We received another small batch of snow this morning.  All has melted from the hard surfaces and only the closely mowed bentgrass is covered on the course.  Very little snow so far this year.  When(if) we do get snow, the course will be available for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and sledding.  We only ask you avoid traffic on the greens.  The ice rink has a layer of ice but is not ready yet.  We make lots of progress on building ice when the temperatures are in the teens.

The inside work on the equipment is well underway.  Some equipment is complete, other pieces are yet to be started.  After the equipment we will begin on the course products.  We will also be working in the clubhouse in January on a few projects that are planned there.

This will be the last post for this year.  Wishing everyone a Happy New Year.  See you in 2013.

Continue reading

Even with the greens closed for the winter season, this topic is relevant year-round.  I think this will become a monthly post on the blog through the season.  Ball mark repair is a regular topic during Green Committee discussions, not just here at Naperville, but all clubs.  It only takes a few seconds to repair your ball mark on a green, and that few seconds will leave a better playing surface as well as a better looking surface.  The topic of discussion for us most often revolves around how the surface looks.  Repairing a ball mark is not just about creating a level surface, but also covering the mark.  This video from The Golf Channel videos "The Golf Fix" does an excellent job of demonstrating how to fix a ball mark properly.  This method leaves a flat surface and also leaves the smallest possible brown spot.



This is one small effort that will go a long way to making a better playing surface on the greens through the season.  This small effort is not being done for the green department either.  It is the responsibility of the golfer to leave the course in as good of shape as they found it for the golfers that play after them.

Continue reading

When I brought up the blog this morning to make an update, I noticed the blog had turned over 100,000 page views.  It seems like only a few weeks ago I was tweeting about 80,000 page views, but it was a few months ago now.  It is nice to see that people are finding information on the blog and hopefully it is useful.  I periodically like to check out what people are looking at on the blog and how they find it.  Here is a run-down of the highlights.

Most popular blog posts:

1. Verticutting - Sunday, May 16, 2010
2. Cicada Killer Wasps - Thursday, July 29, 2010
3. Invitational Preparation - Saturday, June 11, 2011
4. Rumble In The Maintenance Facility - Wednesday, September 14, 2011
5. Slime Mold - Friday, June 18, 2010
6. The Superintendents Tool Box: Soil Moisture Meter - Saturday, June 4, 2011
7. Practice Tee and Divot Patterns - Friday, March 30, 2012
8. Disease In The Rough - Wednesday, August 3, 3011
9. Uninvited Guest - Monday, July 26, 2010
10. Verticutting Fairways - Monday, June 28, 2010

Most popular referring sites:

1. www.google.com
2. www.napervillecc.org
3. gcmbloggingworld.blogspot.com
4. napervilleccgrounds.blogspot.com
5. blackhawkgrounds.blogspot.com
6. hawkslandinggreens.blogspot.com
7. www.golfcourseindustry.com
8. cdgaturf.com
9. facebook.com
10. www.google.ca

Location with most visitors:

1. Naperville, IL
2. Chicago, IL
3. Madison, WI
4. West Lafayette, IN
5. Montgomery, IL
6. Downers Grove, IL
7. La Grange, IL
8. Highland Park, IL
9. Clarendon Hills, IL
10. Bridgeview, IL

I hope the next 100,000 are just as interesting for all the visitors.

Continue reading