What a Week!

At this point I think everyone is done with winter and can't wait to see it go away.  Once again our area gets hit with more snow but the good news is the forecast for the weekend on Saturday looks promising.




It is hard to believe that the week started out with about 8 inches of snow falling on Monday.




Between the wind last week and the snow a section of our range net started to tear and rip away from the top guide wire because our netting is getting old and is dry rotting as every year goes by.  Just add another thing to the list to get fixed.



On Thursday we got the lift in and went to work repairing the netting before we got back opened.  We did replace 6 sections of netting back in 2008 but as you can see we need really all of the netting replaced.



Getting ready for our first member event of the year on Saturday March 22nd.  We have all the hazards marked and even though the grass is still not doing much the greens were rolled out, bunkers raked and we are still picking up debris.









Course Update!

 

The new tee markers have arrived.  We have already placed the

new logoed tee markers on the course and they look fantastic.

 

This is what a winter can do to your equipment.  Here you can see the 1/4 metal that broke in

half pushing all of the heavy wet snow that we have had this year.  Luckily it happened between

storms and we still were able to use our tractor that we got last season to help with clearing snow.

 

 

 

At the end of last month we were able to get our tree company out on the course between snow events and chip up all of the debris.  Most of the storm damaged trees were addressed as well but there is still a few left that need attention. Please remember that we have placed yellow caution tape around the trunks so please be careful around these trees.

 

Over the last 4 days I had a chance to attend Billy Casper's Regional Meeting at Seatrail Resort in Sunset Beach North Carolina.  It was a great time seeing allof the fellow Superintendents and General Managers at other facilities.We also were in the presence of Billy Casper himself.  Here he was with Regional Vice President of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast division Joel Gohlmann.



Not the way we wanted to start out in March!

 

 

 

This is not the way we wanted to start out in March.  It looks like we are forecasted to receive 8 to 12 inches of snow on Monday March 3.  Hopefully you were not like me and put away your snow blower at home.  If you were now is the time to get it back out and fueled up so you are ready to go.



Out with the Old and in with the New!

Clubhouse improvements are underway and will continue over the next month or so as weather allows.  Since the weather is still not cooperating they went ahead and started with what they could inside.  The old single pane windows you see above have been replaced in the ballroom over the last two days and also in the pro shop and administrative office as well.  The contractors installed new triple pane tempered glass windows that will be much more energy efficient and safe.

 

 

 

Here is what the finished product looks like.  Now we have an unobstructed view from the ballroom to the golf course with safe energy efficient windows.  Once the weather breaks and more materials start to arrive at the course the exterior will begin.  We will be replacing the front door and adding stone to the entrance as you walk in, the siding will be replaced with hardie board siding along with new trim and gutter work around the entire outside of the clubhouse.  We will also be getting rid of old wood fences and replacing them with vinyl fencing that will give the club a pretty good face lift that it desperately needs.



 

 

 

 

 

 



Course Update - Snow is Melting but not Fast Enough!

 

There is still a fair amount of snow left on the course but with the temperatures continuing to rise the snow is starting to melt.  Is the snow good or bad for the course you might ask?  Well it would have been better during the really cold temperatures we were getting earlier this winter by providing some insulation to the turf grass from the winds but now the ground is just saturated.  The groundwater supply will be recharged for sure going into this year.

 

 



Watch Out!

 

 

 

Since the last ice storm we have been busy getting all the debris cut up and hauled away to be chipped later this month.  In your travels on the course you will see some trees that have yellow caution tape around them.  These trees have some limbs that need to be cut down that are to high for us to get and we will need the help of a tree service to do this.  So please use caution around these trees and stay away from them until we can get these limbs adressed.



Just when things were............

 

Just when things were starting to get back to normal at the course Mother Nature throws us another curve ball and another storm with freezing rain coats everything!  As you can see here we have plenty of more tree work to do.   The white pines are the most prone to the damage from the weight of the ice and the slightest movement from wind can bring down many more.