November typically marks the shift in our work when we start preparing the golf course for winter. Monday and Tuesday of this week were spent winterizing the irrigation system and bathrooms. This is no small task. During this annual ritual, compressed air is blown through the irrigation lines to remove any water in the lines, valves, and irrigation heads. We systematically move through the 1,500 heads ensuring that all the water is out of the system so it is protected through the winter months.
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irrigation head on #3 being blown out
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We were also able to aerify the greens one final time with 10" solid tines. We like to do this prior to winter to provide some deep channels for excess water to move to during spring melts.
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| aerifying #8 green 10" deep |
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| #2 green after it has been rolled |
Final fungicide applications were also made on greens, tees, and fairways yesterday. This was a huge accomplishment, as we sprayed over 1.6 million square feet of turf. It is difficult this time of year to get days conducive to spraying. We had a perfect day with no wind and took full advantage of it.
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| final fungicide application being applied to #11 fairway |
Leaf clean-up has also been a priority. I would estimate that 80% of the leaves are down so we are making good progress on that front as well.
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| blowing leaves off of #6 fairway |
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| mulching leaves in the rough on #5 |
