Weekly Update

Hole 15

It was 28 degrees this morning.  We had a light dusting of wet snow last night which then froze.  However, we were able to open for a 12 noon shotgun today!  Another beautiful day at Sandpines, despite being cold.  The forecast for the next couple of days looks cold as well. 

Jim raising a sprinkler head on hole 7

Jim has been adjusting the height of sprinkler heads this week.   Over time sprinkler heads tend to settle or become too low due to accumulation of topdressing sand and/or thatch.  Why adjust sprinkler heads?  There are a few reasons for adjusting the height of sprinkler heads.  The first deals with the performance of the sprinkler.  When sprinklers are activated, they are designed to extend to a specific height above ground.  When the heads become too far below grade,  the performance of the nozzles is negatively impacted.  This is especially true if the sprinkler head is located in turf that is taller than two inches.  If the distribution pattern is disturbed by turf immediately around sprinkler head, irrigation coverage will be impacted.  This can lead to the development of wet and dry spots.  The second reason to edge heads is for playability.  At times sprinkler heads will have an impact on play, but the impact can be minimized by keeping the heads at the proper height.  Sprinkler heads that are too high or low will have a greater impact on ball roll than those that are closer to grade.  The final reason for adjusting sprinkler head height is reduce them as a tripping hazard.

Wood donated to Kiwanis

Jerry has been stockpiling wood that has been donated to Kiwanis.  Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.  The Florence branch of Kiwanis delivers firewood to families in need.  The selective tree thinning on hole four over the past couple of winters has generated quite a bit of wood.  This project is a truly a win-win.  Number four green receives more sun, and local families can stay warm.

Blowing hail off hole 7 green

As luck would have it, Sandpines experienced another hail storm this week.  Last week, we had hail during a tournament which caused a delay.  We utilized back pack blowers to blow off hail that was mostly melted on a few of our coldest greens.  This week's storm only dumped hail on a couple of greens.  I took the opportunity to use the back pack blower to clear the greens.  This time I made sure to get a picture.  I definitely think this can be a useful way to clear hail on greens at the tail end of a delay, or after a small hail storm in which only a few greens are covered.

Green Golf USA Brochure

This week I have been working on an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan for Sandpines.  Green Golf USA has streamlined the process of making an IPM plan.  The entire process from start to finish took around six hours to complete.  In order to create an IPM plan with the help Green Golf USA, go to greengolfusa.com and register.  Once registration is complete, log in and start creating an IPM plan.  If you are interested, but don't have a large block of time to work on an IPM plan, don't worry you can save as you go.  There are also other useful tools at the Green Golf USA site, so check it out.

Weekly Update

Jerry rolling #18 green

Sandpines hosted its annual Clam Bake pro-am tournament on Wednesday and Thursday.  The two day tournament has been held around the middle of February for the last three years.  In terms of  weather, the tournament has seen a little bit of everything over the years.  This year was no exception.  It was mostly dry and chilly, but we did get some rain, and a hail storm suspended play on Wednesday for about an hour.  The hail was mostly melted when played resumed, but Jerry and I blew hail off some of the most hail covered greens with backpack blowers.  That was a first for both of us, but it actually worked pretty well once the hail was mostly melted.  I would have loved to post a picture of the hail blowing, but unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me.  We have received positive feedback about the condition of the golf course despite receiving about 2.1 inches of rain in the four days prior to the tournament.  Chris Polski and Scott Erdmann tied for the top spot for the professionals, while Todd Erwin, Sam Barrick, Derek Barron, and Tom Brown took top honors for the team portion of the competition.

Homemade directional arrow

After the success of our in house ground under repair signs, I wanted to experiment with an idea I had for making some directional arrow signs.  I wanted an arrow that could be used to point in any direction.  Some signs read "carts go left" or "carts  go right" but it seems like you always need the one you don't have with you, or you need more of one than the other.  For now we are in the experimental stages of using the directional arrows without them reading "carts".   It's hard to give an exact cost for these signs due to the fact we had all of the supplies to make the directional arrow signs on hand.  We used some old salvaged Trex bender board we had left over from a bunker project to make the arrows.  The stakes were made from 1/8 inch stainless steel rod that was donated by Jerry Waite.  The arrows were painted with spray paint we use to paint tee markers.  In addition to being cheap, they are also recycled, which makes them green friendly.

Freshly painted tee markers

If you have played Sandpines recently you may have noticed some freshly painted tee markers out on the course.  If you look carefully, you may have also noticed some tee markers aren't freshly painted.  Why is that?  It's not an over sight.  We try to work on projects like sandblasting and repainting tee markers during frost delays or busy afternoons, when getting out on the course is more difficult.  Additionally, it takes a while to sandblast and paint 160 tee markers for the golf course, plus you need a few extra in case of theft and vandalism (sad, but true).  We generally start some time in December with the markers that are in the worst shape.  This year, it was the red followed by the the blue.  We are currently working on the white, and  ran out of paint (see directional arrows above, oops), so you might also see a few new gold markers out there as well.  Another factor is the amount of tee markers we have to work on while still providing markers for play.  We have about 15 markers in addition to those on the course, which is not quite a full set.  So, now you know the mystery of the tee markers, they are not over-looked, just a work in progress.

Certificate of Appreciation

We were recently awarded a certificate of appreciation for our involvement in the Transition Program at Camp Florence.  The program involves providing mentoring and training opportunities to youth who are being transitioned back into the community.  William was the most recent person we worked with.  He did a fantastic job for us at Sandpines.  He took instruction well, was self motivated, and very polite.  He was a great help to Dean in the maintenance shop.  He kept the shop neat, tidy, and organized during his time at Sandpines.  He also helped us out on the golf course with various maintenance tasks.  He always met or exceeded out expectations.  William got along well with the entire maintenance staff.  He was truly a pleasure to have around.  If you are ever approached to participate in this program, I would encourage you to embrace the opportunity.

Quick update

View from the clubhouse practice green

The weather so far in February has been pretty nice.  We have only had  .67 inches of precipitation through the first nine days of the month.  However, the forecast for next week looks pretty wet.

When there is a dry stretch of weather in the winter, we try to get some top dressing in.  Jerry has been busy top dressing fairways and tees during the past week.  The rain in the forecast should wash the sand in nicely.  Approach top dressing should also be completed by the end of the this week.

Jerry top dressing #13 fairway

Shop Update

Hole 5 basking in the sun

The weather continues to be gorgeous on the Oregon Coast.  If you are looking to play some golf any time soon, I would highly recommend playing Sandpines within the next week.  It is a little colder this week, but the high temperatures are still getting into the 50's.

The precipitation total for January was 7.41 inches.  The first 18 days of the month yielded 7.29 inches, while the last 13 days yielded only 0.12 inches.  

Dean grinding a fairway mower reel

Grinding fairway mower reels has been next on the agenda in the shop for about a month.  After various other unexpected projects, the time has finally arrived.  Dean has ground one set of fairway mower reels, and is currently working on the second set.  We have two Toro Reelmaster 5210 fairway mowers.  The reels and bedknives are made from harder steel compared to older models.  They are supposed to last up to three times longer than traditional reels and bedknives.  So far, I would say that is fairly accurate, as we were able to go more than twice as long before grinding.  Dean has a few additional parts for the roller brushes, but the fairway mowers should be ready to go for the upcoming growing season by the end of the week.

One of the projects that postponed the fairway mower grinding was the break down of our Turfco LA-4 material handler.  It is used for top dressing fairways, filling bunkers with sand, and supplying our smaller top dresser with sand during heavy sand applications.  The five foot wide belt came apart at the lacing.  A new belt would have cost more than $2000.  With the exception of the spot were the belt ripped out at the lacing, the belt was in fair shape.  We decided to attempt a repair on the existing belt for about $300.  The repair required a special order lacing kit and a new section of belting.  This was not an easy repair.  It took quite a bit of time and effort to get the job done.  Dean and Jerry did a great job working together to complete this project.

Jerry and Dean working on LA-4 belt repair

LA-4 belt repair

Jerry filling a bunker while testing out the LA-4 belt repair