Topdressing & Projects

Today, we are lightly topdressing the greens today with just a touch of Poa Triv seed to help the greens become fuller.  Topdressing not only gives the seed a better germination bed, but it also smooths and speeds up the greens.  We will continue the topdressing until we are either out of seed or budget to aid in this improvement.

The irrigation heads finally got in to complete the project on 4 and 5's tee.  These heads are the latest in pressure regulation technology and will improve the area vastly while reducing wash outs.

Upcoming Timelines

Timelines:

Upcoming Week:

a)            Nov 28^th foliar spraying greens.

b)            Nov 29^th foliar spray fairways.

c)       Nov 30^th Lightly topdressing the greens.

d)            Dec 1^st fertilize fairways & tees with 18-5-0

In Next Week After:

a)            Dec 5^th foliar spray greens.

b)            Dec 6^th foliar spray fairways.

c)            Dec 8^th lightly topdress all greens.

In Near Future:

a)            Dec 12^th foliar spray greens.

b)            Dec 12^th start the trimming of the eucalyptus and select pine trees.

c)            Dec 14^th fertilize fairways & tees (extended).

d)            Dec 16^th spray greens with X-Solis & Cascade.

e)            Week of Dec 19^th short staff due to holiday.

f)             Dec 19^th foliar spray greens.

g)            Dec 25^thNO CREW.        

h)            Dec 26^th foliar spray greens.

Frost Is Coming

According to the Weather Channel frost should be coming in the upcoming weekend.  So please to protect the golf course check with the Pro Shop on the course status before driving on the grass.

The Green Committee approved the removal of a couple of dead trees.  One is on 13 close to the start of the 14's fairway, and the other is at the end of the range.  We are also removing a dangerous date palm tree in the big bed at the clubhouse.  Sadly, last year two of these date palms snapped the heads off but luckily no one and no property was damaged.  This palm was slated to be removed last year but was put on hold to maintain the budget.

Today before the ladies event we are going to be spraying the fairways.  The should not interfere with anyone.

12's Drain & Dr. Elli's Property Line

It was brought to my attention that there was a broken drain cover in the cart path next to 12's green.  We cleaned it out, filled with gravel and changed the direction of the lid which will prevent any injury; however, we will fill we concrete when we get a chance since it is a non-functioning drain that was installed before my time.

I have had a couple of people ask why we are working on the property line next to Dr. Elli's home on 8.  Well the fact is after the survey it was discovered our property is closer to his home than first thought (his fence is on the line) and after discussion with the Green Committee chair it was decided that we would fix our area and marry it to his property.  Out of the kindness of Dr. Elli's heart for this he supplied us the water for future plants and cut a cut though near his drive way for our members to get to 7's green or 8's tee.  Thus we are only working on our property.  This project is almost 100% completed for now ... vegetation will come later.

Day After Thanksgiving

All stuffed from another wonderful turkey day?  Well get out and play some golf to get some exercise to be able to enjoy those turkey sandwiches later.

My team finished the fertilization of the the tees and fairways yesterday and we are continuing to work on the greens.  The last of the minor repairs should be done by day's end along with the spraying of wetting agent on the greens.

Fairly, simple day today thus no new projects until discussions can be made with the Green Committee and Board.

Happy Thanksgiving

To one and all Happy Thanksgiving from the maintenance team.

Today is a short day for my team to get the course done in time for the members to enjoy and my team to spend time with their families.  We will be continuing to fertilize the the tees and fairways today and should be finished by tomorrow morning.

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is the time for family and friends to gather to enjoy each other's company and good food.  It is also a time to give thanks for all of the good things that have occurred over the year.  I hope you join me and my family in giving thanks to another wonderful year here at Avondale.  Be safe and be happy.

Last of the Plugging & Topdressing

This morning we will be topdressing the greens with a touch more seed.  The topdressing has two major affects ... first it aids to smoothing out the greens and second, it will speed up the greens.  Since the back nine greens are still our major concern we will be doing them first thus today is a back nine start.

Later today we will be adding some plugs as a repair to the edges of 10 & 13.  This should be the last time this season.

5's Tee Bathroom Project Finished

The flowers are in, the old plants are removed and the DG has been touched up around the landscape area next to 5's tee bathroom.

Thus, this area is completed and the "wash out" issues have been dealt with and should not occur anymore.  Additionally, we have finished all that we can right now as it concerns Dr. Elli home.

More to come later once his yard's landscape progresses.

Short Week Due to Holidays

With the reduced staff this week and the shortened hours we are still planning to get quite a bit done.  The flowers around the bathroom at 5's tee are finished and today between removing more vegetation from that landscape bed and the big bed we will working on leveling & adding DG next to Dr. Elli's home on 8.

We have some final plug repairs on a couple of green edges and we will be done.  Tomorrow, we are lightly topdressing at least the back nine greens and if we have enough sand remaining -- all of the greens.  Thus I will be contacting the Pro Shop today about having a back nine start tomorrow.

I have also notice lots of damage from the golf carts ... please help us give you a great golf course bu SCATTERING.

5's Tee Project, 8's Project and Bird Damage

Sod Addition and Flowers in Phase One of the Bathroom Project

The first part of the re-design of the bathroom next to 5's tee has been almost completed.  The sod has been laid some of the flowers put in and now just waiting for the new irrigation to arrive so we can install.

Before Most of the Work on 5's Tee Bathroom

The next section will start today as we work towards the street which will include more vegetation removal and the last of the flowers addition.  Starting tomorrow work will start on Dr. Elli's slope (which is on our property) to improve the look from the tee of 8.

Along the Property Line Next to 8's Tee

Sadly, this project on 8 will be in work for a while until the the landscape is completed on the home.  But we will continue to improve where we can along 8.  We are also starting to experience crow damage on the greens in the back nine.  We may have to go to straight sand in the repairs to stop them from continuing the damage.

Crow Ripping Out Plugs on 15's Green

Thanksgiving Week

This is the week to gather the family and feast until you can feast no more.  This is no exception for my team as well.  Thus during this upcoming week we will have a person on vacation and the remainder will be on shortened hours to be able to spend time with their families ... and maintain budget too.

To those who are traveling we wish you a safe and successful trip.  To those who are staying we wish you happy times with friends and family.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

5's Bathroom Project

Re-Construction of Area Around 5's Bathroom

The sodding of the the area next to the bathroom started yesterday and we are planning to have the sod and the flowers in by this weekend.  We have ordered a special newly released kind of irrigation head that will be installed in this area that will aid in the reduction of overspray onto the newly slurred streets.

Speaking of the streets and the irrigation overspray we have been addressing this issue around the golf course and before January we will have hopefully completed this project.  Yesterday, we did finish the addition of the bougainvillea around the water fountain structure at 15's tee.

Projects & CC Drive

Projects are normally saved for the summer time but this year a couple of unique occurrences transpired.  With the slurry of the streets there has been a concern about the golf course's irrigation hitting the street and leaving salt deposits.  We have long ago repaired and changed the sprinkler heads along the roads to newer and adjustable trajectory nozzles; however, most of the issues are within the golf course.  Due to the golf course not being a perfect "square" some of the heads in order to get correct coverage and distribution uniformity in places such as green surrounds, tees and fairways sadly extend into the roads as well.  Those are the heads we are currently working on to reduce (not eliminate) our irrigation's contact on the streets of Avondale.  This will take some time to do correctly.

Other projects slated for work right now include the changing of the landscape around the 5's tee bathroom ... this is in work today (also working with the Board and the HOA); marrying of Dr. Elli's landscape on 8 with ours (starting next week somewhat); the redesigning and repair to the big bed at the club house (drawings and cost being submitted to Green Committee for review and approval); the hiding of the A/C unit behind the pro shop (Brandon and Dennis are handling -- using a wall as a barrier instead of plants); installation of plants back where they were removed during the 15's water fountain changes over this summer (should be finished this week); the repair of the fountains and their lights in the lake near the clubhouse (in work); and maybe the addition of a second tier of bougainvilleas above where the "animals" use to be (requires irrigation upgrades).

Lastly, we are continuing and finishing the work to the plants and irrigation along Country Club Drive.  This has required so far this week 20+ man hours but will be completed today.

Work Continues on Greens -- One Step Closer

Today we are one step closer to lowering the HOC of the greens and thus speeding them up.  On the back nine greens yesterday and today we have been working on the plug repair, and this morning we spot seeded them again followed by a light topdressing.  We are almost completed with these tasks.

We have started work on two areas -- Country Club Drive and the landscape area next to 5's tee bathroom.  Every two weeks (sometimes more) we clean Country Club but the last couple of days we are removing any dead plants and trimming back several species of plants in preparation for the winter.  The project on 5's tee started yesterday by the removal of the unsightly plants and will continue with re-routing the irrigation and addition of some sod.  The HOA will be supplying some rock at a later date to match the rock that is around the community.

Repairs, Bathroom, Irrigation & Fountains

The green repairs are almost finished and with a couple more plugs and light topdressings we will start to deal with the speed issues; however, they are rolling still quite nicely.  My goal to be finished by the end of the week looks like it should not be much of an issue.

Behind 5's Tee

The bathroom on the course on 5's tee will be getting a face lift soon.  Starting today we will be removing dying or just plain ugly plants and working on the re-nozzling of the surrounding heads.  The HOA is looking into vegetation and rock for the area and we are looking into maybe some flowers to accent.  This area will be in process for a couple weeks at least but should improve the area for the long run.

5's Bathroom

Other areas being looked at for improvement are the big bed at the clubhouse ... which is getting designed right now, plants to hide the a/c at the pro shop (maybe a wall) and plants to replace the plants that were removed during the building of the structure around 15's water fountain.  Funding still has to be approved.

Speaking of fountains, you may have noticed the fountain on 1's tee has been removed.  The motor has brunt out and getting repaired.  It return should be in a couple of weeks and thankfully is under warranty.

Scatter & Frost

It is that time of year again where the ryegrass seedling isn't strong enough for traffic, yet without cart paths we have no choice.  As the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop, the recovery of the new turf slows.  To help in reducing the damage please scatter ... which means drive where others haven't.

In addition to traffic wear it appears that frost is already on the horizon.  We have had a couple of days so far with a touch of frost but the upcoming weekend appears that frost may delay play.  Please watch out for the low and shady areas when it is cooler.

Veteran's Day

American Flags on the PG

Today is a day I hold very special in my heart and always take moment to say a special prayer for men and women in uniform here and abroad.  I, myself served my Country in the Air Force for 8 years and was blessed mostly with 8 years of peace.  Additionally, unlike my nephew who is in the Marines and just got back from Afghanistan I served my time in the rear with the gear.  Another extremely special member of my family, my daughter, is serving her Country in the Yellow Sea outside North Korea in the Navy on the USS George Washington.

Please take a moment to say a special prayer for our brave soldiers in uniform around the USA who proudly serve their Country and are put in harm's way everyday.  I ask you in joining with me to pray the safe return of guys and gals in the theater of harm around the world.  God Bless our troops and God bless America!!

Working Even Harder on the Greens

Back of 15's Green on 11-09-11

The greens have been improving vastly since the rain we got and there is still plenty of seed to germinate.  They have recovered so much that we have put on hold any sodding and are working solely on plug repair and topdressing.  With the topdressing we seeded bad areas once again.

Front of 16's Green on 11-9-11

Even the green surrounds have been improving ... but does this mean we are stopping ... no.  We are working harder than ever over the next couple of weeks to fully recover these greens and then start working on speeding them back up.

Greens Repair

As many of you already know we had issues on the back nine greens in October thanks to the heat, lack of wind and disease that came with those conditions.  We have repaired them quite a bit but not enough for me to be satisfied so starting today we will be starting the select sodding repairs.  On holes such as 10, 13 & 16 there will be edge repairs performed, and holes such as 11, 12 & 15 there will be plug repairs.

These repairs will start today and hopefully will be almost completed by tomorrow.  But these sodding repairs will not alone fix our issues thus on Friday we will be topdressing the back nine greens (depending on weather).  We went from 10 degrees above normal to now 10 + degrees below normal which will slow the recovery process.  But rest assure it is the most important thing on our list to get done.

Opening Day

It is opening day and it is expected to rain ... figures doesn't it.  This October has been full of challenges from temperature at or over 100 degrees until 10-24-11, to pythium outbreaks and grass loss due to heat thus melting out, to less time to prep the golf course, to manpower shortage, to the street project slowing the team down, etc.

With everything throw at my team they still stepped up and performed their very best.  We may not have the green speeds I would want or the back nine may not be in the condition I like, or even the bunkers may not be finished prepped as I would do in the past, but I could not be more proud of my team and all of their hard work.  If you would have seed the golf course a week ago you would understand their efforts to make the best course they could.

Enjoy and realize we are still fixing issues ... but we will get there.

One More Day

Tomorrow is the big day ... the course will open.

We are still working quite hard on the golf course to get every thing ready for the opening and looking down at the list of things that have to get done still is always so daunting.  Since the weather is cooling down so much in the upcoming week we decided to change a couple things up and fertilize the golf course today to maximize it's effect on the ryegrass.  With all of the hot weather in Oct. the bermudagrass blossomed more than we like, thus to combat it's "yellowing" effect that will come in late Nov. or Dec., we are fertilizing it now ... just love changes but that is the nature of natual systems.

We may not get the entire list done that I would like but we will focus of the keys items to have the golf course ready.  I should note that while we are still repairing some of the back nine greens the height of cut will be higher than our usual, thus slower green speeds. 

Over the upcoming weeks we will bring everything back into place.  We are currently working on raising our staffing levels back to workable levels and hopefully we will be there soon.  Please bare with us during these first couple of weeks and you will be pleased where we are going.  And remember that this is the first year that we had less than 30 days to open thus our window for getting things done was greatly shortened.  Not to mention the disease issues that plagued the Valley & us this year.

Improvements

8's Approach 11-2-11

8's Approach (After pythium) on 10-21-11

We are starting to see some great recovery around the golf course from all of the team's hard work.  The approach on 8 was almost completely wiped out ... and now it has vastly improved.  The greens on the back nine ... well let's just say they improving everyday.

15's Green on 10-24-11

15's Green on 11-2-11

As you can see we are not 100% yet but we will be getting there soon.  12's green is where we have seen some of the greatest improvement after the pythium attack.

12's Green on 10-24-11

12's Green on 11-2-11

We will continue to focus our efforts on improving the greens and they will improve over the upcoming weeks, but sadly the green's speed will not be there for opening day due to the higher cut to allow the seed to continue to germinate.

Today The Practice Opens

Finally you get the chance to hit some golf balls here at Avondale today ... be at the practice only.  We finished setting the practice area up yesterday and continue to work on the golf course to get it ready for Friday's opening.

Almost all of the golf course supplies are on the golf course and today we will finish roping the F9 as well as mark the areas that are GUR ... yes Mr. Bentzen, I marked the golf course GUR areas.  Due to the pythium the rule will be lift, clean and place until we can get all of the reseeding to germinate.

Tomorrow the Practice Opens

We are doing the final prep work today to get the practice area ready to open tomorrow morning.  The CG & the PG are ready and in pretty good shape for the opening, but we still be doing some minor repair on them in the upcoming weeks.

Yesterday, we re-seeded the bad areas on the back nine and today we will be working on the front nine.  As I had the discussion with my team today again please remember to save the young and tender seedling by scattering your cart traffic.