The weather is looking much better this week

Thankfully, the horrible weather from last week has moved on.  Yesterday afternoon was sunny with mostly blue sky.  It is pretty chilly this morning, but should be a great day for golf after the frost is gone.  It definitely feels more like golf weather again.

Steven cleaning up tree debris behind 9 green

We lost an estimated 25-30 trees during last weeks wind storms.  We spent the majority of our time this week working on clearing trees and picking up debris.  Other than the mess that was created by the storm, the golf course did not suffer any major damage. After the mess was cleaned up, we were able to get the greens, collars, approaches, and tees mowed this week.  The greens were also rolled.

Jerry used the forks on the tractor to get trees moved efficiently

We started to top dress the greens this week, but had to stop when one of the hydraulic motors on the top dresser blew a seal.  Unfortunately, The motor is located on the very back of the top dresser and can't be seen by the operator.  To make matters worse, spreading sand over the the hydraulic oil on the turf makes it almost impossible to see the leak unless you are using dry sand (which we do not have due to our recent wet weather).  Consequently, we ended up with some hydraulic oil on 14, 15, and 16 greens.  At this point, we are waiting to see how the turf will recover.  Right now, it does not impact ball roll. However, if the turf dies in the areas where the leak occurred, we may have to due some turf repairs.

Hydraulic oil spots on 16 green two days after leak occurred

View from the clubhouse green on 1/15/12

The great weather we were having took a turn for the worse this week.  Over the past few days, we have seen snow, sleet, hail, ice, rain, and high winds.  The snow is all gone at this point, but the rain and high winds are still present while I am writing this post.

This tree blew down near 7 tees

Several trees have blown down between yesterday and today.  When safe to do so, we will begin working on removing the downed trees and tree debris.

Trees blown over on hole 3

On hole 14, sand blew out of the front green side bunker and onto the left half of the green. Once we can safely get to work on removing the excess sand, it shouldn't take to long to get the green in playable condition.

Sand on 14 green

The clubhouse also sustained some damage from the high winds.  A small section of the shingle siding has blown off and ended up on 18 green and the clubhouse putting green.

Missing shingles on the clubhouse

From what I have seen so far, none of  the damage to the golf course or clubhouse looks major.  We will begin to get things cleaned up and repaired once it is safe to begin working.

Another beautiful day at Sandpines

The weather has been spectacular this week.  There have been some frost delays, but once the sun comes up, the golf course is a beautiful place to be.  I was able to get out and play a round last Friday.  My game was a little rusty, but I had a great time.

Jerry planting dunegrass on the dune adjacent to hole 7

Jerry has been planting dunegrass on the dune adjacent to hole 7.  Hopefully, the planted dunegrass will thrive and help stabilize the dune and help prevent further encroachment on to the 7th hole.  We have been using the encroaching sand for top dressing and other projects, but as you can see from the picture, we have not been able to keep up.

View from the top of the dune looking towards 7 green

The wooded area on the southwest corner of the driving range has been a good hiding spot for range balls.  During a couple of frost delays this week, the trees were limbed up, the tree debris was cleaned up, and the salal was mowed and weedeated.  There was estimated to be 300-400 golf balls recovered during the time the work was completed.

Wooded area on the driving range before it was cleaned up

Wooded area on the driving range after most of the cleanup had taken place

On Monday, the tees, tee surrounds, and approaches were fertilized.  The tee surrounds in particular were looking pretty hungry and already look much better since the application.

New signs are located near the first and tenth tees

A couple of weeks ago, I included a picture and some commentary with regards to the lack of bunker raking that was occurring by some players.  In response, one of annual pass holders at Sandpines suggested that we put up some reminder signs.  This morning, two signs (pictured above) were installed in two locations.  One near the first tee, and one near the tenth tee.

View from the clubhouse putting green

The weather took a turn for the worse during the last week of 2011.  In December, Sandpines received 6.73 inches of precipitation.  Amazingly, 6.53 inches came between the 25th and the 31st of the month.  For the year, we ended up with 62.27 inches of precipitation.  Check out the precipitation history page to see how 2011 compares to past years.  Thankfully, the forecast is predicting drier weather with lots of sun.

Love that blue sky

A second pond bank repair was completed on hole 17 this week.  This one is much smaller, and is located near the green.  Both of the repaired areas on 17 should blend in nicely once the turf fills in.

17 pond bank repair in progress

Jerry has been working on the tee walk on area on hole 8.  Over the years, sand has accumulated creating a raised edge next to the cart path.  Quite a bit of material was removed in order to create a softer transition between the cart path and the tee walk on.

Jerry starting the tee walk on project on hole 8