MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I have been lacking on my blog lately since my house is full with my daughters.  In these times of uncertainty there one and only (well really two) things you can count on ... first of course is God and the other is family ... I have been blessed with both.

I am hoping that everyone is getting ready for the big day coming next week and remember the importance of the gifts that have been given to us. 

God Bless Everyone and Merry Christmas!

FROST

Well it finally happened ... hard frost.

We knew that sooner or later that this day would be here where we would experience our longest delay we have had since last year.  Please help us by not driving or walking on the golf course until it is opened. 

Please check with the Pro shop before entering the golf course.

Cold Weather

Cold weather is upon us with temperatures dipping into the low 40's even high 30's.  So far no frost but that can easily change thus we are asking that you please check with the Pro Shop before entering the golf course.  This will reduce the potential of long-term damage.

The one piece of good news is that the roughs are back under control and should stay there for quite some time.  We even are finding some time to address some of the details that we had to put on the back burner during the time of heavy growth.

Ladies Team Play -- 5 Days After Opening

On Nov 12, 2012, five days after opening the golf course we had our very first 18 hole shotgun on Nov 17, 2012 for Ladies Fall Team Play at 8:30 am.  This was unusual to have an event so close to the opening of the golf course especially after the opening week was during a reduced staff due to the holiday and the first time we opened on a Wednesday vs a Friday as we have done for the past 40 years. 

So why do I bring this up after a month since the event - well yesterday it was brought to my attention that there have been some e-mails about the divots on the range from the opening weekend.  Now I will admit I haven't seen these e-mails so their exact content I do not know ... but I would like to discuss that day to get everyone on the same page.

Historically, and every time before this event when we have a 18 hole shotgun on a Monday we save the practice area (except the putting green and chipping green) until after the shotgun starts.  There are several reasons for doing this such as allows my team to focus and prepare the golf course on time for the event (since on Mondays we preform an entire mowing including tees, fairways and approaches), and also to pull a majority of the team off the field and to the practice to be out of the way for the ladies or the event.

The plan was working perfectly, and we included several extras for the ladies such as rolling the greens, painting the cups with hole-n-white, blowing clippings of the greens and their surrounds, ensuring the bunkers were correct, checking sand and see divot boxes, and the list goes on and on.  The good news is that a the golf course was prepared on time and to the 10 to 15 groups I spoke to they loved the conditions ... even after only being opened for five days.

Sounds great?  Well not everything was that smooth.  The golf course may have been fantastic but at 8:45 am I received a call from the GM stating that their were several upset about divots on the DR tee complex (by the way the sweeper was on route to clean as planned).  Being that the last time I was near the practice area was at 5:30 am (in the dark) I went over immediately to check out the issue ... and sure enough there was excess divots.  We handled them and the practice area as planned and made a change to our normal routine from hence forward.

Well I hear the e-mails keep flying blaming me for the whole thing.  My question is simple ... where was everyone else?  With shortened staff levels, holidays, etc. it would be nice if the team (including the members) helps in anyway possible to showcase our product.  I will admit that I was focusing on the golf course and its showing, and never returned to the practice but several others were there before the ladies team play appeared.  One quick phone call from anyone would have made us shine especially considering we just opened after overseed.

So please, if there issues you see (anyone) that can make Avondale be better, do not hesitate to contact me directly and immediately.  I am only one set of eyes with what I think is important to get done and being human I will not see everything.  As a team ... great things can happen.  Knowing what is wanted aids us in giving those things.

Foliar Fertilizing, Spot Seeding, Etc.

This morning we are foliar fertilizing the fairways with potassium nitrate and iron sulfate to improve the tillering and color of the turf.  Our goal is to be completely done long before the membership comes out to play.  With the cooling weather on the horizon this will be one of the last foliar applications in Dec.

Almost Lost Ernie in the Rough

As the weather cools we are finally getting back on top of the roughs since the growth rate is slowing down.  Thus instead of just pushing the turf over we are getting cleaner cuts.  The good news is that by week's end we should be back on top again ... barring any unforeseen issues or equipment problems.

Just Kidding - This Was Around a Tree -- Ernie Was Found

The spot seeding will continue again today in some traffic worn areas and turn areas around the golf course.  We usually continue this touch up seeding until mid January at which point the bermudagrass comes back into play.

Lastly, the framing on the walk way going to 5's bathroom should be removed today and the area will be cleaned up and prepped for the upcoming weekend.

Working with Mother Nature

Avondale Golf Club contains 117 acres of turfgrass of which 31 acres are tees, fairways and approaches; and 3.0 acres are greens.  This means that there are 83 acres of roughs that contain our signature trees that prevent quick and easy mowing.  So breakdown this problem especially during this time where Mother Nature is warmer than normal thus turf growth is optimum.

On Saturday and Sunday, the half the team comes in for a quick mow and go which includes three greens mowers, one set up person, two bunker team members and a supervisor - or seven of the 14 total team members working on the GCM team.  Since these team members glean no OT they have to have a day off during the week, except the supervisor which means an average 1.2 person reduction during the week.

On Monday, Wednesday & Friday we mow and maintain the tees, approaches, fairways, and practice area all before play has a chance to catch us thus on those days we only have one of the weekend team members off thus leaving the crew size at 13 ... but with keeping in budget one team member must be on vacation almost every week, thus this number of crew is dropped to 12.  In the first four hours of the day we will have three greens mowers, two tee / approach mowers, two bunker guys, one set up person, two fairway mowers, a clipping removal member, one collar mower (also mows nurseries and small tees) and supervisor (usually helping in one form). 

So on M, W, F we get four hours for three rough mowers and two bank mower in best case scenarios.  Not including moving obstacles such as ropes and stakes, signs, etc. a average bank mower can mow 5 ft swath at 3 mph for four hours or 7.3 acres (14.6 acres for two).  A rough unit can mow a 12 foot swath or 13.1 acres (39.3 acres for three units).  Thus this 53.9 acres per day sounds great and makes it appear at first glance that within 2.2 days we should have the roughs mowed.

So why isn't this true that the roughs are mowed perfectly?  Well the numbers above do not count travel time to and from the next area to be mowed; care and cleaning of the machine; is the machine even working (two of our rough units are over 13 years old); moving ropes & stakes and replacing them, cutting around trees and roots, and the best reason - not interfering with the play.  Thus our best case we can mow the roughs in their entirety within 2.6 days or about twice per week.  But I should note that this doesn't include shotguns, ladies events, special events, and all of those things that occur in season.

Right now with the growth being at an average of 0.5 inches per day or 3.5 inches per week quite often we will have to double mow areas since the first pass usually pushes the turf down since it hasn't thicken up thus our current rate of completing the roughs is 1.5 times per week ... this means by the time we have returned to a given area the grass has grown around 1.5 to 2.0 inches.

Walk Way, Fertilization & Trimming

Pat Kelly & Virginio finished the walk way to the bathroom on 5 yesterday and later this morning the framing should come down.  With ladies day today they should be the very first to utilized this new walk way.

This morning the fertilization of the fairways continues with an application of 21-7-14.  This will be the last granular application for this December, and there will only be two more foliar applications remaining.  One of which will be the Thursday, and the second foliar application is slated for the upcoming Monday.

The tree trimmers are on the final leg of the trimming and could easily be finished today.  As always I haven't heard one complaint thanks to their professionalism and their ability to work around play.

5's Bathroom Walking Path

Pumping Concrete to the Top Half of the Walkway

Today is the big pour of the walkway going from 5's tee to the bathroom and down to the road.  This project has been planned for years but with the HOA working on installing a new wall along Sweetwater it finally came to fruition.

Virginio Stomps Down the Wire Mesh for the Walkway

This will be a nice addition to the golf course and will look so much better than the old gravel walkway.  Additionally, this morning we are fertilizing the greens and with the cooling weather getting ready to finally cutback the water.

11's Green 12-10-12

Tree trimming is nearly a conclusion and looks great.  By Wednesday the project will be finished. This trimming not only reduces the weight in the branches of the trees but also allows light to reach the turf.

3+ Foot Hive of Bees About 25 Feet from the Ground

A word of caution ... on the right side of 11 along the property line there is a quite large hive of bees.  We discovered them as we were trimming and will shortly have them removed.  So far no one has seemed to notice them but still they can be dangerous.

What is with This Weather Lately

It is difficult to believe it is December with the temperatures outside being so fantastic.  I cannot recall a year since I have been in the Valley with the darn near perfect golfing weather.  From the lack of winds caused by the storm fronts blowing through to the higher than normal temperatures ... great for growing grass, and great for the golfer as well.

The only drawback is that normally during December the weather allows the maintenance team to catch up on details and get everything ready for the high-season.  Instead, this year we are still mowing heavy, still irrigating heavy and in general putting most to all of our inputs in just keeping the golf course ready for play.

71 Years Today

Sixty-one years ago today Pearl Harbor laid silent until waken by dive bombers and attacking zeroes.  Having stood above the USS Arizona in the harbor knowing there were still the seaman inside who never saw it coming you realize the sacrifice that our young in uniform do everyday to keep peace in the world ... or the best they can.  This day will always live infamy.

6's Green in the Morning Light

Yesterday we finished up the granular fertilization and touched up areas worn down by traffic with seed.  Basically, we put down an additional 1,800 pounds or almost a ton of seed to help make our golf course flawless ... or as close as possible considering that it is a living system.

Today, we are finishing up the cart paths and the roughs.  Also we will be getting ready for the weekend as well.  With the holidays right around the corner some of the team will taking some well deserved time off while the others will be working reduced hours to keep payroll in line.  December and the first week in January are always challenging times to get things done but we always seem to finish ... but to help us please put a small prayer in for cooler weather.

12's Green Before Mowing

This warmer than normal December has been fantastic for turf growth, but a nightmare for getting back on top of it.  We always have a major flush in growth after the overseeding due to all of the nutrients applied to aid in the fill in, but normally the weather and temperatures drop allowing us to get back on top and stay there ... well this year has been a different story.  Even with at times sending four rough units and two bank units we have barely been able to stay at even.  Don't worry we will get there again and soon.

Tree Trimmers Working on 17

Tree trimming of the big trees started yesterday and is expected to finish sometime next week.  This is a big job but luckily our trimmers have been servicing the golf course for years and are experts in staying out of the way of our membership.

Along 16 Fairway After Trimming

Fertilizing Today

10's Green in the Still of the Morning

Today we will be fertilizing the fairways and tees with 9-9-9 super iron to not only aid in the tillering and filling in of these areas but to also add some much needed color to the ryegrass.  As the ryegrass grows it takes up nutrients thus quickly depleting the soil -- the foliar applications address the leaf color while the granular like today's application allows the turf to maintain this color.  Additional to the once granular and once foliar applications per week, we continue to add fertilizer (non-staining) during the nightly irrigation.

Eucalyptus Tree Staled for Trimming

Starting yesterday we started the trimming of the eucalyptus trees to aid in the reduction of the branch weight ... thus reducing limb breakage.  We are only doing 30 trees this year and should be finished by week's end next week.  So when you see the red or white ribbons on the trees it is not for there removal just to show the tree trimmer which trees need to be done.

11' Green Looking Quite Fine

With all of the topdressings and rolling of the greens they are almost exactly where I want them.  We have been rolling 10 for a couple of weeks now and they are rolling true ... but I have a couple minor flaws I am still addressing.  Also very soon we will be starting the gash-b-gone ball mark (pitch marks) recovery program.  This will expedite the recovery of the ball marks that have been improperly repaired on now at all.  For the proper procedure on ball mark repair reference our many signs around the golf course.

Rope & Stake Reduction

We started last week and hopefully should finish this week reducing the amount of ropes and stakes around the golf course.  The one critical aspect to this reduction and the health and safety of our turf is to take the path less driven and SCATTER.  The quick and short route can lead to damage within one to two days as evident on holes such as 1, 2, & 14 to name a couple.  So please help us maintain fantastic course conditions and drive somewhere where no one else has.

Wear Patterns Near 12's Tee

This reduction in ropes and stakes will greatly aid in our maintenance of the roughs.  And with the weather pattern we have been in for the past three weeks of 10 degrees greater than normal temperatures the roughs have been growing faster than we can mow.  The good news is the weather is cooling back down this weekend which will allow us to catch back up and stay ahead of the turf.

13's Green -- What A Beautiful Day

Additionally, reducing the ropes and stakes will free up a person who now spends a greater part of the day just shifting the ropes to reduce wear patterns and keeping the ropes out of the mowers way.  This means that we can focus this time towards detail items.

On this Friday we will be pouring the concrete on the new path going from the road and tee to the bathroom on 5.

No More Photos for a Bit (Updated 12-6-12)

The last couple of posts you may have noticed I have been unable to post any photos.  Well for now this is true since I have utilized all of the space given in the hard drive of the blog.  I have e-mailed them to discuss options and hopefully soon will be able to post pictures soon.

Today, we are foliar applying fertilizer to the fairways to promote growth and fill in.  Also slated for this week we have another granular fertilizer application and some spot seeding in traffic worn areas and just in weak areas in general.

Yesterday, Mr. Clapper, the Green Committee chairman, and I drove the golf course and discussed a few issues and concerns.  The first issue has been the abundance of bees in the carob trees.  Recently, on holes 9 and 14 the carob trees have been a "buzz" with bees feeding on the blooms.  Bees like humans like the chocolate flavors that come from the carob trees but thankfully they are posing no harm at the present moment.  Second concern was the weaken areas such at the start of 2's fairway and the "lines" still remaining from the overseeding. 

As far as the weaken areas after further investigation it was determined that these areas were located mainly in the concentrated traffic areas and are recovering slowly.  We will and have been putting additional seed in these areas but if you as the members will help us by scattering the recovery will come quicker.  I have heard we applied less seed this year but let me assure you we have not ... so far the fairways have 1,260 lbs of seed per acre not including the additional 3,200 lbs we have put down in weaker areas.  The main reason we differ from most in the Valley at this time of year is because we lack wall-to-wall cart paths that most golf courses force you to remain on until Thanksgiving ... thus improving their quality of turf before cart traffic.  The good news is that as always in January we look better than most of them.

Rows in Question are Along the Right Side of the Picture

The last thing that Mr. Clapper and I looked at was the last few remaining "rows" from the overseeding process.  It has been only seven weeks since we finished up the overseeding and six weeks since that seed has germinated.  As the newly grown in turf finally tillers these areas will be completely gone.  December, thanks to shortened daylight and cooler temperatures is the time of year that ALL golf courses in the Valley look their worst -- hence the term given by Valley superintendent's December Gloom.  The good news is that the conditions will improve day after day as the Primo we applied on Nov 1st and the bi-weekly applications continue strengthen the turf.

Season Projects

Normally, we do not do projects during the season but as with most things anymore normal doesn't apply when items are requested.  Thanks to the generosity of a couple of members lantanas and grasses were purchased and given to the golf course for planting in areas such as the bed next to 7's tee (formally roses) and the big bed at the clubhouse.

Additionally, we are prepping the walk way going to 5's bathroom to convert it from gravel to concrete.  This upgrade has been discussed for years but finally is on the forefront nearing fruition.