Golf Course Update

Spring is here!! We opened the golf course just over a week ago and things are starting to shape up. We were fortunate to come out of the winter without damage to any of the surfaces on the property. This has allowed us to work away at typical spring tasks, as opposed to the last two seasons where we were pouring our time and labour into repairs, etc. Our staff have cleaned up the stump remains from our fall 2015 tree work and we are now in the process of sod prepping the areas. Our replacement trees will be delivered the week of April 25th, to be planted shortly thereafter.
As we move forward our focus will move to our bunkers. Sand will be added and shifted where necessary. Other items on the list of "to do's" is to add irrigation to a few gardens, implementing regular mowing and cultural practices.
For the first week of opening we limited practicing to our range mats as the turf on the tee would not recover quickly enough. As of Monday, April 25th we are now onto the grass tee! So please come out and enjoy your practice facility. To reduce wear and tear on the tee, our staff will continue to rotate the use of the mats one day a week throughout the golf season.
Please follow along with the blog for regular updates on all turf related events. Here's to a busy and productive spring!

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The Practice Range Tee

Last fall we utilized a “new to us” method of revitilization for our practice tee. Our contractor TDS, fraize mowed the surface of the tee to remove organic matter as well at to aid in leveling. The tee was then aerified and seeded to a new variety of creeping rye grass. We chose this type of turf grass as research shows rapid recovery and a low growth habit. We were able to get some great growth in the fall, but the tee is still not ready for traffic and full use. The plan is to utilize the mats until growth has filled in some of the voids etc. We will then begin to slowly set up hitting areas on the grass tee. For a while we will alternate between grass and the mats with a 50/50 ratio of use. Once the grass tee is established and is in adequate recovery mode, the practice areas will be back to normal. As always our membership’s patience is appreciated as we try to improve these areas for use.

Winter is here...

Happy New Year! The winter weather has certainly arrived with sub zero temperatures and snowfall accumulating...We were very fortunate this fall with a balmy forecast, work continued right up to the Christmas break is steady fashion. Our most recent phase of drainage work was completed in due time. Dry and warm conditions made for clean and quick work. Areas of focus this fall were the rough, fairway and green on the 14th, some smaller rough areas on 11, 17 and the upper landing area of the 3rd fairway. Our tree management plan is in full swing with the removals of some dead Ash trees. An important part of our tree plan is to re-plant a more desirable species in these key areas. The trees have been tagged for delivery as soon as possible in the spring. Our winter greens preparation plan was completed in due time as well. We have performed all of our fall cultural practices and winter prep tasks to give our greens the optimal chance of winter survival. In addition to our ann...

Golf Course & Grounds Department Update

During the winter months our department keeps busy with a number of tasks required to help ensure the upcoming golf season goes smoothly. Through the course of the winter myself, our Assistant Superintendent (Paul) and our Equipment Manager (Alan) attend a number of professional development opportunities to further our knowledge, techniques and practices. We are also required to submit all of our Chemical application and Fertility data to the Ministry of the Environment to conform to the Integrated Pest Management Council. Another substantial task is the complete refurbishment of our course accessories, benches and equipment. All of our course accessories are painted, cleaned or replaced to ensure a functional and aesthetically pleasing setting is presented for our membership. Every single piece of equipment is serviced, sharpened and gone over with a fine tooth comb for safety defects, etc. This winter has been far different than the previous two that we experienced. Fortunatel...

HIGHLAND CC GROUNDS

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