Divots Bottles for Walkers

As you might have seen in a recent email blast we are going to implement a new program for walking members.  Divots bottles to use during your round.  We have been experimenting with various bottles, shapes, sizes and styles.  In conjunction we have had to work on the type of sand mix that will flow freely from these devices.  We also hoped to be able to use this bottle to fill 4-8 divots between refills

Well, we have settled on a 20 oz gatorade bottle that fits nicely into most modern carry bags pouch for water bottle storage.  The gatorade bottles also offer a wide mouth, easy turn cap and most importantly, inexpensive to purchase.

We will roll out this program on opening day April 5th.  The bottles will be offered at the pro shop to begin.  We will have bottle replacements at all the current water bottle stations at tees 6,9,12,16.  As with most programs we will review the operation after a few weeks to see what additional tweaks need to be made.  The grounds staff will replace the bottles with fresh mix in the mornings and the pro shop staff will check the course for needs during the afternoon hours.

New lids on the water bottle stations will now read  Water  and Divot Bottles.  I don't recommend you drink the green sand.  Empty bottles can be placed into the same container and will be picked up for refill later.  Always remember, replacing your divot is the best way to help the course.

Work to Do....Snow or no Snow!

We have been trying all winter to work on a few jobs that we feel are important to the playability of the course.  The one shown here is a drainage project on the lower tee at 4.  This tee sees  lot of traffic from golfers as well as the range.  In addition it is squeezed in between two large stands of trees, and struggles for sunshine.  As though that is not enough, it's primary struggle is with water.... too much water.  The cart path and parking lot funnel water onto the back of this tee in large amounts.

This water logged condition coupled with the other environmental factors can stress out any grass introduced.  We had always had a plan for the 4th and 9th tee to be rebuilt so we held off working on this area.  With those plans delayed and possibly pushed out several more years we decided to revamp the walk on, range walkway and back of the tee.  Unfortunately winter struck, and we could never find sufficient time to work all the issues.   Well here again we hoped to get started, install drains, move soil and sod,  but as you can see the best laid plans are still dictated by nature.

After we dug the drains it snowed.  The gravel company then could not deliver the stone.  Next the delivery of sod was moved due to more snow in Deleware, so here we are waiting on grass to finish part of the project.  We hoped to start grading of the walkway, but now 2" of rain is forecasted so that will be put off as well.

The guys are still working hard to get work done to to prepare for the next phase

This kind of work is not fun, but we need to make progress before the grass starts to grow and take the rest of our time.  The lower tee should be mostly sodded next week to bent grass.  After it roots for a few weeks, we will slowly move play onto those sections and sod out the rest of the tee.   Thanks again for your patience as we continue to make improvements to this wonderful old course.

Air.... Whats water got to do with it!

Now that the yo-yo pattern of spring is starting , some wonder why we don't open at the first sign of a thaw.  When snow melt and temperatures rise we all get the itch to swing a club.   After all, that's why we are here.  When we close the course due to wetness it always begins and ends with the greens.

Wet conditions rarely stop us from opening the course,  after all we put golf carts on the paths and away we go.  Not so fast, the greens are the most important and most expensive part of the course.  With our multi-constructed greens,  many drain slower than a bad sink in a teenagers bathroom.  The few sand greens drain quickly after a thaw, but the soil greens are very slow.  The importance is to remember the 3 things all greens ( and most plants) require.... Sunlight, air and water.  Well the only part we have in these conditions is water.

The soil needs to have as much air as possible for the plant and roots to thrive.  After a cold  wet period the soil fills with water and occupies all the air spaces, leaving no room for the plant to breathe.  We see this in the picture below, a putting cup full of water.

So we use this indicator to determine if and when we will allow play on to the greens.  The roots in the soil greens are relatively shallow compared to the sand greens, so we need this water level to move to the bottom of the cup before we put traffic that further squeezes air in the top layer out of the system.

How long this takes depends on the conditions,  will we see it dry out, how long has it been filled with water ( termed " field capacity"), is the plant actively growing, etc.  There are never any hard and fast rules, since everything depends on multiple factors.

Be assured we know you want to get out and get some exercise, but these greens are a delicate balance and a day or two of rest at the right time can mean the difference in starting out with better performing greens over the long haul of the season. 

A big Thank You

I know most of us are longing for some spring time weather and the feel of the warm sun on our faces.  It has been a long time since we have opened our windows and let the fresh air in, no matter if it's your house , your car or just your lungs.

Since this is not the case,  and it continues to snow, I want to take this opportunity to recognize my team and the incredible job they have done this winter to clear the snow after every storm.  These men have braved every storm,  navigated crusty roads and snarled traffic to get here early and stay late to plow, shovel and scrape our campus clean.  Most of our staff do not live nearby, drive SUV's or even have the latest North Face gear, yet they continue to arrive as best as they can and work hard to get the club open.  I can attest it is cold hard work, and most times the next day or two your back and body aches but they continue to smile and work together to get the job done.

What we lack in perfection, we make up in hard honest work to get the best job done under the circumstances.  The picture below shows us enjoying a nice, very cold day, but I can assure you the 3 am call to arms and frigid biting winds these guys have endured tells more than one picture can convey.  Thanks to them for their dedication and hard work.  They are the unsung heroes of this winter and continue to show up and put their best foot forward to improve this club every day they arrive.

My deepest gratitude to Ronald, Daniel (Tony), Johnny, Marcello, Pedro, Rimberte, Javier, Jose, Marco, Victor, Jorge, Dino, Daniel, Augusto, Salas, Angel and of course Trevor, who plans everything and Rick our mechanic to help keep things running and organized.