Rain, Rain, Go Away!

View from the clubhouse patio on 3/26/12

With the exception of Monday, the weather has been terrible so far this week. For those that were worried about the low rainfall totals in December, I think the drought is over. March of 2012 has been the wettest month on record at Sandpines since December of 2007 (and it isn't over yet). Thankfully, the forecast for next week is looking better.

Hole 11 on 3/26/12

The tees were fertilized on Monday. Drains were checked daily and cleared as needed. Sprinkler head edging was continued. Scotch broom removal was continued. Gravel path repairs were performed. Bushings and linkages on the Sandpro were replaced and adjusted. The top speed on the Sandpro went from a dismal 4.7 MPH, to a much improved 7.4 MPH.

12 green enjoying the sun

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Sandpines received about 3 inches of precipitation accompanied by wind and temperatures in the mid 30's. Thankfully, the weather has been much better since Thursday. Today the temperature is about 60 degrees with blue sky and sunshine. It is a great time to get out and play some golf at Sandpines.

At least someone enjoyed the rain earlier this week

All the moisture over the last couple of weeks has made the water table rise substantially. At the end of last week we began to see water collecting in some of the lowest areas of the golf course. Water also began running onto the golf course from the north after last weeks rain. With the addition of this weeks rain, some of the bunkers have standing water in them. This is not a drainage problem, but an elevation problem. When the ground water rises high enough, some of the bunkers and low lying areas of the golf course will experience standing water. Last year the standing water began to occur in early January. We have roped some of the lower areas of the course off to prevent turf damage from vehicle traffic. Eventually the water table will drop and all of the bunkers will be playable and the ropes will come down.

8 green

During the nice weather, the greens, collars, and approaches were mowed this week. The greens were fertilized this morning. We are also spot mowing some of the rough this afternoon.  

During the awful weather, the process of clearing downed trees and limbs was continued. Sprinkler head edging was continued. Traffic control ropes and stakes were put in place. Tee yardage markers were edged (holes 1-12).

Hole 5

The weather for the week has been terrible, until today. In the last six days, Sandpines has received 6 inches of precipitation according to the rain gauge. That total does not count the 4 inches of snow, just the melted snow in the gauge. After all that moisture, the golf course is very playable after just a few hours of drying time this morning.

Hole 9 on 3/13/12

Tuesday morning was quite a surprise. Florence residents woke up to between 3-6 inches of snow (I have heard up to 8 inches, and by next week those stories may be embellished to a foot). At Sandpines, I measured 4 inches. Jerry Waite, the assistant superintendent, has worked at Sandpines for 20 years, and Tuesday morning was the most snow he had ever seen on the golf course. As we ventured around the golf course, it was obvious the weight of the heavy snow had taken its toll on several trees and hundreds of limbs. Although the snow was beautiful, it created quite a bit of work. The majority of our time on the golf course this week was spent clearing downed trees and limbs. The bunkers were also a mess. Most bunkers had severe washouts. The majority of the branches and downed trees in play have been dealt with, but there are many more to deal with on the outer lying areas of the course.

Cart path between 6 green and 7 tees

Cart path between 12 green and 13 tees

View behind 11 green with the Pacific Ocean in the distance

The weather has been great this week, with the exception of Monday. We had multiple days with blue sky and sunshine. Wednesday started off pretty cold, but warmed up quickly. Sunday was one of our busiest days of the year so far, and everyone really seemed to be enjoying the golf course.

Jim mowing the approach and Jerry mowing the green on hole 14

It was another busy week for the maintenance staff. Dolomite (lime with magnesium) was applied to greens.  The greens and approaches were fertilized. The greens, approaches, and tees were mowed. The greens were also spiked and rolled. The tee marker refurbishing was completed. The bunker edge on 16 green side bunker was repaired. Scotch broom was removed. The approach on hole 7 was aerated, and the cores are being used to complete turf repair project behind 5 green. Bunker washouts were repaired on Tuesday, after the hard rain on Monday. A Curlex blanket was installed on the repair area in 7 fairway. This should help promote the grass to establish more quickly by holding heat and moisture.

Curlex blanket on hole 7

The camera that was pictured in last weeks post did not quite meet my expectations, so I am continuing to use my Nikon Coolpix S4000 for now. I do like the fact that it fits in my pocket easily, so it (or something like it) will probably always have its place. I am continuing to research the digital slr's. Meanwhile, the wildlife at Sandpines continues to offer up some excellent opportunities for pictures. There was also a good one of a coyote on hole 6, but the coyote was pretty hard to find in the picture.

Bald Eagle in a snag between holes 9 and 10

Karl Sackrison, one of the annual pass holders at Sandpines, found an ants nest on hole 13. I told him I would include a picture of it on my blog. Here you go Karl, now your ants are famous.

Karl's ant nest

12 green soaking up some sun

The weather really varied this week. We saw frost, hail, wind, rain, clouds, and sun. Luckily we escaped without snow. Currently its sunny, and the short term forecast looks pretty good. It should be a great weekend to golf at Sandpines. Tee times are going quick, so call the golf shop (541 997-1940) and get signed up.

Bald Eagle in a snag over looking the lake on holes 4 and 5

I felt fortunate to get this shot of a Bald Eagle against such a beautiful blue sky. However, I feel our birds of prey at Sandpines are taunting me a bit with these wonderful opportunities. I am sure these birds must know I  have been agonizing over whether or not to buy a fancy digital single-lens reflex (dslr) camera. In fact, I did some heavy duty internet research on dslr's the night before this particular photo opportunity. The dslr's are very nice, but they are also very expensive. I am still on the fence. In the mean time, I got hold of a dslr style camera (not a true dslr) that belongs Sandpines with a much bigger lens than the current camera I have been using for blog pictures. I hope to try it out in the near future.

Hopefully this camera can help me get some better pictures

The greens were top dressed on Monday. The rain on Tuesday washed the sand in nicely, and the greens are rolling great. We spent some time cleaning up tree debris that was distributed by the wind. We also edged and raised some sprinkler heads. The tidying up of the gravel paths was continued. The green surrounds were spotted mowed this afternoon as needed. The cleaning out of the parking lot drains at the clubhouse was finished (much to the excitement of Matt).

Matt cleaning out a parking lot drain