Winter is Coming

After one of the hottest summers on record, and above average temperatures throughout the fall, we finally got a taste of some much cooler weather this past week.  While this may give the mowing equipment a break, it definitely doesn't indicate a slow down for work to be done on the course.  Here is a sampling of what the crew is working on as winter approaches:

• Bring in course accessories such as water coolers, ball washers and divot mix boxes.
• Repurpose the divot mix boxes with ice melt for the Clubhouse entrances.
• Winterize the irrigation system.
• Bring in the fountain from #5, winterize, and store.
• Pressure wash bridges.
• Leaf removal.
• Prune ornamental grasses.
• Prune red twig dogwoods and oakleaf hydrangeas.
• Pull soil samples for testing.
• Apply pre-emergent herbicide to tees, fairways, and rough.
• Apply Snow Mold prevention to greens.
• Prepare equipment for snow removal.

As Thor supervises, Dave and Don remove the ball washer from #17 tee.

In addition to these tasks, we've got a few important projects planned for the "off-season" which we will be tackling over the winter.  While these may not deliver the visual "wow" of some recent course improvements, it's often the behind the scenes preventive maintenance that keeps things running smoothly when they're pushed to the red line, as the turf was so often this year!