Fireworks on New Years Eve

There will be fireworks shot from the 10th fairway on New Year's Eve!  Enjoy the show.

Cross country ski trail is open

The cross country ski trail is now open and groomed weekly and after each snow.  The trail is located on the cart path on the front 9 and runs from the 1st tee to the 6th green.  It is a great way to get some exercise and fresh air this time of year.

Greens Aerification

The greens were aerified on April 24th and 25th.  Although greens aerification causes a short term disruption in playing conditions it is very important to the long term health of the greens surface.  Aerification opens avenues for air and water, reduces compaction, and removes thatch and organic mater.  It also creates an opportunity to work important nutrients into the open holes. We are often asked about our timing and why we would aerify when the greens are in good condition.  Waiting to aerify until we saw a problem with the greens would be like waiting until your car breaks down to change the oil.  It needs to be done as preventative maintenance.

There are many steps to greens aeirfication, here are a few pictures of the process:

                                                 This is the machine that pulls the cores.

They are then swept up and hauled off.

After the cores have been removed, amendments and seed are applied. The green is then topdressed with a heavy layer of sand, and the sand is drug into the holes with a brush pulled behind a cart.

Any holes that are still left open are then filled by hand with a push broom.  Excess sand is then swept up and removed.  The final step is to roll the green multiple directions to smooth the surface.

Spring Cleaning

The course made it through the winter in good shape this year.  There appears to be very little ice damage or snow mold.  There was an average amount of clean up to do from the elk and voles.  The course opened on March 16th this year.  The bald eagles are back, so #10 will remain closed until the eaglets fledged.  Here are a few pictures of what it takes to get the course ready after an elk herd has spent the winter on the golf course:

This is what the fairways look like before we start cleaning.

This is after they have been mowed and the rough is swept.

We use a large rotary mower set as low as it will go to pulverize the droppings.

This pull behind sweeper does a nice job in the rough.

All the bunkers have to be blown out and the sand pushed up before they can be raked.