steelers - Here We Go Steelers 2010 - 2011 version

Big Game today!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stairway to Seven!

Uncovered.

We were able to uncover all greens today. Course is open!!!

Thawing

The covers are thawing as we speak. Most of theice has melted from the top of the covers and the covers themselves are beginning to thaw. I anticipate beginning to remove them with in the hour. I will keep the proshop updated.

Waiting.

The covers are still frozen this morning. We had a low temperature of 26 this morning, and a frost on top. We will have to wait until the sun gets high enough, the air temp to rise and the covers to thaw before we remove them. I do not have an accurate estimation on time.
We are doing everything we can to speed the process.  

Friday Morning

This morning we are once again removing any snow or ice from the covers. This will speed the thaw and allow the covers to dry more thoroughly.
As of now our plan is to remove the covers tomorrow morning as soon as possible.
I will continue to monitor the forecasts and update the membership as needed.
Thanks and have nice day.

This morning

I am sure everyone received Carry's e-mail yesterday in regards to our covering plan. We are covering this morning. I am not sure when we will uncover. I will continue to monitor the forecast and keep you updated.
Here is a link to Maumelle's 7 day forecast from the national weather service. To the right is a permanent link to Maumelle's Weather Channel page. These are the two agencies I use most in determining our actions.
Thanks.
7-Day Forecast for Latitude 34.73°N and Longitude 92.34°W

Covering Again?

As of this morning I still am not sure if or when we may cover. It looks like Thursday night is going to cool off just enough for us to cover just in case. So as of right now...6:20am Wednesday, I will plan on covering Thursday morning. However if the chance of precipitation increases for Thurs. AM we will have to cover late this afternoon.
I will be away from the course today and tomorrow at the Arkansas Turfgrass Association Trade show and educational conference. I will be in constant communication with Andy and Carry and will keep everyone updated via e-mail. Thanks and have a great day.

Keeping an eye on upcoming weather!

I am monitoring the forecasts for the upcoming week. Right now it looks like we may have to cover Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. The forecast is pretty borderline either way so I will wait as long as I can to get the most accurate prediction. I will keep everyone updated.

Uncovered!

We uncovered yesterday! I have been trying to post a video I took of my crew removing the cover from 9 green. I have not yet figured out how to do that!

Have a great Sunday round and do not forget we are open tomorrow for MLK day.

Not Thawed Yet!

We are continuing to remove ice/snow from the covers. However the covers are still frozen. They are beginning to thaw but I doubt any will be ready to take off today. We hope to pull them tomorrow morning. Since the forecasted low is going to be right at freezing it should warm up faster tomorrow. I wish I could give a better time frame, but it is hard when conditions are out of my control.

We can not fold and drag the covers while the fabric is frozen. Not only are they too stiff and heavy they will freeze together adding to the troubles. I understand many of you are ready to play, I am sorry for the inconvenience, but there is not much more I can do to speed the process.

Thanks.

The thaw is slow!

This morning we have temps below freezing again. This means it will take some time before it gets warm enough to continue the thaw. We are attempting to speed things up a bit by trying to carefully remove snow from the covers. We are using blowers and brooms to try and remove the snow without damaging the covers.
If possible we will remove some covers today, but I am afraid we will have to wait until tomorrow before removing the majority of them. I will keep everyone updated. Please comment below or contact me directly with any questions or concerns.  jjasonbaker@sbcglobal.net
I know some of you are very eager to play, I am sorry for the inconvenience but assure you we are doing everything we can. Thank you.

Putting Green Snow removal 1.14.11 8:00am

Jason Baker
Golf Course Superintendent

When will we uncover?

I do not know exactly when we will be able to uncover. We have to wait until each cover is completely thawed before we can pull them off of the greens. I do not know when this might occur. The forecast for tomorrow morning is 22 degrees with a high reaching 45 in the afternoon. I highly doubt that it will be warm enough, soon enough, for us to be able to remove many, if any at all, tomorrow. The forecast for Saturday morning is only 31 degrees, so I hope for the covers to continue to thaw throughout much of the night. If this happens we might be able to begin pulling off the covers before lunch Saturday.
All of this is speculation, I promise we will remove them as soon as we possibly can without damaging greens or covers. Thanks you for your patience.

Here are some pictures from this morning.



#8 Green from approach 1.13.11 10:00am



#9 approach from ditch. 1.13.11 10:00am

A few Snow Pics!

These were taken Monday morning Jan. 10.

Snow Day!

Here are acouple of pictures of the Crew pulling out the covers Saturday afternoon. Very glad we got the out when we did. The snow cover adds too our protection but our covers are very important for when the snow melts during the day and we get the bitter nighttime temps predicted. We are in good shape!

#7 covered!

SNOW EVENT!!!!!!!

It has snowed! Always beautiful on the course. When I learn how, I will post pictures.
The snow posses little danger to our turf and course in general. The biggest drawback is the thaw. That is when the course will be saturated and it will take time to dry. So please everyone, keep all carts on the paths until further notice.
With the greens covered we are as snug as a bug.
I do ask that any members who live on the course keep an eye on the sledders that will surly be out. My only concern is them getting on the greens. Playing and pulling sleds on the greens could damage the expensive covers, and in turn possibly damage the greens.  So please, if you are out on the course gently ask any snowbirds you see to avoid the greens! Thanks! and enjoy.

Covering of Greens This Weekend

We are going to cover the greens Saturday after noon at 1:00. Although the current forecast's temperatures do not fall into the danger zone until later in the week, the high percentage chance of winter precipitation Sunday concerns me. Snow and Ice will not hurt the greens, and can actually act like our covers and protect the greens. However it can also prevent us from covering later if needed. So since we have the opportunity to get in front of the weather, especially when little golf would be played, we will remove any risk and put the covers down. Thanks!

The Weather Channel

Next week's forecast/plans

Maumelle CC Members,

I would like to update everyone on the upcoming week's forecast.

As of now it looks to be cooling off quite a bit this weekend and getting quite cold early next week.

Since the forecast is calling for a good chance of winter precipitation on Sunday and the high temps are predicted going to remain so low, as of now, I plan on covering the greens Saturday afternoon.  Since it is still fairly early there is a good chance the forecast will change. I will keep you updated.

Please click on the 10 day forecast in the weather channel post below to get an updated forecast for next week.

The Weather Channel

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 34.85°N and Longitude 92.42°W

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 34.85°N and Longitude 92.42°W

Forecast and current plans for upcoming week.

As of today it is forecasted too get very cold on Sunday night. As there is a chance of precipitation Sunday, and the forecasted high is 36 degrees, we plan on covering on Saturday afternoon. We will begin at 1:00pm so please be sure to check with the Proshop in regards to tee times. We will remove the covers when the forecast allows. Thanks.

Getting Started.

Not sure how long this will take to get the hang of but I have high hopes that this blog will greatly enhance the communication between the Turf Care Staff and our membership.