Reel to Reel

Below is a compilation of my favorite shots from the month.           

The cold temperatures are a reminder that winter is close. Our winter preparations on the golf course continue as we finish cleaning up the last of the leaves. The 30-40 mph winds last week helped bring the remaining leaves to the ground. Brendan blowing #12 fairway The final fungicide applications have been made to the greens, tees and fairways. The plants are healthy and have looked great all fall.  We could not be in better shape going into winter. On December 2, we will close the greens for the season. They will be roped off this winter to help deter foot traffic from winter activities.

The color change of the leaves is lagging behind last year's pace.  The trees are about 2 weeks behind schedule and are just now reaching full color.  I think the warm fall we experienced delayed the color change.  Now that they've reached full color and the colder weather has settled in, I would anticipate the leaves to drop at a rapid rate.  Below are two photos, one taken last November, the other taken yesterday, notice how many leaves are still on the trees this year. #2 green taken 11/8/13 #2 green taken 11/8/12 

Today we started winterizing the irrigation system.  During this annual ritual, compressed air is blown through the irrigation lines removing all excess water.  We do this to reduce the risk of damage to the irrigation pipes, valves and fittings from freezing.  compressor hooked up to the pumphouse It was a long day, as we moved through all 1,500 irrigation heads. We will continue through the system one more time tomorrow to ensure everything is all set for this winter. irrigation heads #14 rough