Reel to Reel

REMINDER The irrigation system will be blown out November 1-2 . Air will be blown through the irrigation lines to winterize the system. Thanks, Andy

We will have a frost delay this morning. Clear skies and cold nighttime temperatures make for perfect frost conditions. Essentially, frost is frozen dew that has crystallized on the grass, making it hard and brittle. Walking on frost-covered turf causes the plants' internal cell walls to break down and rupture. When the cell walls are broken they can not be put back together, much like an egg, and the plant losses it's ability to function normally. During frost delays, please remember to avoid walking on any turf. Thank you for your cooperation.

We finished our work on the short range just before the rain began to fall this afternoon. Work this morning included: aerification of the greens, topdressing, and the finishing touches on the new fairway bunker. Below are a few photos from yesterday and this morning.

It was a productive start to the week as greens were aerified with the deep tines and we started a renovation project on the short game practice area. Greens were aerified at a depth of 10" with the Soil Reliever. The new pore space will allow for increased water absorption this fall and winter. Keeping water off of the surface and keep it from refreezing are key factors in trying to limit winter damage. The renovation to the short range is going to be a great improvement to the property. The changes will include a new 5500 square foot putting green, an additional 5000 square feet of fairway, a new fairway bunker and a larger north target green. Tuesday's agenda will include topdressing greens, leaf blowing, leaf mulching and continued work on the short range.

My staff did a great job with the construction of the new tees on #15 and #17. I want to thank them for their tremendous effort. Tee Project Fun Facts: - 75 tons of soil - 1700 square feet of bluegrass sod - 700 square feet of bentgrass/poa sod Finished Products

It was another great day, as we continued shaping, rolling and putting the final grade on #15 and #17 tees. Tomorrow's agenda includes sodding both the tees and banks. See you on the course-

Today, we started forward tee construction on holes #15 and #17. The tees will be a great addition to the property, both tees will play close to 115 yards. Today's work included: - Removing the sod - Addition of soil - Shaping of tees - Compacting the soil - Grading to final shape We will be sodding the tees later in the week.

Fairway aerification was completed yesterday right on schedule. This process reduces the compaction that occurrs throughout the season. Fairway firmness has also increased dramatically. Considering the 1.5" of rain last week, fairways like #5 and #7, which are typically soft, are now extremely firm. Over 7.8 million holes were created at a depth of 10". The depth of our aerification increases the pore space and allows for increased water infiltration. Below are photos of the .75" aerification tines we use. The tines we use when aerifying the fairways are 14" in length (tine on left). This photo illustrates how tines wear down after only 3 fairways (tine on right). This photo compares a new tine (on left), to a tine that hit a buried rock on #14 fairway (on right).