Monday, March 21st, 2012

Course Conditions

Not a shortcut

I don't think it warrants reminding everyone how wet it has been but I would like to remind everyone that care must be taken when operating carts and equipment on the golf course. Some times we can be quick to point the finger at the golfer who is taking advantage of the "blue flag" but more times than not it can be the beverage cart in a hurry to get around a group on the tee box or the players assistant in a hurry to get the water coolers out in the morning and taking the fastest route between two points. The same applies to the maintenance staff as well. Many times it is unavoidable like parking next to the green with the roller in tow or getting out to a remote place to pick up a pile of debris. The bottom line is the course is about as wet as I have seen it and we need to realize that care must always be taken when operating equipment on the golf course. It is a matter of aesthetics as well as safety. Please think twice before venturing off the path.

The storm clean-up continued all week. We are sorry we couldn't have everything picked up by the pro am on Friday but at least the fairways were cleaned up. The greens were firm and we were able to get a nice clip on them anyway. Over the weekend we rolled each day and I thought we had some of the best putting conditions all winter. We are trending for some, lets just say "reduced amount of precipitation" this week and hope we will start to firm up a bit more.

Out with the old and in with the new

On the brighter side of things, last weekend I decided to put out the new pins and flags earlier than I had planned. As I was changing pins Saturday I noticed that the ferrules were so worn out that I couldn't get a pin to stand straight in the cup. It was such a nice morning aside from the 2 hour frost delay that I decide to pull the trigger. This year we opted for a new color and design. So far it appears the golfers like it. They say it is much more visible. We actually put  the 30" stripe on the bottom of the pins ourselves. We used a product called Vinyl Guard, which I saw at the show this year. I love the idea, we simply placed the plastic tube over the pin and using a heat gun it shrunk tight around the pin. We actually started with an all white piece and covered the entire pin then added the red piece on the bottom last. We will be able to save money in the long run by simply removing it and freshening it up next year with a new ferrule on the bottom. As apposed to purchasing new pins all over again.

As wet as things have been, we have been relatively dry over the weekend and I am hoping it continues through today (Monday). The long range forecast doesn't really look all that dry and we need to get our Verde-Cal out on the fairways and rough. We are going to give it a go and hope for the best. I have confidence in Wilco's equipment. Their spreader is nothing like I have ever seen on a golf course. The buggy barely leaves a footprint, given the tires are about four feet wide. I will have an update next week on the application. We will getting an early start in the Morning and will try to stay ahead of play.

Finally, I am proud to report that I am the proud owner of a brand new Nikon D90. It has always been a dream of mine to own a high quality digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera and I finally found the nerve, or should I say cash, to purchase one. I am excited to put it to use and start sharing some more photos of the course.