HIGHLAND CC GROUNDS

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at HCC. Spring weather has appeared, disappeared and reappeared!!!! Temperatures nearing 30C followed by temperatures nearing 0C has all of us scratching our heads! Nevertheless we have forged on with our spring preparations for the golf course. As part of our tree management plan we have planted some new trees in strategic areas to increase the enjoyment of the golf course while not interfering with agronomics and playability. We have also sodded and seeded the areas remaining after the stumps were removed as part of this program. Our team is now into full swing with our typical mowing routines. The rough is growing at an alarming rate as it typically does in the spring at HCC. Our operators are working at full efficiency and have a goal of mowing the entire golf course 2X/week. Both of our first cuts being around the fairways and around the greens are also into our routine. We have been working on our overseeding program in the rough as well...

Our spring green's aeration went very well and Mother Nature is helping us along with some perfect weather for recovery. We have applied a variety of fertilizers and a surfactant to help aid in recovery. Part of our post aeration program is to alternate (day to day) rolling the greens and mowing the greens. During the first 7 days after the event the greens will be slower and shaggier. This is what is known as "short term pain for long term gain". We will reap the benefits of this aeration for most of the golf season. Once the sand has settled and the holes have closed up we will begin to lower our height of cut as we move forward with our greens management plan. The greens that we are all used to at Highland will once return from this all important cultural practice.

It is no surprise to our membership that we have had our challenges with our bunkers. Compaction and inconsistent sand depth are the top two. Through a number of discussions with our Greens Committee and Director of Golf we have devised a plan going forward to alleviate the issues that we experience with these hazards. First and foremost we will continue to monitor each bunker for sand depth and condition. The goal is to have 4 inches of cultivated sand at the bottom of our bunkers. Inclement weather can make consistency a challenge as sand can wash out and become to firm at the bottom. Going forward into 2015 we have devised a plan to cultivate the bottoms of the bunkers with a rototilling attachment. This method will help to alleviate the compaction that can occur during wet or rainy periods. The addition of a Sandpro mechanical bunker rake will also help with regular cultivation and consistent grooming of the bunker bottoms. In coordination with these programs for maintenance,...

Our spring aeration of greens is just around the corner. We begin on Sunday evening at 4pm. We will work through the golf course in order, while utilizing temporary greens during the process. The process will continue on Monday. Our goal is to complete the full core aeration, core removal, rolling, over seeding, topdressing and brushing in of the sand before Monday night. As previously mentioned, once the greens are finished we will be reopening them accordingly... Check out this short video produced by the USGA on the effect of aeration of putting surface quality.

The challenge continues....We were fortunate enough to have a few great days of weather...but that has ended quite abruptly! Cold, rain and now SNOW have hindered our progress on preparing the golf course for play. During the 4 day warm stretch we were able to mow greens, roll greens, mow collars/approaches, mow fairways, open the Practice Range, rake bunkers, pressurize the irrigation system, fertilize greens, continue clean up and grind all remaining stumps from our winter tree management plan. Productivity was at a high and our staff has really put forth a great effort. The other very important task that we have been addressing is winter injury. The extent of damage is varying. Our staff has worked continuously at plugging, seeding and repairing as much damage as we can. What we need now is mother nature to step up, warm up and provide some more sunshine to help things grow. As our members begin to play the golf course (once the snow melts) you will see the work being done to expe...

As the weather begins to turn around, the grass begins to grow and the sun begins to shine we are able to assess the degree of winter injury to our greens. Due to a slushy, wet weekend in January we have sustained a certain degree of injury. While not all are effected there are considerable small areas on a number of greens. However, with the help of our team plugging, covering, fertilizing and watering we are seeing some recovery already. This leads us to believe that once consistent spring weather arrives for good, recovery will be accelerated. Please follow along with this blog as we prepare the golf course for another great season...here's to a warm and sunny spring!

All of the inside jobs are winding down. Our equipment service and refurbishment is almost done and we are ready to get outside...once the snow melts of course. At this point the turf on the golf course appears to have survived the winter well. We have not removed any greens covers yet as they are still snow covered in the corners, but from what we can see through the covers looks decent. BUT, we are not out of the woods yet. As the weather continues to play games with us, melting and refreezing  continues to occur. The threat of crown hydration is still there. We have moved any remaining snow off of the edges of the greens, but for the most part mother nature has removed the snow and thin layer of ice that existed, we have just expedited the water to reduce injury potential. We will continue to remove any water that we can in hopes of injury reduction or elimination.