March 30, 2014

Off and running

The golf season is right around the corner, finally.  For many it will be a relief to get back out after a tortuous winter marked by record cold snaps followed by a very persistent blanket of snow. For me it is the end of a season of rest, recouperation, and growth ( both personal and professional).  
The winter prevented us from completing many items on our "to do" list, but we were able to make some significant improvements to the course, our equipment, and our maintenance programs.  If you have not learned about these changes in blog posts, newsletters, or emails, you will certainly recognize them the first time you return to the golf course. The most obvious and important have been covered in previous posts, so I will shift our focus to the future. 
We are in the process of completing a few capital projects on the course, including installation of new artificial mats on the range, renovating the rough on the 1st hole, repairing and expanding the irrigation on the 1st hole, and replacing trees and shrubs that were damaged in the hurricanes. These projects will be moving along rapidly over the next two weeks, and we hope to have most of the work completed by the opening golf breakfast. Much of this depends on the weather, and I am trying to remain optimistic after the heavy rains this weekend. 
On Wednesday we will take a short break from projects to complete our first aeration on the greens. It will be a similar process to the one completed last September when we cored the greens one day and deep verticut them the next. This will be the cornerstone of our cultural program for the year, allowing us to rely on less invasive practices throughout the season, which will minimize the disruption to the surface during the peak golf season. The putting surfaces will be severely disrupted for the first half of April, but I expect them to be healed in time for Opening Day, and in excellent condition for the Spring Member-Member. 
During the season we will be completing minor cultural practices on greens, tees, and fairways, on close to a weekly basis. I have an initial schedule worked out that I will post on the club calendar, and will post any changes on the blog or via social media. I am still working out the details and will provide more information in a future post or email. 
Looking out the window it is hard to think that spring is here and another golf season is upon us, but I am eager to completethe capital improvements and shift our focus to building on the progress we have made on the course over the last few years.   I am confident that we are well on our way to another exciting and successful season, and we look forward to seeing you all again enjoying the golf course. 

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