14 green on a spectacular January day

The weather in January was really nice overall.  It was great to see players out taking advantage of the blue sky and sunshine on the course.  We have been receiving numerous compliments on the condition of the golf course.  The agronomy staff has been working hard to keep the course in great condition.  It makes our job much easier when the weather is cooperating.

Jerry adding sand to the bunker behind 14 green

One of the projects we spent quite a bit of time on in November and December was adding sand to bunkers.  The goal was to raise the sand level in bunkers that are notoriously below the water table during wet winters.  Hundreds of yards of sand were added to several bunkers.  We started with the green side bunker on hole 12, which was slightly reshaped prior to adding sand.  About a hundred yards of sand was added to that bunker alone.  Sand was also added to bunkers on holes  2, 3, 4, 7, 13, and 14. 

12 green side bunker work in progress

Another project we spent quite a bit of time on in December and January was brush and tree thinning in the area between 7 tees and 12 green.  The brush and trees were so thick that not much sunlight was hitting the tees on hole 7.  The tees are still pretty shaded, but there is definitely an improvement.  It's really hard if not impossible to grow quality turf in heavily shaded areas.

Pockets of sunshine hitting the tees on hole 7

We have been continuing to work on the new green on hole 7.  The current mowing height of the green is now 0.260" and is being slowly lowered every week or so.  We still have a ways to go, but we are getting closer.  The green has also been receiving regular sand top dressing to help smooth out imperfections in the putting surface.  The height of cut around the green is also slowly being lowered and will eventually be at approach height.  I know people are eager to play the new green, but we still don't have an opening date at this point.

Top dressing the new green on hole 7

Joe converted an old spray rig we had into a utility cart.  He did a nice job.  It will haul quite a bit of weight.  I think it looks pretty cool as well.  The next step for this cart is to add some lights so we can use it before the sun comes up.

Sprayer turned utility vehicle

We added some benches on the course recently in an effort to be more walker friendly.  We had some old benches from years ago that we were able to refurbish.  Thad and Chuck took on the project and did a great job as usual.  There are now 2 benches at the driving range.  There is also 1 bench each on holes 5, 10, and 16.

New benches at the driving range