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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
