Some good news

It's challenging not to discuss the low hanging fruit this week--the weather--but we'll try to avoid that subject, and find something more positive to focus on.  

After spending many years on the golf course, it isn't often that we all see something, and just stop whatever we're doing.  One of the few exceptions to this is when we are visited by the majestic Bald Eagle, recently seen spending some time on #9 and 18:

For years, golf courses got a bad wrap as far as their environmental impact.  Fortunately, that view is slowly changing, and few can argue that the diversity of wildlife on a golf course is amazing.  One of Laurel Creek's often seen residents is this nesting hawk:  

While the bald eagle may have been removed from the federal government's endangered species list in 2007, it has remained on New Jersey's.  40 years ago, there was only one nesting pair of eagles remaining in the state.  With the current estimate of nesting pairs heading towards 270, New Jersey is now also proposing to remove the eagle from their endangered species list.  This is progress.

As we approach July 4, the eagle may rightfully come to mind as a symbol of our nation.  Having them here, also shows that golf courses can be part of the solution, not part of the problem. 

The Waiting is Over

 After months of waiting, we are happy to report that our seasonal H-2B team members arrived last week.  This year we have three returning workers, along with three new members.  Included in the group are Javier and his twin brother Gabriel.  There is no doubt that pairing the three first timers with the veterans has greatly reduced the learning curve.  

In an ideal world, we would just be able to sign up for the guys each year without much effort.  However, the reality is that the paperwork required to participate in this program is quite significant.  A screen shot of our H-2B documents folder for this season give you an idea of what is required.

Given the current nasty weather, the greens will be happier now that we have enough staff to use the hand mowers, and keep the riding mower in storage.

Early Summer Weather

Taking a quick look back at May, the words warm and dry come to mind.  For the month, we received less than half of the average rainfall.  Currently, unirrigated lawns look more like we'd expect in August than in early June.

This weather pattern obviously makes us rely more heavily on the golf course irrigation system than we typically would this time of year, and no irrigation system can apply moisture as uniformly as the water that comes naturally from the skies above.  

The good news is that eventually, it will rain.  However, it will definitely take more than a passing shower or thunderstorm to rehydrate some of the extremely dry soils. And yes, technically summer hasn't even started yet...

Going Above and Beyond

Sometimes a picture is truly worth a thousand words.  As with any job on the golf course, when a team member is tasked with servicing the ballwashers, there are certain expectations.  However, nobody is asked to climb up so they can remove the bird poop from the top of the tee consoles.

This act may be a very simple thing that few players notice, but it's rewarding to see people who still care about the quality of their work, and take pride in it!