End of November, I mean April Update

April Snow Showers, Brings Ogre Owls to OGC!

This picture is a microcosm of Spring 2019.  Right when we think the weather has turned for the good, we get a face full of snow.  I'm beginning to think that the GolfNasium is a year-round consideration here at the Club.  In any event, the Greens and Grounds team has been prioritizing Spring projects and have worked diligently throughout the roller coaster Spring.

This week, the team worked on getting 3 of the bunkers on #12 fixed.  Our initial plan was to have an outside company come in and help us with these bunkers, but upon seeing the bid, we decided to tackle these bunkers ourselves (we were way more expensive?).  Not likely...

The problem with the bunkers on #12 happened, in my opinion, over a couple years time.  The bunker drain lines were plugged with sand and they were too shallow to begin with which over a few years, the drain lines have heaved out of the ground, especially on #12 this year.  We also noticed that the pitch to work with in the bunkers was not great, but upon adding new drain tile and close to 6" of sand, we will have those bunkers play nicely.  It's obvious with that much "mucho" sand added, the playing surfaces on #12 will be soft.  We have also noticed that many of the bunkers on the course are in fact low with sand and we will be coming up with a plan to add sand in this year's budget or next.

Over the last month, I have also been wearing a few extra hats without an Assistant Superintendent as our Assistant left in the end of March and we haven't been able to find a qualified individual over the last month.  The Assistant opportunities nationally are being left unfilled so courses have had to be creative trying to fill these voids.  Currently, I'm working on some contingencies and hope to have someone available during our main 2019 growing season.  Otherwise, I may have to find a corner in the shop to camp out in. :(  

I've been working on getting the facility organized, and the irrigation system pressurized and fixed with any broken irrigation sprinklers or pipes, and beginning our course detailing and mowing schedules.  As each week passes, I am getting closer to having the course ready for this season.  I have also begun to apply the course's plant health programs on the greens, tees, and fairways too.  I hope to fertilize the greens a little this next week to get them healthy going into the main golfing months.  I may even apply a thin coat of topdressing to them (sorry Smokey) to smooth out the greens and get them ready for a great month of May!

The pic on left - new mechanical seal in Pumpstation.  The one on the right was the leaking seal.  Could have been a big problem if left unnoticed or unfixed!!

The pic on the left - the plugged drain tile.  Middle - Ruben and Jake working on pulling the old plugged drain tile.  Pic on the right, preparing for the new drain tile! 

Pic on the left - Salvador helping the team with adding sand to the bunker.  The finished look.  Fluffly, but will be a much better product with the drain line fixed!

Team Effort - Eric pumped in making these bunkers better for the members!

Bunker #2 on #12 - Prep and Drain tile Removal - Mike (not pictured), Me (definitely not pictured), Jake, Ruben, Salvador, and Eric teaming up on the bunker repairs on #12.  Planning out new lateral lines as this bunker didn't have any.  Possibly why this one didn't drain well (from what I've been told - Thanks Mike).

A good pic showing the amount of sand needed to cover the pea gravel and new drain pipe

Who said it was going to snow on Saturday morning.  Thanks Eric, Jake, Salvador in helping me add sand with no one on the course to see us!!  Where were the golfers Saturday morning????

An Irrigation Repair - work of art by Smokey and Steve H!  This is right by the cart path going down to the chipping areas.  I've only seen a Michigan Alum down there this Spring!! (Go Blue)

KISS - Keeping it Simple.  The irrigation parts room before I started was in two areas.  One being at the shop in a small room with a bunch of other course setup items and the other location at the pumphouse on #13.  Not very organized...  So I decided to streamline the irrigation supplies and store them in a nice cleaned out area in our "South Shed" aka (the other side of the member shed).  This area needed a few crates but will keep all the irrigation supplies clean and ready for use!

Course Facility Show Off Tour - Starts Now.  Come and See our Facilities.  They are OCD... Organized, Clean, and Detailed.

The next few weeks, I'm hoping to switch our focus to the tree stump holes and work on the damage on #1 from the vehicle visiting the first fairway.  For the tree stumps, our process will be to add soil and prepare for sodding and seeding.  This should go relatively quick as compared to digging out the tree stumps but our goal is to finish these up now when the weather allows.  We have a few stumps to touch up but will be ready to go soon!  We are also planning on a new design by the 10th tee.   We are working with a few contractors ideas right now and will be selecting a plan soon.  Stay tuned for a nice update to the 10th teeing area.

The bathrooms on #12 will also be finished this coming week with some painting and hopefully a new cooler in the "snack room".  We will keep you posted on that great update to the building!

Quote of the week:  If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?  

ans...  no cheating...  One thousand