Saturday, July 9, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
A Refresher on Golf Course Etiquette
Course Etiquette Guidelines
1. During frost delays and inclement weather, it is the Grounds Department objective to get golfers and golf carts on the course as soon as it can safely be done. We will be in communication with the Pro Shop as to a time frame for the course to be open and the availability of golf carts.
2. Repairing your ball marks plus 3 others will improve the condition of the greens. Always push your ball mark inward and tap it down.
3. If your divot is in one piece…..replace your divot. If not, please use the divot mix supplied in the golf cart. This divot mix is for fairways and tees only. Do not put in the rough!!!
4. After teeing off, please put your broken tee in the broken tee caddie.
5. Obey the cart direction devices. This will limit any damage that may occur and keep the traffic areas in more out of play areas. Golf carts are not to be driven to the back tee boxes. The golf carts should remain on the cart path at the tee box.
6. During inclement weather, special cart restrictions may be put in place. It is crucial that these restrictions be followed. Failure to follow these restrictions can not only cause damage immediately but in the future especially during the heat of the summer.
7. Cigarette buds need to be placed in the trash receptacles along with any other trash.
8. Golfers at the range tee should be aware of other golfers on holes #8 & #11 as they have the right of way. Please keep aware of this to limit anyone getting injured.
9. Enjoy your round of golf and the beautiful surroundings. If your golf games brings upon some frustration, please do not take that frustration out on the golf course.
Thank you for your cooperation and doing your part as a member of Idlewild CC.
Grounds & Greens
Ball Mark Repair...Let's Make This A Priority For Every Golfer
Repairing ball marks are a vital component of golf etiquette. Repairing your ball mark properly aids in the greens recovery and helps in providing a smooth putting surface. What is the proper way to repair a ball mark? By pushing the turf together from the outside to the inside and tamping down the middle. Please refrain from pulling up the turf as it damages the root zone. Here is a short video that shows how a ball mark should be repaired. Please make this part your routine each and every time you walk onto a green.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v..
Idlewild Tree & Beautification Fund
IDLEWILD TREE & BEAUTIFICATION FUND MARCH
2016
The
Idlewild Tree & Beautification Fund is and has been instrumental in the
continued improvement of the overall aesthetic beauty of the club. Monies from the fund are used to address
current issues and/or improve different areas of the clubhouse and golf
course. Winter tree work encompasses
about 60-70% of the fund and the remaining is used to renovate landscaping,
purchase new trees, and purchase tree related equipment. Projects such as the renovation of the front entrance,
tee box landscaping, and the work performed along Butterfield Creek are just
some examples of the progress that has been made in the past through the use of
the Tree & Beautification Fund.
As
stated above, a majority of the fund is used for tree work. With a tree inventory of over 1800 trees a
lot of foresight is needed in dealing with the Emerald Ash Borer, which has
continued to ravage the Ash tree population.
With over 20% of our total population within the Ash tree family; it
will require multiple years of removals to get this issue behind us. The winter tree work was a success with over
70 infected trees removed. The numerous
wind/snow storms highlighted the large need for pruning of trees as well based
on the amount of debris that has fallen from these storms. The objective will be to continue to move
forward with removals while addressing any safety issues first and
foremost. With so many trees within our
borders, we could stand to lose a few trees and that would make a lot of
golfers happy but at the same time we need to be vigilant in the replacement of
priority trees that affect playability of the course in a positive way and/or
serve as protection from the errant golf shot.
Butterfield
Creek will see some attention as we continually try to improve the visual
appearance through tree removals and the addition of colorful landscape
plantings in higher traffic areas. This
serves many benefits such as creek bank stabilization and increased air circulation
to the turf in these areas.
The
Tree Memorial Program is a great opportunity for a member to honor someone and
at the same time serve a valuable purpose to the great course we all love. With the new tree planting, a bronze plaque
will be installed at the base of the tree designation the tree as a Memorial
Tree. I look forward to the positive
affect that I believe the Memorial Tree Program can have on both the golf
course and in celebrating someone special.
In
closing, as the Golf Course Superintendent I truly appreciate the support of
these two programs as they allow Idlewild Country Club to continue to move
forward with respects to continued improvements in all areas of the club. Thank you for your support!
Respectfully submitted,
Kurt Sams, CGCS
Friday, January 8, 2016
Memories of the 2014 Winter Provides Knowledge
After such a rough start to the 2014 golf season due to the ice damage created by Mother Nature's harsh winter hand, we have taken that knowledge gained to try an prevent such damage in the future. While there was no magic bullets created or sure fire agronomic techniques developed with so many weather variables; there was some solid information gained that we have implemented prior to the past two winters.
Multiple heavy sand topdressings as we begin to close greens for the season
Topdressing will provide protection to the crown of the plant to help fight against the issues that the cold weather can create such as crown hydration, wind desiccation, and ice damage. I wish I could say it prevents these issues but that just isn't the case.
One of the most valuable things learned from the experience two winters ago was to shorten the window of time the fine turfgrass is under ice. With our fine turf having a high population of Poa that time window is somewhere in the 30-60 days (highly variable) that the fine turf can withstand ice encasement. While the turfgrass plants are not actively growing, they are still living plants that need gas exchange. Ice encasement doesn't allow the gas to escape thus causing a sufficating affect.
Snow and ice removal with the warmer temperatures to eliminate the ice formed prior to the new year
With the warmer temperatures projected to last thru Saturday (and ahead of another winter storm), we were able to put ourselves in the best position possible to eliminate the ice and ultimately shorten that time window.
Success or failure will be unknown for the time being with the Spring giving us the verdict but we have done the right things based on the knowledge gained from the wrath of previous winters.
The hope and effort is all about the golf course and providing a great start to the 2016 golf season and the beautiful vistas that the course provides. Happy Year!
Friday, October 16, 2015
14 Fairway Bunker Renovation
Camera roll from start to finish of the work performed by the Grounds Departmemt to enhance the playability of #14 fairway bunkers.
Beginning stages of sod removal & planning overall design
Reshaping the bunker to provide a modernized look & improved playability
Removal of old sand on the left side fairway bunker
Reshaping and drainage completed on the right side fairway bunker
Reshaping of left side fairway bunker
Bunker liner being installed
Liner & final grading complete
Installing the new bunker sand
Installing drainage on left side bunker
Drainage complete
Finishing up the final grade
Sod work complete and finished product looking very nice
Sodding the area where we performed bunker removal
Hole #14 fairway bunker work complete and looking outstanding
Being an In-House project the entire process took 3 weeks to complete while also maintaining the course. Renovation work is very rewarding for myself and the members of the Grounds Department that were heavily involved and a big thanks goes to Andrew & the guys for a job well done.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Irrigation in High Demand & the System is Showing Its Age
The heavy usage of the irrigation system during the summer months has definitely added to the age (1979) of our irrigation system and the sometimes daily problems that we have to overcome in order to keep the course in excellent condition. The 1/4 inch hydraulic tubing supplies water pressure to the irrigation heads. When the water pressure is eliminated either by us choosing to turn on the irrigation head or by a hole in the tubing, the irrigation head will pop up and run. When there is a hole in the tubing, it is a time to drop everything and try to locate where the leaking hydraulic tube is as quickly as possible. So far in the 2015 golf season, we have had 113 hydraulic leaks! The pictures below are a few of the digging expeditions.
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| Cluster of hydraulic tubes each of which control different irrigation heads. |
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| The maze of digging trying to find the tube. |
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| Hydraulic tubes entering a control box. |
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| Cluster of hydraulic tubes. |
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