Tree Trimming

We had Davey Tree out for three days to help prune, trim and thin most of the oak trees on the course.  When done by tree experts removing dead wood and thinning out will help extend the life of the trees and make them safer for members and staff to play and work around.  We had originally planned for this to be done in March, but with the way the spring on came so early we missed our window as oaks should only be pruned before they leaf out or after they drop leaves.  

A good pruning should last 5-7 years for most of our tree species.  We plan to make yearly pruning and thinning a priority and we hope to cover 15-20% of our trees in one season.  Such a schedule will allow us to go through our entire tree inventory in that 5-7 year time frame, after which it will be time to start the cycle over again. We started with the oaks (and a few Hickory trees) as they are the most important specimens we have in terms of size, age, their visual impact on the hole and the way they affect how the hole is played. 

Late Fall Work

Some of the projects we wanted to get into this fall centered around restoring the native prairie areas of the course that have become overgrown with brush.  A month of frosty mornings has allowed us to clear out one of the largest and most infested areas of the course: the area between #7 green, #8 and #9 tee.

Here are some before shots...

Irrigation Winterization

Today we begin the process of blowing out all the water from the irrigation lines using compressed air.  It's one of the major tasks we HAVE to complete before the snow flies and is one of the last few mile-markers we pass signifying the end of the 2012 golf season.  

We actually began the process over the preceding 3 days by shutting off the pumps and opening select valves to drain down the excess water as much as possible before the compressor arrived.  We move the compressor to various zones on the course and blow air section by section as we lack a large connection or inlet in or around the pump station that most courses possess. We hope to complete this task by Monday.

Preparing for Winter

As winter approaches, we are beginning the process of winterization.  Today marks the end of on-course restrooms as they are being cleaned and winterized for the coming months.  Next week, we are blowing out the lines for the irrigation system and we will begin to bring in items for storage such as ball washers, tee markers, bunker rakes, sand and seed boxes etc.  

Greens Nursery II

Even with the cooler temps we have gotten some nice germination thanks to the use of the greens cover.  This helps to trap the heat in and speed up germination and establishment.  We will keep the cover on all winter and be mowing in the spring.  Hopefully, we can use this for plugs and greens repairs by late summer or early fall 2013. 

Rules are rules...

Cart restrictions are sometimes put into place to protect the unsuspecting player from entering wet or water-logged turf and causing damage.  It's no fun to call the golf shop and tell them there are cart restrictions for the day but believe me, they are put in place for a reason. 

These are pictures from today (10/25/12) on hole #4.  This time of year on #4 fairway, the angle of the sun has dropped so much that the tree line shades out the left side for nearly the entire day.  This makes small rain events last a long time in certain spots on the course.  I let carts off the paths the last two days with the exception of a few holes (#4 included) and placed ropes and signage in the saturated spots because I felt that this could be the last good golfing weather of the season.  Please understand and respect the cart rules for the day, as they are put in place for a reason.

BVGC in all its fall glory

October at Bull Valley...