2013 Golf- Finally!

We are pleased to announce that the golf course is now open!  Old Man Winter just did not want to relinquish his snowy grip on the golf course throughout March.  We were hoping for an early spring much like 2012 to get a jump on projects and preparations for the Principal Charity Classic.  We did not get the weather we wanted and now, with our backs to the wall, we will be working long hours to finish projects and prep the course for the Champions Tour.

I see this as a good opportunity to outline our preparations and to let our members know what they can expect to see on the golf course this spring.  We still have some heavy lifting to do and not much time to do it.  We will try and keep updates on the blog, but we will be very busy. 

The rock wall on 17 was finished last fall, but we have yet to sod the approach.  Preparations for sod were underway before winter.  The irrigation has been repaired, the bunker was repaired, and the area has been rough graded.  We were fortunate to have waited through winter before finishing as we experienced some settling behind the wall.  Criteria for finishing this project are dry soil conditions and warmer temperatures to break turf dormancy.  We will finish this project as soon as possible and have 17 back in play once the sod has rooted down.  We also have to sod the construction trail through the rough at 5 tee.

Bunker renovations continue on holes 6, 7, 8, 9, old 9, and the chipping green.  There are 9 bunkers in total.

We will also continue with some tree work throughout the property.  You will see where we removed several trees this winter.  The majority of these removals were due to death, decay, and damage- trees which were aesthetically compromised or posed a safety issue to our golfing members and spectators.  We will also be renting an aerial lift to prune damaged branches and to open a few lanes for the tour.  The PGA Rules officials have already visited the property and have confirmed that the course will "play from the tips" and have requested we trim up a few trees to accommodate the abilities of the tour players.

The event management team will begin constructing tents, grandstands, and offices the week of April 15.  The course will resemble a construction zone for six weeks, but the people performing this work are a great group of professionals who are very experienced.

All this is going to occur amidst our regular spring activities such as: putting up the range net, raking sticks, blowing leaves, mowing, raking bunkers, etc.

You will also notice a couple other minor changes.  For example, we will not be painting hazards until after the tournament has ended.  The tour will simply mark the course differently for the Pros than we do for our members. We want to avoid the situation where there is any residual paint causing confusion in rules enforcement.  Also, you will see us mowing "dew strips" or "walk paths" from the tee to the fairway on most holes.  These walk paths are temporary and we will simply allow them to return to regular rough following the tournament.

 Finally, we are currently expanding the practice tee to the southeast.  The event promotion team has determined that the tour players will be able to hit drivers diagonally from the southeast to the northwest if the tee is extended.  Once the tour has left our members will be able to use this area for drivers!  There will be some logistics to work out for safety's sake but we know this will be a huge improvement for Wakonda.

You are probably beginning to wonder how we are going to pull it off and how is this going to affect the golf course.  We are confident that we will achieve our goals and provide a fantastic venue through hard work and LONG hours.  We do need your patience and understanding this spring.  With all the projects going on we will likely have to sacrifice some routine maintenance.  For example, we may not rake bunkers as often or change the hole locations every day. 

Once the tour has departed there will be a three week period where the course will undergo some repairs.  Bleachers, spectators, and corporate tents will all damage some of the rough and seeding and sodding will be used to repair these areas.

The challenge may seem overwhelming and can be a bit stressful.  But, with hard work, your patience & support, and (hopefully) fair weather we will achieve success one day at a time.  We try to focus on the end goal: once the tour has come and gone we will have made a number of huge improvements to this golf course for you, our members.  We will have state of the art bunkers with the best sand in the state of Iowa.  We will have remedied the failing rock wall on 17.  We will have a range tee capable of drivers.  The resources, publicity, and scrutiny this event will bring to the golf course will ultimately heighten the Wakonda Experience!  We hope you will enjoy this exciting time with us!

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.