Back in Play

It's been since June and the first day of fall is upon us that we finally was able to install and activate the decorative fountain in #8 pond.  When we first installed it in early June (it was not needed due to all the rains we received) the electrical connection on the power wire lead needed to be replaced.  Once this repair was completed by us in house, the fountain failed to work when powered on.  It was sent to the factory for inspection and repairs were it was determined the "upper unit" failed but the motor was in good working order.  We are fortunate that repair parts were available as this unit is an antique and no longer made.

Gunch Removal Progress update:

You will notice we cleaned the entire woods line between #14 and #17 fairways.  Once  we got started it just didn't look right any place we tried to terminate.  It is our plans to clean up the area left of #16 ladies tee and the overgrown mess of pines to the east of that same tee box.  These projects have been on my to do list too long.

Taking advantage of the warm weather and bonus seed available for our use, we inter-seeded weak (due to shade and tree root competition) bunker banks.  These were aerified first to remediate compacted soils caused by golf cart and maintenance equipment.  Please consider all roped off areas as "Ground Under Repair" and take a free drop at the closest point of relief.

Where Credits Due

On one of the only cool day of the past week your grounds crew set out to improve the air circulation around the struggling fourteenth green by removing the "gunch" and liming up low hanging branches as far as we could reach. The guys, curious to the nature of the word "gunch," tried looking the word up in the dictionary and could not find it but did find it listed as a term used in golf.

 It appears to be working.  The air was always still and hot as a sauna.  The alternative would have meant installing expensive fans that aren't cheap to run.  (BTW, we intend to remove several trees later this fall after the course is closed in order to improve the levels of light reaching the ground.)

To stay out of the hot sun a couple of your grounds crew replaced the brick pads near the main entrance of the club house.  The side pictured below was tricky to install as the sidewalks and curbing rose or fell in three different directions.

I think it looks nice and does dress the area up and it is safer by far to walk on.

Recently I was asked what the big green X's stood for marking several trees around the course.  Want the answer?  Look to the heavens.

The tree is dead.  It is much easier to locate and remove the dead from the stand after the leaves have fallen from the living. _Mk