The mixed bag of weather continues to keep us guessing. This week we had 1.28 inches of rain but we also had some pretty fair golfing conditions. I also took advantage of the fair days to get some sunny shots of the golf course. I edited this photo with my new tone mapping software, combining two separate exposures. My favorite part is the jet trails piercing the clouds.
We continued to work on drainage lows this week. The guys are getting rather proficient at this. They did a few on the ninth fairway this week including this one below the green. If you have been down there in wet conditions you know it's not a simple lob shot, this should firm it up nicely. We also fixed a few wet areas including the edge of the path on 17 just past the bunker!
We are continuing to work on various projects around the course. Steve Mathre once again used his resourcefulness to solve a reoccurring problem. The fenders on the Buffalo blower seem to have issues with solid objects and are made of plastic which isn't a good combination. So instead of removing them and dealing with all of the mud that would coat the blower Steve used an old conveyor belt from our core harvester to make a flexible fender that shouldn't crack so easily. I'm always giving Steve a hard time about saving old scraps, but he continues to show me up by utilizing them to create solutions. One of these days I will make a list of all his "fixes". He has saved us a lot of money over the years.
This year we will be taking on a larger role in maintaining the trail around the course. The crew is anxious to take on the responsibility and to help out the County in these times of limited resources. Right now we are adding chips to various areas, assuring that the walkers and joggers have solid footing. Later on we will also be mowing the edges with our new/used rotary mower which should reduce the amount of costly community service labor significantly.
In between working on drainage lows and all of the other chores, Zeferino has been diligently working on raising sprinkler heads. This is a never ending task as you can imagine. There are over 1200 sprinklers on the course and they eventually settle and need to be lifted so the pattern isn't disrupted. Some sprinklers around the greens and near bunkers actually need to be lifted two times a year with the accumulation of sand. Zeferion takes much pride in his work and it shows.
On Tuesday the weather was so rotten that we decided to give the equipment bay a much needed cleansing. We figured that since Steve is doing such a great job cleaning up all of the equipment we may as well take care of all the dust in the bay. Since our yard is still gravel, dust and dirt is a constant battle and by hosing it all out we should be able to enjoy a few good weeks of dust free conditions.
This week I will be in Vegas for the GCSAA Golf Industry Show and to receive the Presidents Award for Environmental Stewardship. I am looking forward to the many opportunities to network with my peers and meet and make new friends. The education that I have received over the years attending the GIS has been an invaluable resource for me, keeping up with the latest science and modern ways to maintain a golf course. I always look forward to the equipment show to meet the vendors at a national level and discover new products on the market. I will have a full recap of the events in my next weeks update. As always, I am leaving the course in great hands and am confident Chris and the crew will keep the place in top shape.
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