Golf Course News - 10/31/2009
The days are getting shorter and Mother Nature is getting ready for winter. The leaves and temperatures have begun to fall. The crew and I are spending the days cleaning the leaves up off of the golf course the best that we can. At times it seems like a lost cause. The abundant rain that we have received has set the golf course up great for winter but has made it difficult to get equipment on the golf course. The abundant rain has also made it very difficult to accomplish any projects this fall. Hopefully we have some time left that we can still get some of the projects
done.
This time of year I spend a lot of time watching the long range forecast. So far this year the forecasts have been incredibly inaccurate. On more than one occasion it has looked like we would be closing the golf course in a week or so….then as the date gets closer the forecast continues to warm. At some point the temperatures will not recover….hopefully not for awhile. As the temperatures steadily drop we begin to put the golf course to bed. It is always a last minute decision to blow out the irrigation system and topdress the greens. As always we will leave the golf course open as long as possible, but once we blow out the irrigation system, closing
the golf course is usually not far away. Typically the golf course is open until the week of Thanksgiving, but last year it was November 9. As always, Mother Nature makes the final call.
This is also the time of year that we begin to aerify the rough. Last year before the ground froze, we were able to get the front side aerified. For this reason we will be starting on the backside and continuing to the front, if time permits. The theory by aerifying this time of year is that the cores will be broken down over the winter and we will create less of a mess. In combination with the broadleaf weed control that we have been spraying, the rough should be thick and relatively weed free.
I am sure that there are a few nice days left to play golf and I hope to see you on
the golf course.
-Mark Siems
