Out With the Old Water Coolers!

Wakonda's Assistant Superintendents have been busy for more than a week building a prototype for new water dispensers for the golf course.  The old water stations were more than twenty years old and in need of replacement. 

Old on the left, new on the right.

Pictured below, you will see the finished product- the result of hours of deliberation, trial, and error.  The station holds a ten- gallon water thermos, cup dispenser, and a trash receptacle.

Notice the cups tucked neatly into the right side.

 

We are pleased with the results and think these new water stations will be a nice addition to the Wakonda golf experience. 

 ... next we enter mass production to repeat the process six more times.

Winter Update

 It's time for a winter progress update!

 Pictured above is the view from underneath the cover on #13 green.  We are still experiencing a moderate drought in Iowa.  Without snow cover we were becoming concerned that the greens would need to be watered.  The good news was that the greens we checked had good moisture and color.  We also received snow which adds moisture; as well as, insulation from the bitter winter winds. 

We have finished approximately half of our winter maintenance on our fleet.  Pictured above are fairway mower reels dismantled and ready for new bearings.   The second photo shows a reassembled mower in our grinding cabinet being sharpened.

Beto is once again in charge of refurbishing our course equipment: rope stakes, tee markers, hazard stakes, plaques, etc.  Pictured above, Beto is in the process of sanding and repainting our 180 tee markers.

Winter Course

Back by popular demand is the Wakonda Winter Course. This winter has been fairly mild which allows for a few enjoyable days on the course. Look for black and yellow tee markers placed in the rough and blue flags in the fairways. There are 9 holes which run as follows.
The first hole is #4, followed by 3 and 1. The fourth hole begins near #18 tee and plays to #16 fairway. Numbers 10, 11, 12, 7, and 8 are the final holes of the winter course.

Maps of the winter course can be obtained at the Golf Pro Shop.

Golf Course Closing

We will be covering the greens for winter beginning today, November 28.  Temperatures have dropped significantly  and the covers must be stapled down before the ground freezes.  We will also be topdressing and fertilizing the greens ahead of the covers.

We were able to drain and blow out the irrigation system on Monday November 21st.  We then applied fungicides to tees, greens, and fairways Tuesday and Wednesday the 22nd and 23rd.  We have the golf course prepared to overwinter.

SNOW GOLF

Course Closing Procedures

Monday was a beautiful day with very little wind and the grounds crew took advantage.  We successfully removed the driving range net and were able to blow and mulch leaves.  We were able to clean holes 1,2,3,4, and 18- areas which were in desperate need of attention. 

Tuesday and Wednesday we will be experiencing foul weather- there is SNOW all around!  With the weather rapidly declining we have been preparing for the golf course to close and thought we would outline the major tasks that must be accomplished before winter arrives for good.

13 green - 8 AM 11/9

 1. The driving range net has already been taken down.
2. The irrigation system must be blown out.  We use a huge air compressor to blow all the water out of the pipes.  If water is allowed to freeze in the lines and sprinkler heads, pipes would freeze and burst with disastrous consequences.
3. We must spray fungicides to all greens, tees, and fairways throughout the course to protect against snow mold.
4. There are several measures taken to prepare the greens for winter.  First, all greens are topdressed with sand to add an extra layer of insulation  We then fertilize the greens with an organic fertilizer to provide the plant with ample nutrition for good root building through the fall and early spring.  Finally, we will cover the greens with our breathable tarps.  The tarps protect the greens from harsh winter extremes which can cause dessication and turf decline. The covers must be installed before the ground freezes so that we can drive 6 inch staples into the ground which hold the covers in place during blustery winter days.  

We have pulled our green covers down from storage- ready and waiting for Old Man Winter!

We will likely blow out the irrigation system and spray our snow mold protection during the week of November 14.  You will also see us positioning tarps near the greens Thanksgiving week.  Weather will ultimately determine the final closing day when the greens are covered.

Practice Tee to Close Tomorrow

The grounds crew will be taking down the net along the south and west sides of the driving range on Monday November 7th.  Once the net is down all practice will take place from the west end of the range at the indoor practice facility.  This is the first major procedure in winter preparations for the grounds crew.