Wet paint!

Wet paint. Wet turf. Wet ground. Wet everything most of the last 10 or 14 days. While still warm, we haven't had great working conditions for the golf course in a while.

We have been productive though! We got a lot done in the maintenance building. Moved the job board, moved and rewired some wire connections. Did some drywall repairs and repainted the entire shop. We also helped removing the rug in the restaurant and have done some painting in the clubhouse. So while we haven't made much ground outside, we have knocked some work out none the less.

Today is another warm one. We are raking green side bunkers this morning and are hoping to get to cups later on. We tried to do this yesterday but things were still too frozen from the cold snap we had.

Spring isn't too far off!

The winter that never was ...

I cannot remember a winter like this one. Will we pay for it over the next month and a half? I hope not.

I think we have made the most of the weather here in the agronomy department. We raked green side traps on both courses on Friday. Saturday we raked green sides and changed cups on both courses. Monday we raked all the traps and changed cups on both courses. Tuesday we put the cherry on top by cutting tees on both courses! The main purpose behind that mow was to clean up the divots and debris that had accumulated on the tees but we also ended up dumping the buckets three or four times per course. So it was a worthwhile.

The 10 day forecast looks like more of the same. So hopefully you can get out and enjoy it!

#10 West tee post mow ...

Beautiful!

What a beautiful morning!

We changed cups, blew off greens, and raked green side bunkers on both courses this morning. Enjoy it!

April in January!?!?

How about that forecast! It looks like another week to ten days of mild weather. This weekend is going to feel like April! Not bad for the 2nd weekend in January.

In preparation for what is hopefully a busy weekend we blew off fairways and tees yesterday, finishing them up today. We also blew out green side bunkers and mulched the leaves we blew out where we could. This morning we reset cups and blew off greens. We attempted to rake bunkers but they were still too frozen. Hopefully they thaw out and we can get green sides raked and cups changed in the morning.

I hope you can get out on the course this weekend! I may even tee it up!

Bad plugs!?!?

While talking to various folks the last few weeks I've stated that we are working to fix the bad plugs or bad cup plugs on the greens. A few people have asked what I meant. So let me explain ...

The "cup plug" is the turf and soil pulled out of the green in a cylinder shape by the cup cutter. After pulling out that cylinder of turf and soil you place the cup in the hole that is left and use a "cup setter" to push the cup down into place. The cup setter also smooths the edges and eliminates any "crown" around the cup. You than take that cylinder of dirt that we now know as the plug, and place it into the hole the cup came out of. Generally, it should fit pretty close to perfect. Perfect being level with the surface of the green and having no gap around the edge.

On occasion, the plug doesn't fit exactly perfect and we have to fix it. To fix it you pop the turf or top part of the plug off and either add or remove soil to get the plug level. There is some artistry involved here. It is a skill you only perfect by practice which makes a good cup guy invaluable.

In the picture below there are six bad plugs, which is unacceptable in such a small area. The red circles, are plugs that are too low. The purple circles, are plugs that are too high. The best case scenario with a high plug is a cup sized bump in the green and the worst case is a dead "scalped" plug. Scalping is when the mower cuts off all the leaf tissue leaving only the crown of the plant or worse, dirt. The plugs that end up too low create a slight depression in the green. In my opinion, a low plug is better than a high plug. Generally the grass will grow up and either fix or mask the poorly done job. A high plug, especially a scalped one, dies. "If it's low it grows, if it's high it dies" is what I was once told when I was an aspiring greenskeeper. That being said, the result should end up as close to perfect as possible.

( the white stuff is just spray foamer )

A close look at a low plug ...

A close look at a high plug that is scalped slightly on the right side ... 

With all that being said, we will reassess who our cup changers are going forward, coach them up, and raise the expectations. The area around the cup is the one area that 99% of the players will see. It needs to look sharp. 

Snow today! Apparently. There are few things prettier than a golf course covered in a fresh blanket of snow.