Reel to Reel

Despite the sporadic and fluctuating weather this winter, we were able to find enough days where the ground conditions were firm enough to get the tree company out and complete our winter tree pruning. Priorities this winter included: deadwood, hazardous branches, and branches that were hindering playability.  Most of our work was focused on holes: 2, 5, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 16. tree company pruning on #14 Brendan pruning a Norway Spruce #2 Myles pruning a Maple tree on #2

The golf course remains in good shape with a 1-2" of snow cover. Everything looks good as we head into the last week of January. #2 green #8 green #9 fairway #16 green #14 fairway

The golf course is back under 2" of snow cover.  With temperatures this week well below freezing, the snow has provided a nice layer of insulation protecting the turf. Below are a few pictures from this week. #2 greenside bunker #5 green driving range #16

The weather during the fall and winter months seems to be more unpredictable than ever. The new normal seems to be these wide and varying shifts in temperature that we have seen throughout the fall and winter. In November, we saw temperatures fluctuate between 12°-77°. In December, temperatures fell between 17°-60°. Even this January, temperatures have moved between 12°-45°. We know Poa annua, the grass type that makes up the majority of our greens, does not like these wild swings in weather. Despite that fact, the greens look remarkably well having endured several freeze/thaw cycles this winter. During my walk yesterday, ten of the greens were clear of snow and had no standing water on them. The remaining eight shaded greens still had about an inch of crusty snow/porous ice mix on them. Temperatures in the mid 40's last night and .4" of rain melted all of the snow/ice last night. Today, I was able to inspect those eight remaining greens that had melted off. Although the g...

I spent the last few days in East Lansing attending the Michigan Turfgrass Conference.  It was great to see old classmates and peers, and just talk turf. This year's lineup of speakers was very good as a wide range of topics were discussed.  It is always great to hear from university leaders and innovative superintendents.  I love hearing different perspectives and approaches on how other superintendents are solving problems on properties they manage. I brought home some good ideas that I'm excited to implement.  A few of my favorite topics were: USGA and MSU turf updates Promotion of bentgrass at Hazeltine National Tips, tricks, and new technologies Effective communication and leadership