Golf Course News - 12/1/2009
Just in case you have not heard, the 2009 golfing season has come to an end, effective November 23. This was two weeks longer than last year and is about the average for closing the golf course. According to the forecast, winter is approaching. In the last few decent days we need to get the golf course topdressed and put to bed for the winter. The sand that is spread over the greens and tees acts as a blanket to help protect the grass plants from the harsh winter cold. We have also blown out the irrigation lines in preparing for the upcoming cold. Hopefully before the ground completely freezes we will have time to repair some minor leaks in the system. As the
weather turns colder our focus turns more to trees and equipment maintenance. The trees need continual attention in pruning and removal of dead or dangerous trees. As our equipment fleet continues to age, more and more time is spent going through each piece of equipment in preparing it for the upcoming season. The more problems that we can find now when we have time, the less we will have during the hectic golf season.
I know that between now and the reopening in spring that there will be some nice days – probably nice enough to play golf. But with the ground frozen, the turf cannot recover from any damage done. The more damage that is done during the winter, the more the golf course has to recover in the spring, ultimately lowering the quality of the golf course. I also know that there will be plenty of nice days for winter activities, once we get snow, such as cross country skiing and snow shoeing. If you participate in these sports I encourage you to use the golf course, once we have 3-4 inches of snow. The only thing that I ask is be mindful of our greens and avoid them. As always, snowmobiling and any other off-road vehicles are not allowed on the golf course at any time.
I would like to take an opportunity to recognize my employees. I had an excellent group of individuals working with me. They did a great job of maintaining the Country Club property all year. I like the fact that they are reliable, hard workers; but I love the way they care about the condition of FDCC. It is very difficult to teach someone to care about what they are doing. Luckily, I don’t have that issue with my crew. From myself and the crew: Have a Happy Holiday Season.
-Mark Siems
