Twice in six months!

This is my 26th season serving you as your golf course superintendent.  In those years I have never once seen the water over the river banks due to flooding but now witnessed this feat twice in just the past six months.

Too close for comfort!

The rivers edge is within feet of the foundation.

This springs snow melt and subsequent run off is now being classified as the 4th highest flood water level of 63,900 CFM on record directly on the heels of last Septembers record 100 year flood water level of 78,850 CFM. 

Mike Zurfluh's dock is missing and so is his house.

The old par 3 river hole.

The "old river hole" today.

I've now seen water in areas I've never seen it before.  Maybe this is the reason previous generations of members abandoned the old par three down by the river. _Mk

What dahell happened over there?

The practice putting green collar at the Tri-City Golf Course was removed last fall after the course closed for the season just before the snow came.  So it came as quite a surprised to most golfers reappearing for the first this spring to see all the sod missing.  More than once did we hear, "What da hell.....from several of the "old timers."

Over time the constant working of topdressing into aerification holes created a man made "berm" in the adjacent bluegrass bank.  This curb created a bathtub greatly iimpeding surface drainage of the putting surface subjecting the green to winter injury.

With the sod removed to promote surface drainage, the annual Annual Bluegrass was injured. 

Nice definition!

As this green was constructed with out a greens collar, it will now match her nine other sisters on the course.  The sod was a "low mow" variety of bluegrass sod that we grew in our own sod nursery.  Low mow blue grass survives low heights of cut down to .375".  Try scalping your home lawn at that height of cut and you will kill the variety of bluegrass you have in your lawn.

Great Job Men!

Enjoy!  _Mk

Ready Golf?



"Ready" when used as an adjective is defined as "prepared for use or action."
Well ready or not, Tri-City Golf Course opened for the season (Walkers Only!) on Saturday April 9th with partial snow covering the first fairway.


This "Glacier" was over 6" thick!

 "If you can cup it, you can play it!"

Bull's Eye front nine opened on Tuesday April 12th and the back nine was declared open for play on the 14th.  Both courses "wintered" very well but did experience typical winter kill die back in low pockets and heavily shaded areas. 

Standard fare for #11 Fairway

Typical of the 2nd green.  Hurry up Poa!  We'll interseed but my money is on the Poa!

Thankfully, we in Wisconsin Rapids were very fortunate to have been spared by all the tornado activity that hammered much of central Wisconsin on Sunday April 10th.  For once I was glad to see the storms intensity split to the north and south sparing us of related storm damage from the likes of hail or downed trees.  Thanks be to God!

Enjoy!  _Mk



Typical Winter

A quick peek of putting surfaces open for viewing revealed some "Poa" loss on putting greens which is typical and expected after the long winter we've experienced this year.  Note the straw colored turf in the picture below.

Tri Cities #1 green.

For the most part, the turf appearing from beneath the receeding snows appears to have wintered very well.  BUT, I haven't seen your 16th fairway since Thanksgiving!  Mk.

Apirl Fools?

It is Friday April 1st and I just returned from a walk on the course and this is what I found;

1st and 2nd holes.

These are not "Doctored" photo's for some April fools prank.  With the amount of snow on the ground and snow in the forecast possible Sunday, stubborn old man winter is placing us on pace for the latest opening in my tenure here.  Jeez, I need some sun and fresh air.

Mk

PS: Speaking of Sun, I was fortunate to have spent a week on the Riviera Maya in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  My mother biennially spends my inheritance by taking the family on a trip to Mexico.  While in Mexico I was worried sick that the golf course would open in my absence and that I wasn't there to help.  When I learned that Wisconsin was under a Winter Storm Warning on the 22nd of March, I laughed and was finally able to relax with out worry because I wasn't up north shoveling snow.  That laugh lasted until I found 18" of rock hard frozen snow plow bank blocking my drive.  After 90 minutes of "chipping" my way past this barrier I was able to park my car in the garage and off load our luggage.  See Mother Nature found yet another means to prove she's the boss!

"Is it time to eat yet?"

When's the course going to open?  I don't know!

Every year with the passing of Daylight Savings Time and the appearance of turf around the bases of trees, anxious golfers always posed the question "when's the course going to open?

As a golf course manager telling the golfer "I don't know" has always rankled me just little bit.  "I don't know" always bought time but was never the perfect answer I was looking for. 

Of course I would like to be totally in control but Mother Nature always seems to have all the trump cards.  To this day I'm still searching for a better answer that would satisfy the human element.

I thought a little humor in my answer would do the trick.  This happened one year when a member asked me in the presence of the golf pro at least seven times in three days when I thought the course was going to open.  You should know that there was at least two feet of snow on the course, frost in the shaded drifted areas and ponds of water forming due to the snow melt.  "I don't know."  But it's going to hit 50 degrees today was his reply when I gave him my answer.  My answer stayed consistent "I don't know" over and over again.

One day I had a brilliant idea. I sought out the golf pro and posed the question "Whens the course going to open?" When he said "I don't know" I tossed a pound of frozen hamburger on his counter and asked him if he tell me the exact time we could eat.  And by the way no microwaves could be used, the hamburger had to thaw naturally.  He understood my analogy and we've enjoyed a chuckle or two over the years when our paths cross.  However, I've never once dared or maybe I have, pulled this tactic on a member.

One of my mentoring superintendents Monroe Miller published in the "Grass Roots" a piece that looked at the average course opening date for his club over the past 25 years and mathematically calculated the standard deviation (plus or minus) of a predictable course opening date.  The deviation was a plus or minus five days as I remember.  Thus a theoretical window of possible early and late dates of opening could be predicted.  As I know longer remember how to calculate standard deviations I'll spare you my possible mathematical error.

So for now when I hear the question, "when's the course going to open?"  I'll reply "I don't know!"  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Mk

Winter Maintenance III - The Ball washer Blues.

Have you ever questioned why ball washers are placed near a tee box?  Here is a pictorial essay of one of several golf course accessories that we refurbish on a biennial basis to keep them fresh looking for your use. 

Ball washers are removed from their posts for inspection, cleaning or prepping for painting.



We alternate painting the bases in the even years as they need care too.  We no longer have the time in our down season to completely disassemble and repaint the entire assembly.  Look closely and you can see the posts need to be repainted, but that will have to wait until next year.  I'll touch them up to mask the rust.



If we didn't, over time this ball washer would be "welded" to the post due to corrosion.  As it were, I used a rubber mallet to separate this unit from its base assembly.



What the inside of the post looks like.



Ball washer bodies are inspected.  It was very apparent that our inventory had become an embarrassment no longer worthy of a private club.

Covers showed signs of corrosion

The inside of the bodies also showed deep pockets of corrosion.

Ball washers were sand blasted to remove lose paints and to "etch" the surface for the painting to come.

Forty two ball washers prepped waiting for a warm winters day.

It took almost a full week to prep the covers and bodies for painting.  The protective factory "powder coat"  had long since been removed by sand blasting over the years.

The perfect day finally arrived on March 7th.  We could finally paint outdoors in good light without freezing.

Covers hung with care for drying.

Our mechanical lift served as a drying station.  Each cover and body received two coats of paint.

The finished product.



Reassembled and awaiting the start of the 2011 golf season.

 I'll answer my question with a question and I'll let you think about it.  Who putts with a dirty ball?