The winter that is 2014 is something for the record books & we still have some time left before spring arrives and it can't come soon enough. In the mean time, the Grounds Department keeps plugging along in preparation for the warm weather & the start of the 2014 golf season.
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| Checking greens for ice |
As stated in the previous blog post; ice has been something of a concern due to the duration of the turf being encased in its version of an Ice Age. There is only so much we can do and within the thought process is the Reaction vs Overreaction scenario.
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| Lulu celebrates her 1 year anniversary by accompanying me on the exploration for ice |
The 12-15 inches of snow made it a little difficult to get around the course but I needed to see what lies beneath the snow in order to make an educated decision prior to the warmer temperatures & potential for ice melt.
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| Snow removal on 16 green to expedite the melting of the ice below the snow |
We were able to clean all the green surfaces that had some significant ice and as we were clearing the snow the ice was already melting beneath our feet. Drains were also cleaned to allow for the surface drainage of water to exit the surface unobstructed. Prior to the rain, I felt this was necessary in order to try and combat the potential turf injury from being under the ice for such an extended period of time. Time will tell in the spring if our efforts were successful but I am proud of the effort by the crew during this highly labor intensive task.
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| Following the snow removal the crew moved on to some Ash tree removals |
With the weather conditions being what they have been this winter, the tree removals have been hard to get done. So when the opportunity is given to us...we try and get done as much as possible. We have been able to remove 15 trees this winter but that is just a small portion of what I was hoping for this winter. The snow melt that we are experiencing today may give us some more maneuverability with the equipment in the week ahead to try an accomplish some more Ash tree removals.
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| The hard times brought by 2013 Flood |
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| There is something calming about thinking positively |
The mind is a powerful weapon and can make you think of hard times from the past (as seen in the photo above) or make you think of good times when things are just the way they should be. I choose the later.
