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March Update...

It is hard to believe that one year ago we were getting ready to open the golf course by this weekend. It is amazing how different the weather can be from year to year. As the snow started to melt last week we were able to evaluate most of the turfgrass from a visual standpoint. We are happy to report that there is very little disease activity on all playable areas. The greens that we can see are looking good as well, but we are not out of the woods yet. Ideally we would like to see the snow melt slowly and the temperatures warm up slowly as well (as opposed to a warm/cold/warm/cold trend). This would allow us to remove the covers and be confident that colder temperatures are done for the spring.
Below I have included my Superintendent's update from our March Green Committee meeting.

Late fall and Winter Activities-
Bunker work- Greenside bunkers on #5, #10 and #13 have been relined with Bentofix and re-sodded. The bunkers will remain out of play until the sod had knitted and can handle play and traffic.

Tree work- A few small insignificant trees have been removed to open up areas for growth of other native species. In some instances, 3 non-native pines were removed and one native deciduous species was planted through the donation program.
Equipment Service- Our mechanic has been very busy servicing and sharpening all of our mowing and daily use equipment throughout the off season. This process takes up to 3 months to complete.

Course Accessory refurbishing- Our Assistant Superintendent, Paul has been cleaning, sanding and painting all of the course accessories. This is a tedious and labourious task.
Parking lot maintenance- Paul and I are responsible for snow removal and ice issues in the parking lot throughout the winter months. This year has not been too bad, but has required some attention.

Building our Team- This season we are experiencing approximately a 20% turnover. This is not uncommon in seasonal golf course departments. Some of our long time employees have graduated from University and moved on to career type positions. I have been interviewing and researching proper candidates to complement our team for the 2013 season. At the time of this post, our team is hired and ready to go.
Integrated Pest Management- Every season we are required by law to submit all of our cultural, chemical, fertilizer and training records to the IPM council of Ontario for review. This process was completed by the deadline in good order. Highland is now fully certified in IPM and is now only required to maintain our certification through submission, etc.

The forecast for the next two weeks is for cold and possibly more snow. Which certainly isn't going to help to get the season of 2013 started up soon! Please check back to this blog for updates and notices about happenings on the golf course. We are as anxious and excited to get the golf course open and playable as you, our members.

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