What an odd spring!!!

What an odd spring we are having!! The course is closed and we don't have restrooms or drinking fountains out yet and it's the 2nd of April. Due to the cold overnight temperatures and the SNOW we are on hold so we don't freeze any of the pipes. Please let us get back to normal weather soon. 

New Pump Station

               

                The new pump station installation and start up time is here!!! The station was delivered into the clubhouse parking lot on the 6^th of March. We delayed starting the project for a week due to the 1.5” rain that fell overnight on the 5^th. The reason for the delay was a crane was needed to lift all of the old, and new pump station components into and out of the building and it had to be driven across #1 Fairway.  Finally on the 14^th we were dry enough and able to get the project started. The picture below is a look at our process for getting the crane across the fairway. The sheeting provides a wider footprint for the tires of the crane to go across reducing the amount of tracking the unit would do on the fairway.  We were able to get the crane across and backed out when he was finished without an issue so I was happy we delayed a week and let the ground firm back up. The project started with the old system was cut apart and removed through the roof of the building. After that was completed new system was lifted in and assembled.

The entire process took about 8 hours to complete so it was very quick. The new system takes up about ½ the space of the old one. It’s pretty dramatic to see the difference after walking into that room for the past six seasons. Tentatively we will be starting the new station up on Wednesday March 21^st and filling the pipes. I just wanted to put out a note and extend a big thank you to the Board of Directors and Jimm for making this dream a reality. We are very excited and I’m hoping for a very good year with the irrigation system and much lower energy costs!!

2018 Opening Day

2018 Opening Day. Here's to a successful and exciting 2018 Season!

Joe from Glen Echo with a great article on thawing

I came across this article from Joe at Glen Echo in St. Louis. I think this lays it out perfectly on thawing greens and the issues of this past fall and how this winter effects everything. Well done Joe!!


This past fall and early winter we've had significant drought conditions which have not allowed the roots to grow properly. The fall and early winter are the 2nd best time of year for shoot (top growth) and root growth of cool season grass(Bentgrass) on our greens. This season, some of the root mass has been reduced because of drier than normal conditions. As you can see illustrated in the picture below, the late winter and spring are the prime time for root and shoot (top growth) so there is plenty of time for recovery as long as we don't create additional injury in winter.

Cycle of growth in cool season turf.(shoot) top growth and root growth balance for the time of year

. Pic credit Milorganite.

As greens begin to thaw in the profile, there is a thawed layer and then frozen. As golfers walk on the green surface, the surface moves under their feet and roots are torn or sheared off at the interval of thawed and frozen turf. The deeper the thaw goes into the turf, the less susceptible the turf is to this issue.

Another thing that happens is that the moisture that has built up on or near the surface needs to drain through the canopy. Our sand layer is approximately 6" deep. If the deeper area 4-6" deep is still frozen, water cannot evacuate from the surface area creating a significant sponge effect on the surface of the greens. High moisture on or near the surface leads to foot imprinting which can be very disruptive and noticeable for weeks.

All of the above is dependent upon how slowly/quickly the freeze comes out of the greens. It varies during every freeze/thaw cycle. We will check the greens daily and notify the pro shop of availability of play or no play. One of the things you could do if the course is not open is to come out and hit a few range balls to get some swings in.

With the potential of freezing rain and an ice layer forming on the greens, we might not get an opportunity during this thawing cycle to open for play.

Bunker Rake Storage

Yesterday the guys maximized our storage capacity for bunker rake storage. On this rack we have 152 bunker rakes that will be put back on the course in the next month or two. This is a great space saver compared to storing them in 55gal barrels and having the barrels in the way whenever you need to move a piece of equipment.

Jamie Stash is heading to the Farmers Insurance Open

Happy New Year!!! The off season is going very well so far for the Grounds staff. A lot of the winter work is nearing completion and I’m confident we will be ready to go once the weather clears up for spring. The winter though very cold has actually been a nice change from the past couple of years. With a good strong freeze in the ground I’m hoping we’ll see a lot fewer insects, and weeds plus I hope we also get a nice fracking of the soil during the thaw which will help with root development in the spring. Our moisture levels however are still concerning to me. The ponds are very close to full on the course but if anybody has been by Lake Springfield it is several feet below full pool. I’m hoping in the near future that we start to turn this trend and begin picking up more rain events especially once the course comes out of winter dormancy.

We have something exciting coming up for one of our staff members. Jaime Stash has been chosen by the TORO Company to participate in a week long tournament and education opportunity beginning on Sunday, Jan. 21^st and running until Sunday, Jan 28^th. After being nominated he was selected as one of 25 up and coming Assistant Superintendents nationwide to take part in the all-expenses paid week long Farmers Insurance Open PGA Tour event in San Diego, California. After I started looking at the list of courses being represented I am honored to see Panther Creek Country Club recognized with some of the most legendary and revered courses in the country.  It will be a lot of fun for Jaime and it will allow him to reach out to piers at other clubs and gleam information that hopefully he can bring back to Panther Creek for implementation. His week will comprise of getting up and on a bus by 4:15am, working and staying at the course all day as a guest of TORO and Torrey Pines and then return to his hotel following the afternoon work shift around 6:00pm. This is quite an honor for Jaime and I hope anyone on Twitter can follow his updates during the week. Once he returns home he will be posting a tournament wrap-up for the Turf Blog as well.

Have a great week!! I hope to catch up with everyone very soon at the Annual Meeting on January 30^th.