Transition to spring

Shop work update

George and the crew are working hard completing the winter service and cleaning of our equipment.  This involves engine service and maintenance, sharpening reels and blades, and checking to see which units are likely to require significant repairs in the future.  They spend extra time cleaning, painting, and waxing the equipment, which helps preserve the value of the fleet.  We also refurbished our course accessories, such as benches, ball washers, water cooler stands, tee markers, flagsticks, etc. 
We have invested significant time and money in refurbishing the roller and fairway mowers.  The roller is one of our most used units, and has a significant impact on golfers perception of the golf course.  While we have a new fairway mower as a top priority in our capital equipment plan, we felt that investing in the current units would make them more reliable and productive in the short term, and our current primary mower will become a reliable backup once the replacement is approved.

I spent the majority of the winter updating our maintenance programs, and reviewing the latest research related to fertilizers, chemicals, and cultural programs.  I focused my attention on fine tuning our maintenance programs to provide healthier turf that will be more resilient and less dependent on chemical control products.  Key changes include a more proactive approach to fertilizer chemical applications, and more aggressive cultural programs on greens and tees. 

Over the next few weeks we will complete the cleanup from our winter projects and begin the spring cleaning process.  Keep checking the blog for updates on projects, maintenance updates, and coming events that could affect the accessibility and condition of the golf course.