GOOSE CONTROL

The coyote cutouts you see on the course are to help us control the geese population. Geese are typically lazy and they will not land where they think they are going to be chased or are in danger. The cutouts that we put out should help reduce the geese population on the course. The key will be to move the cutouts periodically so the geese don't get used to them not moving and determining them as no threat.

TRAFFIC AREAS

We are starting to notice some traffic areas showing up on the course. As always, please follow our cart rules and signs.

A FEW REMINDERS:
Never drive in the natives
Stay on the cart path on all parts threes.
We are always 90 degree rule in our fairways (unless it is too wet). 90 degrees to your ball, exit fairway 90 degrees, drive on path or rough the remainder of the hole until you see cart signs then return to path.

Thanks for helping keep Staley Farms beautiful.

MOISTURE MANAGEMENT

We are watching 3 green pretty closely. We checked the moisture level this morning and it is at 13% volumetric water content. We dont want to see any readings below 10% We will watch it closely. There is a good chance of rain Sunday evening. If it doesn't rain we will be turning the irrigation system back on to water these areas next week.

TRIM WORK

We are working on the native areas. It is best if we cut down these areas once per season to keep the trees and unwanted brush from taking over in these areas. It is a lot of hand work but it is worth it in the long run. It is our intention to reduce the amount of weeds in these areas.

DUST OFF THE GOLF CLUBS

We mowed greens, rolled greens, moved pin placements, and blew off goose droppings this morning. It looks like we have some great golf weather ahead of us this weekend. Please come out and enjoy some golf this weekend.

WINTER PREPARATION

One of the things that Superintendents do behind the scenes is our winter preparation.  Our changing seasons in Kansas City bring many challenges to golf course managers.

IRRIGATION PREPARATION
One of the things that we have to pay close attention to is our irrigation systems.  We have approximately 1500 sprinkler heads tied together with approximately 40 miles of irrigation pipe ranging from 12" mainlines to 2" lateral loops.  These lines can freeze and break if we don't prepare them correctly.  At Staley we choose to drain our irrigation system instead of blowing it out with forced air.  We use many criteria to determine weather our system is a candidate for draining verses blowing it out with compressed air.  I evaluated the system and looked at the presence of drain valves in many of our low areas that enable us to open the drains and drain a fair majority of the water out of the pipes.  Forced air puts some fatigue on the irrigation system and I try to drain if I can to avoid the adverse effects of forced air hammering pipes as we blow out.  Draining also allows us to quickly charge the system back up in the winter months to water turf if we need to.  With 50 acres of Bentgrass we are susceptible to winter burn and desiccation that injures our sensitive Bentgrass.

CLUBHOUSE PREPARATION
Many of you that have been members at Staley Farms for a few years know that we have had some issues with winter pipe freezing at the clubhouse.  We have worked diligently to overcome this problem.  We spent all day at the clubhouse the week before the winter cold arrived draining lines and we are confident that we have our waterlines prepared for the winter.  We invited Doug Mason with Absolute Fire to help us prepare the fire system for the winter cold.  Doug installed an antifreeze loop in our banquet room and is going to add some drainage loops in our bar area that will ensure many years of trouble free winters at Staley Farms.  We are excited to get these alterations completed so we can sleep better at night knowing our beautiful clubhouse is safe from pipe freezing and winter breakage while offering excellent fire protection.

TURF PREPARATION
We obviously completed our greens aeration earlier this fall.  That is a very important fall cultural practice that we do to ensure proper drainage, compaction relief, and soil preparation for next season.  We fertilized greens three times after aeration to help the greens heal from aeration.  Fall fertilization also feeds the grass plant when it is preparing for winter.  The grass plant stores carbohydrates in the root system this time of year.  Proper fertilization this time of year ensures a good spring green-up and a healthy start to 2015.  We also fertilized the fairways, tees, and roughs this month.  We will top-dress the greens when the weather warms up a little bit.  We use strait sand and this will protect the greens from winter desiccation and wind burn.

MOWING NATIVES
It is our goal to mow all of the native areas before the snow falls.  Snow will mat these areas down and not allow us to get the proper cut that we want.  Winter snuck up on us but we think we hope we will still get a few good weeks to mow the remaining native areas.  This is a critical component to keeping our natives as clean as possible.  This helps cut down on the volunteer trees and unwanted weeds that grow in our natural areas.  We will treat this spring with a two herbicides to prepare these areas for the 2015 golf season.          

EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES

I am sure most of you are aware of the recent addition of a few clubs to our Great Life Kansas City family.  Canyon Farms (formerly The Golf Club of Kansas) and Drumm Farm will be part of our Kansas City golf group.  We are excited to add these great facilities to our portfolio that now consists of Levenworth Country Club, The Oaks (9 hole golf course affiliated with Levenworth Country Club, River Oaks, Canyon Farms, and Drumm Farm, and Liberty Hills Country Club.  I hope that many of you are able to take advantage of the golfing privileges that come with your Staley membership.  Please contact Tamera, Charlie, Jeff, or Chris to discuss the advantages that you will have being part of this group of golf courses.  

IRRIGATION DETAILS

We are continuing to evaluate our irrigation system in an effort to water the golf course the most efficiently and consistent way possible.  One of the areas that needed the most attention is the left side of the fairway on hole 13.  The left side of the fairway is shaded and always stays wet while the right side of the fairway is in the sun and wind resulting a much more arid climate growing environment.  The challenge with our irrigation system is that our sprinkler heads in that area are configured with one station turning on two heads (one on the left side of the fairway paired with one on the right side of the fairway).  When we would run these stations it would be wet on the left and dry on the right.  We needed to find a way to water the right side of the fairway more than the left resulting in a consistent playing surface.  The solution to the problem was to re-wire and re-configure the entire control box for hole 13.  This was a tedious process that should result in a much more enjoyable playing surface on hole 13.  We will move on to other areas on the course with the same issues.  We are always looking for ways to be better and this will make an impact.  It is another step toward making Staley Farms the best golf club in Kansas City.  

COURSE UPDATE

PYTHIUM BLIGHT

Pythium Blight has attacked some of our fairways and tees. #13 fairway, 4 tee box, and 11 fairway are the areas that have been hit the worst. I have changed our watering habits to water in the early morning in these areas to try to minimize the optimal conditions that we have experienced int he past few weeks. We have treated these areas with a fungicide to stop the fungus in it's tracks and allow the grass that remains to thrive and fill in the voids.

PYTHIUM FACTS:
Pythium blight may develop when night temperatures exceed 65°F and leaves are continually wet for 12 to 14 hours for several consecutive nights. For this reason, severe Pythium blight epidemics are commonly observed the morning after a late afternoon or early evening thunderstorm in the summer. Daytime temperatures above 85°F also encourage Pythium blight development, possibly due to increased stress on the turf. Excessive soil moisture and succulent foliar growth also favor disease development.

Perennial ryegrass and annual bluegrass are most prone to Pythium blight and can sustain significant damage in 2 to 3 days when conditions are favorable. Creeping bentgrass and tall fescue are more resistant to the disease, but can be severely affected if conditions are conducive for prolonged periods.

DRIVING RANGE TEE

The driving range tee is another area that has been hit hard with the heat and traffic. We have identified several irrigation issues on the tee box. We are working hard to repair these wiring and sprinkler head issues so we can recover the tee box as quickly as possible. We will seed next week and we will determine the best plan for member utilization of the turf tee box while promoting seed germination and recovery for our long fall season. We plan to close the turf tee for two weeks. The golf shop will communicate the opening date to you once we have determined the best plan for fall recovery.

GRUBS

We saw our first grub damage last week on the course. It is optimal time to see the grub damage as they are eating the roots of our turfgrass and we can see the brown areas from the turf starving for water. The most evident sign that you have grub problems is the racoons and skunks dig the ground up looking for the grubs to eat them. We treated our bentgrass fairways, greens, tees, and collars with a preventative insecticide. These areas will be fairly clean, but the roughs have not been treated and you may see areas that the little critters are chewing away at our grass. I will treat the higher profile areas that they are damaging such as the rough on the left side of 8 fairway. You may see a few areas in the bentgrass (3 and 5 approach) but we will treat these areas with an insecticide to manage any breakthrough from the preventative treatment.

If you see grubs at your house and want to treat them, you can purchase bayer grub killer plus. It is available at gardening stores. Apply it according to the label and make sure you water it in thoroughly.

YELLOW NUTSEDGE

This is a nasty little weed. You see it all over the golf course. It is a difficult weed to kill as it has a nut located in the ground that it stores nutrients in and when we kill the leaf blade it is able to regenerate from the nut at a later date. We have it everywhere and we are treating it as we can. It is very expensive to treat and we are focusing on the worst areas. The areas in the fairways and on the tees are not going to be treated until next week as I don't like to treat bentgrass with herbicides when it is as hot as it has been. We will focus on these areas next week and you should see improvement in the next ten days or so.

The weather will break this weekend and we should be able to recover quickly from the banged up turf areas we have right now. A little cool weather and a nice rain will help us more than anything. I will seed 13 fairway in the worst areas and I will seed all of 4 tee box. These areas should make a rapid recovery and we will have all fall to enjoy our Bentgrass as that is when it is at it's best.

MOSS ON GREENS

We have moss on some of our greens.  Moss has been a recent phenomenon on putting greens.  It has really made a presence in the past 10 years.  It is related to many things that we do to our greens to make them putt nice and smooth.   Things such as mowing short, low fertility, rolling, and double cutting all promote moss.  We have been spraying a herbicide since I started at Staley to suppress the moss.

We are going to ramp up the program starting to try to eradicate this nuisance.  I have spoken to many colleagues that have overcame this problem and I am going to take a few tricks I have learned and apply them to our greens.

The aeration program that we have should improve the upper tier drainage of the greens helping us keep this pest at bay.  

I expect to see weekly improvements with ultimate success in a few months.  Once we shrink the moss the bentgrass will fill as it does  with ball marks.

Now that we have moss on the greens we will always treat with a herbicide too keep it suppressed but you shouldn't see any major infestation next year.

HOW MUCH WATER

Water is a critical component to managing quality turf.  Especially Bentgrass and we have 50  acres of bentgrass including tees, fairways, and greens.  All turf requires water and different turf species require different amounts.  Zoysia and Bermuda require the least amount, followed by tall fescue, then bluegrass, and finally bentgrass and poa annua having the highest requirement especially mowed at 1/2" and shorter.

We use different tools to determine how much water the turf needs to survive each day.  We break it down into daily needs and try to supplement each day what the turf requires to maintain healthy turf.  One of the first things we look to is Evapotranspiration.

Evapotranspiration-
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the loss of water from a vegetative surface

through the combined processes of plant transpiration and soil evaporation
(ET is equivalent to and frequently referred to as consumptive use). 
Both environmental and biological factors affect ET. Important environmental
factors include solar radiation, temperature, atmospheric dryness (vapor 
pressure deficit), wind and soil moisture.  Biological factors affecting ET
include type of vegetation, foliage geometry and foliage density.  Paul W. Brown Extension Biometeorologisthttp://ag.arizona.edu/azmet.

On average in the summer months we see daily ET numbers between .10" to .25".  

Precipitation Rates-

We must determine the precipitation rates for our sprinkler heads.  Precipitation rate is the amount of water the sprinkler head  puts out in inches per hour.  Knowing this number is critical to managing water.  We look to the manufacturer of the sprinkler head to find the precipitation rates and other data for the sprinklers.

Calculations-

We know how much water we need and we know how much water our sprinkler  heads put out.  For example if we need to apply .10" of water and our sprinkler heads put out .6" of water per hour we will water 10 minutes to replenish the water loss for that day.

Calculating water need after a rain event can be tricky.  If the rain comes hard and fast sometimes it doesn't soak in.  I have seen a .5" rain event and the turf required watering within 24 hours.  I have also seen a .5" rain last three days before turf needs water again.  I scout the  golf course following rain events to evaluate irrigation needs paying special attention to the mounds and low basins as the two will be vastly different in the water needs after a rain event.  Typically we can go a day or two after a rain event before we water resume irrigating after a rain event.

I use a 4" screw driver to determine the water content in the soil.  I push the screwdriver into the soil paying attention to how much force it takes to sink the screwdriver in the soil.  Extremely dry soil is nearly impossible to get any penetration. Saturated soil the screwdriver will go in with ease.  I target somewhere in the middle.  

Central Control System-

We have an elaborate system that controls our sprinkler heads.  The majority of our sprinkler heads are valve in head meaning each sprinkler head has its own self contained shut off valve.  We have satellite controllers on the course  that are wired to the sprinkler heads.  The satellite controllers have computer components in them that are capable of communicating with the central control computer that is located in my office.  This irrigation control package allows us to operate the sprinkler heads from a smart phone, in the field with the satellite boxes, or from the computer.  The central computer that is located in my office is the brain of the system.  We built the central computer this spring loading into the control system database extensive information about the system including sprinkler head type for each station including precipitation rate, flow rate in gallons per minute, radius arc of the sprinkler head, nozzle type and how many heads are wired to that station.  We are continually editing this database and each day we get a little more detailed in our data entry.  We are now to the point that we are determining soil types for each zone and dialing the system to account for clay or sand soils that drain differently requiring different irrigation needs.  This is a work in progress but we are making progress each day.  Our next goal is to upload an aerial image of the golf course and map our irrigation heads on this map so we are more detailed in our management of the sprinkler heads factoring shade and other components that factor into the irrigation requirements.  We hope to have the mapping portion of the database completed this winter.

Water Flow Management-

Another important task for the central control system is to manage how much water flows through the pipes on the course.  Engineers determine the safe flow rates for irrigation pipes.  They use a rule of 5 feet per second for safe water flow through a pipe.  Our central control system takes this into account when it runs the sprinkler heads on the course.  We have a pump station that is capable of pumping 2500 GPM.  Each golf hole is capable of flowing approximately 200 gallons per minute with the pipe size that we have supplying these holes.  Flow management is a critical and proper flow management reduces irrigation leaks with less water hammer and supplies the sprinkler heads with adequate pressure to optimize the performance of the sprinkler as it irrigates the turf.  

Greens Water Management  

We micromanage greens.  We use TDR meters to manage moisture in our putting greens.  I have used these meters for three years.  They are the industry standard for managing moisture in putting greens.  The meter tells us the volumetric water content in the green.  We test the top 4" of the green and the meter tells us the VWC number.  We know that a golf green that has approximately 15%-20% VWC holds approach shots well and has proper water to air balance in the open pore spaces in the sand based root zone of the green.  We also know that our greens will wilt if they drop  below 10% VWC.  We water with our sprinkler heads to target a 20% VWC each morning and then we supplement the dry areas of the greens with a water hose (hand watering) to achieve a consistent 20% VWC across the entire putting green.  I have followed this program for three years with tremendous success.  Following this program we rarely see greens wilt under drought stress and we have dramatically reduced the need to syringe greens in the afternoons improving playing conditions and member satisfaction on the golf course as we are not interfering with play syringing greens in the afternoon.  

PUMP STATION

The pump station is the life blood of the irrigation system.  It is designed to be very reliable and offer many trouble free years of operation.  Unfortunately during the last rain event we suffered a lightning strike to the pump station damaging the computer control module for the pump station.  We called Clint Gillis from ABA Pump Station.  He is working to determine the damages.

UPDATE- 7/8/3-24
We have determined the VFD (variable frequency drive) is out of the pump station.  This is basically the computer that tells the pumps when to turn on and how many rpm to run so we can maintain pressure and supply adequate water to the course without exceeding the pressure limits of the pipes damaging the irrigation system.

We have developed a work around for the pump station  to get us running water until we are able to bring the station online and operating properly.  It requires us coming to the golf course and manually starting the pumps each night at 9:00 p.m. and monitoring the station as it starts up.  This is not going to be fun but we are pleased that we are going to be able to run water.  

UPDATE- 7/9/2014
We installed the new VFD drive and still have issues.  The PLC (programmable logic control) needs replaced also. This is the entire control module for the pump station.  This will have to be replaced by the factory and it will take a few weeks to build and then we will put it in.

UPDATE- 8/2/2014 
Parts were back ordered and it took longer to get  the PLC than they estimated.  As of today we have the new PLC installed and we should be going strong wit the pump station repaired.

UPDATE 8/5/3024
After some tweaking and adjusting to pressures and settings over the weekend we are good to go with the pump station running at maximum capacity and efficiency.  After 30 days of babysitting the station it is a good feeling to have it online.  I will sleep better at night.

DOLLAR SPOT

You will see dollar spot on our bentgrass from time to time.  It is a fungal disease that attacks bentgrass the entire growing season.  It started this year right around the second week in May.  We will see it all the way through October.  We treat for it every two to three weeks.  It is a fungus that damages the plant from the leaf tip back to the crown.  Our variety of bentgrass (princeville) is very susceptible to dollar spot so we always will be on our toes.

We don't always have blanket coverage for the fungus but this disease will not kill the grass quickly.  It will look similar to the photo above after it has been allowed to go untreated for a few weeks.  We have some active dollar spot on some tees and fairways now.  After we apply the fungicide the fungus will stop infecting the plant and the plant will grow out of the damage in a week or so.  It is more of a nuisance than a serious threat, but if it is left uncontrolled for a long period of time it will kill grass.

FACTS ABOUT MISSOURI SNAKES

It was brought to our attention that someone spotted a snake while playing golf at Staley Farms. I went to the Missouri Department of Conservation website and found the following information about this topic.


Snakebites are Rare

Contrary to popular belief, snakes do not go looking for people to bite. In fact, snakes are more afraid of you than you are of them. As Jim Low says in his Snakebytes blog post, "Snakebite ranks just above falling space debris as a threat to human life." Read his post to learn more about who gets bitten by snakes, when, and why.
Fun to Study, Important to People and Nature

Missouri, with its variety of wildlife habitats, is home to a total of 47 species and subspecies of snakes. The majority (88 percent) of our snakes are harmless.


Snakes are reptiles — a group that also includes lizards, crocodiles, and turtles. Reptiles in general are covered with scales, are the same temperature as their surroundings, and have been around for millions of years. Snakes and lizards are closely related. Snakes are legless, have no external ear opening, and are not slimy. About half of our snakes lay eggs, and half give birth to completely developed young. As they grow, snakes shed their outer skins three to five times a year. All snakes can swim. The internal organs of snakes are elongated, which allows them to fit into the tubular body cavity. Most species have an elongated right lung and no left lung.


All snakes eat other animals and are classified as carnivorous. As noted above, they play an important role in controlling rodent populations, and they also serve as a food source for other wildlife, such as hawks, owls, mink, skunks, and herons. Some snakes even eat other snakes. Kingsnakes, which are immune to the venom of our venomous snakes, will kill and consume them if given the opportunity. Although many of our harmless snakes will bite to defend themselves, usually their bite produces nothing more than simple scratches. Many kinds of snakes, both venomous or nonvenomous, will vibrate their tails when alarmed or threatened.


How to Tell Venomous from Nonvenomous Snakes
Venomous snakes
All venomous snakes native to Missouri are members of the pit viper family. Pit vipers have a characteristic pit located between the eye and nostril on each side of the head. They also have a pair of well-developed fangs.
Note the shape of the pupil. The pupils of venomous snakes appear as vertical slits within the iris.
Our venomous species all have a single row of scales along the underside of the tail.
Missouri's venomous snakes include the copperhead, cottonmouth, western pygmy rattlesnake, massasauga rattlesnake, and timber rattlesnake. The western diamond-backed rattlesnake and coralsnake are not found in Missouri. The most common venomous snake in Missouri is the copperhead. To our knowledge, there have only been two human deaths attributed to venomous snakes in Missouri: a 1933 timber rattlesnake bite and a 1965 copperhead bite.
Nonvenomous snakes
Harmless snakes have round pupils and a double row of scales along the undersides of their tails.
A triangle-shaped head doesn't necessarily mean danger. Although the venomous snakes have a somewhat triangle-shaped head, several harmless species, such as watersnakes, gartersnakes, and hog-nosed snakes, can and do flatten their heads, which can cause them to appear triangular.






Please visit the link below to see more information about Missouri snakes.

http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/common-plants-and-animals/amphibians-and-reptiles/snakes

PAR THREE DIVOT SAND BOXES

If you have played golf this spring at Staley Farms you may have noticed that the sand boxes on the par three tees are not there.  We will not have divot boxes on the par three tees this season.  Our maintenance staff will be repairing divots on the par three tees daily.  It is part of our morning setup routine.  We can do it in an efficient manner adding the perfect amount of sand to make the surface level.  The divot boxes will serve no purpose so we removed them from the tee to offer a clean and less cluttered look to our course.  You will still be able to fill your cart sand bottles from the sand boxes on holes 5, 8, 13, and 16.  

RANGE GRASS TEE OPENING

We will be opening the range tee Friday the 4th of April.  We close the tee during the dormant season for Bentgrass.  High traffic negatively effects the turf wen it doesn't have a chance to recover through seed germination and lateral growth.

We also close the grass tee surface when it is too wet.  When the ground is soft traffic is compounded.  We close the tee to reduce compaction and unacceptable divot damage that happens with wet conditions.

Thank you for your commitment to making Staley Farms great.

WHY DO WE AERATE GREENS?

It's a perfect, sunny morning and you've just reached the first green in regulation. You feel great and you know you're within birdie range. Then, you see them, those little holes in the green. Arrrgh! They've just aerified the course, and it's going to ruin your round, right?

Well, maybe not. Consider the fact that PGA Tour legend Tom Watson shot a sizzling record 58 at his then-home course, Kansas City Country Club, just days after the greens had been aerified.

Consider also that aerification is merely a short-term disruption that has long-term benefits for the course. When you see them, remember that without those little holes, the greens would eventually die.

Like so many things, the quality of a good putting green is more than skin deep. In fact, the condition of a green has a lot to do with what goes on below the surface. In order to keep grass growing at less than 1/8" you have to have deep, healthy roots. Good roots demand oxygen. In good soil, they get the oxygen from tiny pockets of air trapped between soil and sand particles.

Over time, the traffic from golfers' feet (as well as heavy mowing equipment) tends to compact the soil under the putting green - particularly when the soil contains a lot of clay. When soil becomes compacted, the air pockets on which the roots depend are crushed, and the roots are essentially left gasping for air. Without oxygen, the grass plants will wither and die.

Aerification is a mechanical process that creates more air space in the soil and promotes deeper rooting, thus helping the grass plants stay healthy. In most cases, it's done by removing 1/2-inch cores (those plugs you sometimes see near a green or in fairways). The spaces are then filled with sand "topdressing" that helps the soil retain air space and makes it easier for roots to grow downward.

Other aerification techniques use machines with "tines" or knives that simply poke holes through the soil profile. A newer technique even uses ultra high-pressure water that's injected through the soil profile to create small holes that relieve some compaction but heal quickly.

The bottom line is that aerification is a necessary practice. But before you curse the superintendent for ruining your day, just think of Tom Watson.

This article is credited to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America website.

At Staley my first observation of the putting surface I noted the soft surface.  This is likely a result of higher organic content in the top 4" of the root zone.  We have already enlisted the services of ISTRC to help us determine the physical properties of our root zone.  We will ultimately make our aeration master plan after the ISTRC report is completed.  ISTRC tests the majority of the top 100 golf courses in the country providing sound recommendations resulting in superb playing surfaces.  We will base our aeration practices on science and you will see the positive results each time we aerate the greens.  This spring we will pull 1/2" hollow tines on very close spacing.  We are using top of the line aeration equipment to ensure a high quality result.  We will fill the holes with sand and then we will roll the greens multiple times to smooth the surface.  You should be putting high quality greens within 10 days of the aeration process.  We are scheduled to aerate greens on April 6th and 7th.  

Thank you for your cooperation.  Aeration will play a huge part in our goal of providing the best putting surfaces in the city.  

Brent 

NATIVE AREAS

As you can see we are mowing all of the native areas on the golf course. We are finished mowing all of the wide open areas and now we are putting the finishing touches on this process. The final stage of the mowing process is the hand work. We are string trimming all of the high profile areas such as bunker faces and ditches. Once all of this is completed we will apply post and pre emergent weed control herbicides. These will help us control the weeds and should significantly improve our native areas.

NEW EQUIPMENT

We are proud to show off our new Fairway mowers. We purchased two John Deere 3235C fairway mowers. They are not brand new but they are quality used machines that came from the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado. This addition to our equipment fleet will help us improve the fairway playing surface. Thank you Great Life Golf for helping us get these much needed machines into the equipment fleet at Staley Farms.

EQUIPMENT LIFT

We are proud of our new equipment lift in the turf care center. We installed it this week and it really looks great. It will allow Ken to be more precise and thorough with our equipment maintenence practices. It will also provide a safer and more efficient work environment.

SPRING IS HERE

We are mowing greens and cutting cups today. We will be removing the spare cups we cut in the greens for winter rotation today. There is some goose damage to some of the greens and we will be removing the damaged areas with cup cutters this week. All amenities will be returned to the course this week as well. Weather permitting we will rake bunkers later this week.

MELTING SNOW

We are melting quickly.  We plowed the cart paths this morning to try to get rid of any remaining snow drifts.  The golf course is open now so call the golf shop to make your tee time.  There is still some snow on the course and the cups are frozen so the flags won't be in all of the greens, but you can golf.  We will work on the frozen cups in the next few days to try to get the flags in all of the greens.  We will be cart path only until the ground dries up a little bit.  We have approximately 20" of frost in the ground so it will take a little while for the frost to melt.  Once it melts the ground should firm up and we will get the carts off the paths.  Enjoy a little golf and be patient as mother nature brings us out of the deep freeze.

BLIZZARD

That was a real snow storm. I grew up in Iowa and that is how it snows back home. We worked on the parking lot all day yesterday to try to keep the accumulation to a minimum. I am not sure that helped with the wind blowing the snow all night. It took us a few hours to dig ourselves out of the turf care center and now we are working on the clubhouse parking lot. We should have it in pretty good shape in 2 to 3 hours. Please be safe today as the roads are still a mess.

TEE MARKER RECONDITIONING

We hand painted all of the tee markers. We are focusing on the little details that will make Staley Farms the premier golf club that we all expect. There will be more to come as we are reconditioning all of the amenities on the course.

90 DEGREE RULE

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be 60 degrees. The cart rule will be 90 degrees. Come out and enjoy some wonderful winter golf. Please call the golf shop to make your tee time.

THE COURSE IS OPEN

We plowed the snow off the cart paths and the course is open. We couldn't let a 60 degree day pass us by. There is obviously a little snow left on the course but it is playable. The cups are frozen so not all pins will be in the cups. There are no tee markers on the course because we are reconditioning them so please play where ever you like on the tees.