Shawn Major

Course Update – August 26

With the end of August comes the return of studies and many of our Turfcare staff have begun to leave us for the summer.  We would like to thank the team members for their efforts this summer and wish them all the best with their studies.  With the reduction in staff, membership can expect course conditions to change.  We have gone from a team size of approximately 20 per day down to 12 depending on the day.  It takes 15 people minimum to mow all prime play areas not including items like spraying, watering and rough mowing. Bunker raking will now be minimal.  This is a great opportunity for membership to show their course care skills and assist the course conditions by ensuring that you rake the bunker once you have played in it.  We will be lucky to rake bunkers in their entirety once or twice per week moving forward.  There will be few opportunities to rake them ahead of golf and they will become a secondary task.

Details such as bunker weeding, string trimming and hand mowing will be reduced.  These items will become reactionary and secondary to prime play areas.  Rolling frequencies will be reduced and at times we will alternate mowing and rolling practices to accommodate other demands on the property. Greens will continue to be priority and we will work our way through the rest of the property when time allows on other items. With shorter days and cooler weather on the horizon we are hopeful that the mowing demands created by ample August rain will slow which will allow us to focus on other details through the remainder of the season.   

Course Update – August 19

The wet month of August continued with another 1 inch rainfall this past Sunday night.  The golf course is beginning to fall behind in grooming and mowing practices with the repetitive heavier rain events.  This accompanied by the loss of maintenance Monday to the long weekend last week and a large corporate event this past Monday has the Turfcare team behind in many aspects of maintenance.  Greens being the most important we are now well behind in cultural practices.  Ball roll will not be as true and greens as fast as we would like this time of year.  The lack of topdressing, the inability to control moisture means until we have a window of time to resume with cultural practices and get cooperation from Mother Nature we can expect them to be softer and slower.

Rough is growing fast with the abundance of rain.  We are doing what we can to keep up with it.  This week we will be doing laps around each hole to keep the immediate play areas as groomed as possible as we will not have the time to complete the rough program across the course.  With more forecasted rain late in the week we will push to mow as much as we can.  When we are this saturated mowing practices are reduced to minimize negative impacts from the equipment and reduce the amount of repair work required.  Once we have a dry stretch of weather and the ground conditions improve we will regain control of the grooming practices across the property.

Course Update – August 12th

Some very welcomed rain events fell over the later part of the week and into the weekend.  These rains have significantly transformed the aesthetics of the course.  In total just shy of 3 inches has fallen in the last week which is greater than what we had received the entire summer to date.  With the repetitive rains playing conditions and grooming are a little behind.  Greens are saturated, soft and have slowed down until we regain control of the moisture.  Rough has increase in growth rates and we are doing our best to stay on top of it.  We are hopeful for a good week this week weather wise to allow us to tighten up the grooming across the property and set the stage for a great month of August.

Course Update – July 30

A very welcomed 1 inch of rain fell this past weekend on the golf course.  The timing could not have been better following some extreme heat through the same weekend.  Greens have slowed up a bit with this moisture but should begin to firm up and increase in speed as the week progresses.

The 5^th green has now been in play for a week.  We are happy with how the green is handling the traffic and weather variables.  We continue to feed this green more fertility as we continue to establish it.  We have seen some of the weak areas develop which is great.  A reminder to keep rickshaw’s to the rough and cart path and avoid taking it on the collar of this green.  Please continue to repair all ball marks as this will help with the long term success of the green as well as keep playability true.  From day to day we continue to make the best decision for the green.  Some days this green will not be rolled to protect it through its continued establishment.

This past maintenance Monday we applied a light topdressing to greens.  The first few days of the week we battle poor cuts as a result.  As we make the turn to the latter half of the week we should see quality of cuts improve setting the stage for a positive long weekend ahead.

Respectfully,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update – July 22

As we make the turn to the last week of July we are beginning to see the lack of rain fall show across the property.  While the forecast is for some rain this week the poa and unirrigated areas of the property are struggling to retain health.  The Turfcare team has been busy hand watering, applying additional water and setting up extra roller basin sprinklers to assist in managing these areas. At this point the water we apply is not enough and we are in need of a few good soakers. With this, traffic and travel patterns begin to show.  We ask that you keep you cart to paths where possible and do your best to travel in areas of fairways where we are irrigated.

The 5^th green is ready to return to the 18 hole rotation here at Niakwa just 81 days after seeding.  As has been the case in the past there are expectations that need to be managed and etiquette that needs to be at the forefront to ensure the success of this green while in play.  Ball marks have to be repaired.  This is non-negotiable. If you see one fix one!  Rickshaws and walking traffic must stay to the rough and cart paths.  No taking pull carts over the collar of this green site.  At times there will be enter and exit traffic control posts.  If you see these around the green do not enter the green site from that location.  From an expectation stand point this green is rolling well and has been in the range expected.  At times it may not match up with the other greens on course.  This can be expected for the remainder of this season and into the start of next season.  There are some areas of weakness where the green meets the collar.  This is normal and will be visible as you play.  This will continue to establish and will not be detrimental.  As the case has been in the past with new greens, we will balance playability and plant health to the best of our abilities. 

Over the past 7 seasons we have now replaced 8 of the poa greens on the property.  7 of those greens opened within a window of 75-90 days and have had no long term negative impacts.  As has been the case with all those opened in the past, the 5^th green being back in play will provide the majority of the membership with the satisfaction of playing their true 18 holes of golf.  From an agronomic stand point we are confident this green can support golf with smart management strategies and will have no long term negative effects on the success of this green. We would like to thank the membership for its continued support and patience while we established the newest green here at Niakwa and we hope you enjoy the new 5^th!

Respectfully,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update- July 15

This past Monday the Turfcare team assisted Green Bay farms in the removal of geese from the golf course.  This program which is supported by the government saw us capture and relocate just over 90 birds.  Following the relocation of the geese we installed two goose deterrent floating laser devices in the pond.  These units have been used successfully on other courses throughout North America. It is our hope that with the relocation and the deterrent we will be able to minimize the mess on course from geese.

The 5^th green continues to establish.  We are in the final stages of preparations with this green.  We are experiencing some minor mechanical issues as we train the green down which is common.  These areas will recover as they get used to their mowing and living environment.  We are utilizing caution with this last step to ensure we do not see the turf go backwards.  If things continue to progress we are hopeful that this green will return to play later next week around the 24^th of July just 79 days after the seed was placed in ground.   

Course Update – July 8

With the continued drought type weather we are beginning to see a lot of wear across the property in areas where we do not have irrigation coverage.  The Turfcare team has begun to utilize extra hoses and roller basins to run water in areas of the property that do not have coverage.  While this effort helps we are still in need to a measurable rain in the near future to aid in the health and presentation of the property.  We are also limited on how much we can run these additional items with the game of golf.

The club policy for cart users is to remain on paths and in fairway’s when ever possible.  As we continue with this dry weather this policy could not be more important.  Without water areas of rough that continue to be travelled in are wearing down and we are beginning to lose some turf in these locations.  Please read the course expectation’s that are listed in each cart and try to refrain from aimlessly wondering through the rough as you enjoy your round.

Respectfully,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update – July 1

As June comes to a close it was great month for the game of golf.  That being said we only received a total of ½” rainfall through the entire month.  The property is beginning to show drought and heat stress with the lack of rain.  We have been watering 100% in evenings across the large acres.  Greens have been managed accordingly with hand watering.  We will continue to apply additional water when time and resources allow.  If we do not see a measurable and beneficial rain in the near future we will assess our mowing requirements to ensure we are not losing grass through this stretch. 

With the dry conditions we are also beginning to experience many irrigation breaks and challenges. We have a hole open on the 10^th fairway that will be repaired as soon as parts are available this week.  This is the third break in the past week which impacts our ability to water and at times provide the conditions expected. As the ground tightens from a lack of rain we see the tension of the ground impact the piping creating some of these breaks.

This past Monday on maintenance day the Turfcare team applied a granular fertilizer application to greens followed by a heavy water.  The root systems of each green were bone dry and in need of a good soak.  This will have softened greens up and slowed them down temporarily.  With the forecast we would expect to be watering by hand again within a day or two.  This application was required to feed the greens for summer.  It is usually completed with aeration but both aerations were a loss so we are chasing some items to keep greens healthy and playable.  We also took advantage of the maintenance day to vent greens and provide them air.  This practices assists with greens conditions throughout the summer by allow water to penetrate the root zone.

The 5^th green continues to establish.  This week we applied another granular fertilizer.  We also have switched from a smooth less aggressive mowing roller to an aggressive roller which will aid in getting the surface ready for golf.  If the weather continues as is and we continue to see the establishment advance we should see this green back online at some point in the month of July.  We appreciate the continued patience while we ensure the long term success of this green.

Respectfully,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update – June 24

This past weekend the property received ¼ inch rainfall.  While this rainfall was better than no rain we most certainly can use additional moisture to assist with property and drought stresses.  The 5^th green continues to progress.  This week we will be applying a heavier topdress to support the plants followed by some additional fertility applications.  We have lowered the height of cut to .150” which is generally where our greens open from a height of cut stand point in spring.  Over the next few weeks rolling frequency will increase on the 5^th green, we will lower height of cut again and make the switch to an aggressive front roller.  Rooting on this green is excellent already sitting in the 5 to 6 inch range.

Demands on the property continue to ramp up with the prime play season upon us.  We continue to cut and roll greens daily. Hand watering has been priority on greens and throughout other areas to manage the heat and drought conditions.

Thursday continues to be an excellent day for additional course care.  With the gap in the tee sheet to accommodate the afternoon league we have been able to capitalize on agronomic practices in the allotted window of time.  Light topdressing, additional greens mowing, bunker raking and other items are getting completed in the gap which in return benefit all members especially as we are heading into a weekend following this gap.

Course etiquette continues to be less than acceptable.  Bunkers continue to be played in without being raked.  The bunker investment this past fall and spring was just shy of a $300,000 dollar investment.  The Turfcare team does not have the resources to rake bunkers on a daily basis.  It is expected of you the member whether you play in the morning first thing or late at night to rake your bunker.  If you happen to come across a bunker that someone did not rake and you play in it I would be willing to bet it would take all of 1 extra minute to rake what someone else forgot.  This attitude and effort by all will assist in ensuring a positive experience for all members and guests.

Respectfully,

Shawn Major

Course Update – June 17

Each day of the week Monday to Thursday the Turfcare team has programs in place to care for all aspects of the golf course.  Many variables can affect these programs but the main factors are weather and labour resources.  Monday is course maintenance day and driving range.  We work greens programs and mow the driving range interior.  Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are parking lot, clubhouse, putting green and the first tee’s days for trimming details.  Wednesday is the day we tackle bunkers with a fly-mow, string trim, blow and rake.  While these programs are taking place we still have all aspects of the golf course to prepare.  A typical Wednesday if we want to mow greens, roll, change holes, mow fairways, tees, aprons, rough, hand water greens, blow clippings, spray and complete the bunker program ahead of golf we require a minimum of 29 team members.  This season the Turfcare team has 29 team members on the payroll.  We are currently still waiting on team members to complete school and join the team accompanied by the fact we cannot have the team work all days each week means a few are off on Wednesday.  This leaves us in the scenario where the bunker raking will not be complete ahead of golf and there will be foot prints evident throughout the bunkers from the maintenance program.  While we will do our best to complete the rake ahead of golf throughout the season there will be many Wednesday’s where it just will not be completed.  The numbers make it difficult and at the end of the day we will choose high profile areas to be completed for the game of golf ahead of hazards.