Waiting Game

 We're all tired of snow and are looking forward to warmer weather.  If  hard work and determination could usher in Spring, we would be basking in warm sunlight today.  We were able to pull off the green covers last week despite heavy snow and ice accumulations on several of the covers.  We were glad to get this task accomplished with more snow arriving this weekend.  Having the covers off doesn't mean that the golf course will be open when the snow melts.  It may have; however, brought us a day closer to opening once the golf course thaws out and drys up.  At this point, it will likely be some time in April before the course opens.

Crews shoveled ice and snow all day on Friday.  #11 had the heaviest accumulation.  (This is the east side of 11 green.)

Layers of packed snow and ice made shoveling difficult.

#7 had some of the deepest snow on the cover in the bunker.

Ice picks and sledge hammers were used to break the ice on #8.

The final push on the west side of #11.  Everyone got in on the shoveling to get the final cover off before the weekend.

2013 - The Beginning

We're fresh off the first green committee meeting for 2013 and are being asked the age- old question: "When will the golf course be open?"  Rather than bore you with agronomic jargon, I feel compelled to assure our members that we are just as anxious as you are to get out there.  Your enthusiasm for the game and excitement for the 2013 season is contagious.  With several inches of snow still on the ground and the Principal Charity Classic just 84 days away, we are absolutely itching to get outside. 

Simply put, the course will be opened when it is ready.  We've obviously have to get rid of the snow and allow the ground to thaw and firm up.  When conditions are right, it will not take us long to open. 

For us, this is the calm before the storm.  Once we crack the seal on the 2013 season, we will likely be working long hours in preparation for the tournament.  We will keep you updated on opening day, ongoing projects, and progress made throughout this spring.

Maintenance Facility Tours

   Yesterday afternoon, many local golf course superintendents, assistants, and ground's teams came together to tour our maintenance facility and nearby Echo Valley Country Club's facility. This was a great opportunity for all of us to see how other facilities operate and organize their shops. Every golf course's maintenance facility is unique, so it's good for us to take some of these great ideas and implement them in our own facility.

   As always, a discussion about new products and equipment took place. We're excited to hear how the newly purchased equipment does at other local golf courses. In the coming weeks, we will be touring a couple other facilities and we look forward to gaining more ideas and bettering our department for the future!

Seminar Season

We recently attended both the Iowa Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show and the Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America (GCSAA) Education Conference and Golf Industry Show.  The Iowa conference is held here in Des Moines and is a great opportunity to network with superintendents from throughout the state as well as local university researchers.  The conference consists of classes, roundtable discussions, a trade show featuring local distributors, and a pesticide re-certification course.

This year, the GCSAA show was held in San Diego, California.  The national show includes in- depth seminars given by researchers from throughout the country.  The trade show also gives us the opportunity to browse the latest golf course maintenance technology, equipment, and supplies offered by manufactures from throughout the world.  We also have the opportunity to catch- up with old colleagues.  We had the privilege to attend a motivational speech presented by Major Dan Rooney- an Air Force fighter pilot and P.G.A. Golf Professional.  Mr. Rooney is the founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation and Patriot Golf Day (in which Wakonda participates on Labor Day.)

This year, for example, we purchased two FieldScout TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meters.  This technology has the potential to pay for itself very quickly by allowing us to sample soil moisture much more accurately and efficiently which will give us a more accurate picture of soil moisture conditions.  We will undoubtedly be watering more efficiently once we master the use of this tool.

FieldScout TDR 300

Both shows help to get our minds to turn to the approaching golf season with new ideas for Wakonda and a renewed sense of optimism and excitement.

We received a broad spectrum of training in courses described below:

Iowa Turfgrass Conference & Trade Show:  January 29- 31. Des Moines, Iowa

• Golf Course Renovations

• Quality Customer Service

• Weather Modeling for Insects & Diseases of Turfgrass

• Weed Control- Latest in Poa annua Control Products

• Turfgrass Pathology- Diagnosis and New Research

• Confronting Challenges & Seizing Opportunities

• Golf Course Marking- Defining and Marking O.B. and Hazards

• Developing Internship Opportunities and Training Interns

• Pesticide Applicator Training and Continuing Education

GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show: February 4-6. San Diego, CA.

• Event Management and Tournament Preparation

• Team Motivation

• Nonverbal Communication

• Water Availability, Reductions, and Efficiency in the Golf Industry

• Biostimulants- hormones & the effectiveness of naturally derived “turf enhancers”

• Golf Course Photography

• Business Communications

• Media & Public Relations

• Turfgrass Diseases

• Data Collection and Utilization for the Golf Course

Back In The Saddle

   Another holiday season is in the books and our entire full-time staff is once again back inside the ground's shop. So far this winter, all of our small engines, such as: string-trimmers, blowers, chainsaws, etc. have been serviced and winterized. Jaret Vasey has begun to break down all the green's mower units and will begin grinding reels later this week.

Disassembled green's mower.

   We recently received our new Toro 200 gallon sprayer. During the majority of the season, this vehicle is used to spray greens, tees, and sometimes assists our larger sprayer on the fairways; however, this vehicle serves multiple purposes. This machine is also used to topdress our greens with sand. Therefore, John Phillips has mounted four brackets to the side of the sprayer so it can be easily removed and our topdresser can be installed. These leg-stands save us a tremendous amount of time when swapping our equipment back-and-forth during the season.

Leg-stands for our new sprayer.

   A large portion of our winter season is dedicated to refinishing all of the wooden equipment you see on the golf course, this includes: tee markers, benches, trash cans, bag stands,and flower pots. All of these things must be cleaned, sanded, and primed before they can be refinished. Beto Ramirez handles most of this work on his own and his attention-to-detail is a great asset to our team.

Refinishing tee markers.

   In the coming weeks, we will be venturing outside to begin our annual tree pruning. Also, we will be planning for the upcoming Principal Charity Classic. We look forward to continuing to organize and plan as this exciting event quickly approaches.

Happy Holidays

We've come to the time of year when we have to make the decision to yield to mother nature.  The golf course is closed and the grounds department has made the transition to winter work.

We had an especially busy fall with renovations taking place on the golf course.  The rock wall has been finished and all of our irrigation has been replaced surrounding the 17th green.  We were also able to regrade the area and make necessary repairs to the bunker before cold weather froze our efforts.  We will sod the approach as soon as weather permits.

The bunker progress ended for 2012 with 34 of 42 bunkers completed.  We have bunkers to complete next spring on holes: 6,7,8,9, and the chipping green. 

With the approach of the Principal Charity Classic just 5 months away, we will be especially busy this winter.  We will be utilizing any good weather we have between now and spring to get outside to do what we can to improve the golf course.

This jolly old fellow was 'donated' by a passer by a couple years back.  (We found him lying face down just inside the fence on #8 while picking up trash along the roadside.)  We are happy to have been able to clean him up and give him a new home.

17 Rock Wall and Bunker Progress

 Work to rebuild the rock wall on the 17th hole has been completed and the finished product looks fantastic!  We will be finish grading and replacing the turf in the coming weeks.  Meanwhile, the bunker project creeps towards completion.  To date we have 16 bunkers finished and hope to have holes 1- 18 done by December 1st. 

Rock wall from the tee.

 

#13 with bunkers complete