In the past couple of weeks, we completed part of our winterization procedures. We began by taking down the nets that outline our driving range. Fortunately, this process is much less time consuming than the spring net installation and typically only takes a day to complete.
A few days later, we began to drain our irrigation system in preparation for winterization. Once the irrigation lines have thoroughly been drained throughout the entire golf course, we bring in a giant air compressor to blow air into the system and push out the remaining water. It is vital that our air pressure is not set too high so we do not damage any irrigation lines or heads.
In the past few days, we began removing most of the course equipment from the golf course; this includes: tee markers, fairway and tee plaques, trash cans, benches, and ball washers. All of this equipment is stored in our maintenance facility and it will be refinished and looking like new before the next golf season.
Yesterday, we installed green's covers to all the practice greens and back-nine. Before a cover can be installed, each green receives a heavy topdressing which helps protect the surface during the extreme winter months. The green's covers are then pulled tight across each green and stapled every two-to-three feet around the perimeter. Hundreds of staples are used for each green, but this is important to prevent any of the covers from being blown off in high winds of winter.
At this point, the front nine is still open for play; blue and red tee markers are still present and the greens are uncovered. Weather depending, the front nine will remain open for play until after Thanksgiving. We hope you've all enjoyed the 2013 season as much as we have!
