The weather dropped 2.0 inches of rain on Thursday evening, then 0.25 inches on Sunday evening, then 0.33 inches on Monday evening, so, the course is very wet. This mixed with an unusually cool October, and the decreasing daylight hours, and the course is not getting a chance to rid itself of soil moisture.
Work does continue. We are now in the process of tackling the fallen leaves on a daily basis. With the wet conditions that are currently in place, it is important to move the leaves off the turf as soon as possible. Having a layer of wet leaves over wet turf will suffocate the turf. We do this by utilizing large blowers pulled behind a [.....]
Some writings from the architect of the original golf course of the property. From "The American Golfer"
HOO ANDRA FOOZLED OOT
By TOM BENDELOW
The links were bricht an' bonnie Wi' tartan an' wi' plaid, When the pride o' Skeebo village Play'd the best that Cleveland haid.
The play was fast and furious As soon's the ba' was thwack'd, But in the final test o' skill Ae' point oor Andra' lack'd.
The caddies stood wi' bated breath An' every ee was set, For no a mon was in that crood But had his siller bet.
Ae' caddie cried as wi' his club Oor Andra' faced the ba', "Hoot mon, play up, and show them noo Hoo Skeebo beats them [.....]
Today we were able to complete the second half of the changes to the surface of the cart path on 17. As I posted earlier, the changes involved removing the asphalt surface, and replacing it with red gravel. This finishes off the changes to the cart path on 17.
Removing the asphalt.
Path prepared for the red gravel. [.....]
The cart path extension that was created last fall on hole 11 was laid through an irrigation head. The resulting traffic pattern left the irrigation head in the wheel track causing it to be driven over on a regular basis. On Monday, the head was driven over once too often.
While topdressing fairways for the last time on Monday, the tractor drove over the head and broke a fitting on the pipe. Unfortunately, in my haste to shut off the water, I did not have the peace of mind [.....]
I feel like I am typing the same thing every week, but I'll do it again. It was a wet week and the course remains very wet. We were able to get a few big projects done despite the uncomfortable conditions. Monday we were able to topdress greens and fairways, and begin to remove the dead summer flowers.
The recently betrothed Emilio topdressing greens. Emilio and the lucky lady plan to be married sometime next year.
Torres brushing in the topdressing on the greens.
Cesar applying the fairway topdressing. We will [.....]
When in the course of a renovation of the scale the club performed a few years ago, it is often necessary to utilize the most efficient measures possible to complete the maximum amount work. As work on the course progressed, the west side of the course was seeded first as earth work continued on the east half. As the grass germinates and grows it becomes necessary to begin a regular mowing schedule. However, the construction work on the other half of the course is still continuing. It then [.....]
We received our first hard frost of the year this past Friday evening. This brings the end to the flowers and a beginning to frost delays.
On the golf course frost refers to ice crystals which appear on solid surfaces in the absence of precipitation. There are two such forms of frost: “rime” and “hoar”. “Rime frost” typically occurs under conditions of high atmospheric water content (vapor and/or liquid) and moderate wind speeds. It forms rapidly and adds a dull, matte finish to the surface on which it adheres. [.....]
Tim has be recognized in the October 2009 issue of Golf Course Management for his recent Master Greenkeeper certification from the The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association. Golf Course Management is the national publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
"Chicago superintendent walks the walk in pursuing
professional development."
The latest American superintendent to attain Master Greenkeeper status from the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association recently reflected on the foreign version of GCSAA's Certified Golf Course Superintendent designation.Tim Anderson, superintendent at Naperville Country Club on Chicago's [.....]
Sept. 30th-Oct. 2 I had the opportunity to travel to Clayton, North Carolina for the Green Start Academy. The Green Start Academy is an educational conference offered to Assistant Superintendents across the U.S. and Canada by Bayer Environmental Science and John Deere Turf Division. The 2 day event involved lectures, demonstrations, tours, and networking opportunities with the other Assistants in attendance. An application process that included a recommendation from the Superintendent, and an essay was required. The recommendation letter and essay were reviewed by a panel, and enrollment [.....]
The last update on 2 approach was the information on reseeding the herbicide damage. The seed that was applied, did germinate and begin to grow, but the cool, cloudy temperatures slowed the maturation of the seedlings. It was decided to go ahead and sod the damage to establish a cover before the end of the year. Our decision turned out to be a very good one. With the abnormally cool temperatures, and possible record low temperatures at night, the seed would have stopped growing until next spring.
[.....]
The flowers located around the clubhouse, in the flower pots on the deck, and in the planter boxes at the halfway house have looked spectacular all year. Unfortunately, these flowers are specifically summer flowers. The cooler temperatures that we have experienced, and that are currently in the forecast will take a tole on the flowers. We covered them in the evening once last week, and will plan to do it again to extend the life as long as we can.
We cover them with plastic to trap the warm [.....]
The water feature in the pond on 13 has been removed for the year. The specific maladies preventing it's usual performance have not been thoroughly identified yet. The feature is tethered to the shoreline with a rope. This allows us to pull it out from the shoreline rather that navigating the waters to remove it. Look for it to be back in the pond next year. [.....]
Aside from the continued wet conditions, the course is handling the weather well. The forecast is showing more rain for this evening and tomorrow. Just a reminder to be mindful of where you are driving with your cart. The storms that pasted over the course on Sunday, September 27th left part of a tree down on the left side of 2 fairway. Other than loosing a large portion of itself, the tree will be fine.
[.....]
It's not a new cart path, just new material. The black-top cart path near the 17th green was removed, and replaced with the same red gravel material that is used in other parts of the course. The reason for the change is to prevent shots from bouncing on the cart path. Having the red gravel in place will provide a surface that can absorb most of the bounce of the ball.
The black-top has been removed, and the first load of the red gravel has been set.
The completed path.
[.....]
It has been a couple of weeks since anything has been posted, but that does not mean we have not done anything. Updates will be posted soon on 2 app, 17 cart path, the water feature on 13, bunker mowing patterns, and a trip to North Carolina. Today was the first morning our maintenance crew was delayed due to frost, so some information on frost will be posted as well. [.....]