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

4 green

If the weather forecast holds true, it looks like the weather is going to shift to a more normal pattern for this time of year.  Please use caution with the golf carts should any wet areas result from the change in weather.

Jerry top dressing the approach on hole 2

So far this week, the fairways were fertilized.  The first 40 feet or so of rough around the greens and fairways was also fertilized.  The approaches and tees have been mowed, and the approaches were top dressed.  Dean continues to work on changing out golf cart batteries, which seems to be a never ending process.  Jim has been working on getting the irrigation valves edged, which makes them much easier to find and shutoff when the need arises.

Jerry and his son Clinton after playing a round 12/21/11

The weather has been spectacular again this past week.  Dealing with the morning frost delays has been well worth the dry and sunny playing conditions.  Yesterday afternoon, a group of us from the maintenance staff played 9 holes after work.  We had a great time, and really enjoyed the course.

One of many bunkers not being raked by players lately

The picture above is very frustrating to my staff and I.  I wish I could say this the only bunker that looked like this, but there have been many more.  For some reason, over the past two weeks, we have seen more bunkers not being raked than ever before.  It would be understandable if the bunkers were too frozen to rake, but that has not been the case. I can't understand why this is happening.  It only take about 30 seconds to perform a good rake job.  I am sure there are still plenty of people raking their bunkers properly.  To those folks, I thank you. If you happen to be one of the people not raking, please do so.  If not for others, do it for yourself, you may be hitting from that spot again soon.

Pond bank sloughing off near 17 tee area

Jerry has been working on the pond bank near 17 tees.  The bank has sloughed off, and has been needing repair.  A couple of years ago, he repaired a similar area by 18 green, which has held up really well.  We decided it would be a great time to perform the work since the pond level is so low right now.  At this point, he has made a wall with cinder blocks and back filled with sand.  Next, he will add aeration cores and seed, which will eventually establish turf over the back filled area.

Siuslaw Middle School

Last Thursday, I gave a presentation to MJ Church's 6th grade (5th period) class at Siuslaw Middle School.  Her class (which includes my son Dylan) has been given an assignment to research and give a presentation on a career of their choosing.  I was invited to talk about about what it is like to be a golf course superintendent.  I had a great time, and enjoyed answering the questions the class had.

One of the things I shared with the class is how I got started on my path as a golf course superintendent.  I told them that I had been given a similar assignment in high school, in which I had to write a paper on a career of my choosing.  I had been working at Ocean Shores Golf Course, in Ocean Shores, WA during my summer vacations.  I really enjoyed the work I was doing on the golf course, so I decided to write my paper about becoming a golf course superintendent.  Through my research, I found I could make a descent living doing something I enjoyed.  From that point on, my goal was to become a golf course superintendent.  I completed the first major step towards achieving that goal in 1999 when I graduated from Washington State University (Go Cougs!) with a degree in turf management, and a minor in soil science.  During my time at WSU, I interned at Sahalee Country Club during the 1998 PGA Championship.  After that, I continued gaining experience working my way up through the ranks at the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club, where I was the assistant superintendent for over 5 years.  In 2006, I achieved the goal I had set for myself more than decade prior during my high school years.  I had become a golf course superintendent.  The course was none other than Sandpines Golf Links.

My son Dylan hitting a tee shot on hole 16

Update

2 green

Another week of mostly great weather.  The sun is shining brilliantly at the moment. Sandpines received its first rain of December on Wednesday evening.  The dry weather looks like it will continue according the the extended forecast.

Jerry top dressing 5 green

Yesterday, we were able to get the greens mowed and top dressed.  We also fertilized the tees.  During this weeks frost delays, we were able to audit our material safety data sheets (MSDS) records.  There were a few items that we did not have MSDS's for, which is the reason we conduct these audits when we get a chance.  The records were obtained promptly.  We have a computer in the break room that is dedicated for MSDS records, which makes it much easier to access the records.