Monday, June 13th

When it comes time for showing off the beauty of Stone Creek I would say June is the month. The soil temperatures have finally risen and the tall grass is finally growing up between the holes. The tall grass may not be a favorite for many golfers, especially this year with all of the excessive growth from our April and May rains. I  love the way the grass becomes fluid like as the wind sweeps across the course. As the grass begins to dry in July, the course will begin to take on a whole new appearance.

We really enjoyed preparing the course and hosting one of the qualifier matches for the Oregon open on Wednesday. The greens responded just the way we wanted them to, giving the right speed for the event. The most notable shot of the day came from, Adam Wilgus of Eugene, who made a miraculous albatross on the 376-yard par-4 9th hole. Also, congratulations to our own Jason Coles (T14th) and Terry Paresi (T10th) for qualifying for the event. Both will be playing in the Championship at Waverly Country Club June 20 -25th. Click Here for the complete story at the OGA website.

It only took us a month, but the fairway aerification and topdressing is complete! Friday we sanded the fifteenth and thirteenth fairways, wrapping up the project for the spring. Even though it took us a while, I am very pleased in how the fairways turned out. The fairways were a bit soft in areas but the way it worked out we managed to save the softest ones for last. Mike did a phenomenal job spreading the sand, especially on thirteen and fifteen with the slippery hillsides.

The fairway and rough fertilizer has been delivered and will be spread as soon as we determine which tractor we will use. Pacific Golf and Turf is bringing out a demo tractor for us to use since our Kabota needs to go the the shop to have the seals and bearings replaced in the front axle. We nursed it through the topdressing and feel we should repair it before it incurs further damage. If we get the loaner by Tuesday we will try to get the fertilizing started Wednesday.

Thursday, Adam's Advanced Digital Photo class from Oregon City High School came out to the course for a short field trip. They had 30 minutes to capture photographs that depict their own personal style of shooting, using the golf course as their subject. Later this week Amy Greene, the teacher, will forward me their pictures in which I will post on the blog. I'm looking forward to showcasing their talents!