Shawn Major

Course Update- June 9th

Some welcomed moisture blessed the Niakwa property over the weekend.  In total we received 1.75 inches of rain.  The course handled this rain event well.  It will take a few days for things to dry out and firm up so we can expect slower greens for a couple days until we regain control of moisture. The highlight of this first heavy rainfall was all bunkers draining and no wash outs to repair.  The heavy rainfall will also benefit the bunkers by packing the sand and firming them up.

Fairway and tee fertility applications have begun to activate.  Currently we have a very camo look to the fairways and this is a result of the fertilizer beginning to be taken in by the plants. Over the next 7 days we would expect the look to subside and see the fairways and tees green up with a consistent look. Tee box aeration wrapped up this week finally completing all cultural practices required as part of spring aeration.

Mowing frequency is beginning to pick up on large acres.  We are beginning to see the large flush of rough growth.  We are actively mowing rough 8 hours per day Monday to Friday to stay on top of this the best we can.  With all the demands beginning to ramp up, we are still waiting on some staff to return to Niakwa.  We will be at our full complement of staff by the end of the month.  Until then some patience will be required as the demands daily are currently out weighing the labour.  Greens will be priority and we will work out from there.

The 5^th green continues to make gains.  We have completed the first roll of this green which is another important step in the establishment of this surface.  This week the height of cut lowered on the green to .180” and will continue to come down weekly.  Please continue to travel to hole 6 using the cart path so as to avoid wear heading towards the 5^th hole.

Course Update – June 3rd

Some welcome rainfall took place on Monday June 2^nd.  The property received .25 inches.  While this moisture was in great need it did have a negative impact on the scheduled aeration day.  Greens did receive a vent which was beneficial.  The other items mainly product applications could not take place due to the moisture.  We will get these applications in at some point during the month of June.  As far as spring aeration is concerned we have only tee boxes remaining.  This will be completed on the next maintenance Monday.

Over the past week we have made numerous herbicide applications across the property.  Weeds are beginning to curl and die back.  There are still areas of the property that are unsightly with weeds but once we mow these areas we would expect them to present much better moving forward.  This program will continue and repeat again in the fall to eradicate as many broadleaf weeds as possible.  Turf health product applications will still remain priority.  

The 5^th green continues to progress.  We are now cutting this green 4 to 5 times a week and the height of cut is beginning to lower.  Bi-weekly granular fertility applications continue along with weekly liquid applications to aid in an accelerated grow in. This week we began to topdress the surface which is a big step in the process of establishing a new green.  We have removed the protective fencing from around the green so we can work more efficiently.  At this time the green does have some stability to handle wildlife. Please continue to avoid walking on the newly sodded fairway, collar and keep off the green as we continue to establish this area.

Rough mowing and details are ramping up.  We have seen the grass accelerate in growth over the past few days.  With the recent rains we would expect a flush of growth for the next few weeks.  Rough mowers are out Monday to Friday every day keeping on top of the rough the best we can.  As for trimming and other details they will continue throughout the week. 

Cart paths are in very poor condition with the recent rainfall and the abundance of watering that was taking place ahead of the rain.  We will look to improve this item on Thursday this week for the cart users.  Please avoid driving around pot holes and water on paths as it causes wear to the areas around it. Please slow down and keep the travel to the path system.

Frosts should no longer be a factor in spring golf but as recently as two weekends ago they still were a concern.  There are many factors that go into a frost delay.  The Turfcare team has to factor in many items such as:

• Plant health
  • What applications are required for success not only today but for the summer ahead?
  • Are the plants frost free, are the plants no longer frozen?  We travel through many areas of the course and we need all areas to be ready for maintenance and golf. Traffic on frosted or frozen turf will cause plant death that can take up to 6 weeks to recover.
  • Shaded areas can remain under frost or frozen in spring until the sun hits these areas.  These areas alone can prevent maintenance from beginning.
• Maintenance
  • What needs to be done to present an acceptable golf course not only for the members and guests of today but for the days ahead?  If we fall behind or do not do something today it does have an impact on tomorrow.
• Two tee start
  • We have to prepare two starting tees for golf. This requires additional resources above and beyond a 1 tee start and time is required to allow staff to get these items completed on both starting sides of the course.
• Golf
  • The Turfcare team is here to provide the membership with a premiere golf experience. Our goal is to get members and guests out as soon as possible but with consideration and respect to the golf course both immediate and long term. We always look to minimize maintenance to minimize the delay but this cannot be done at the sacrifice of quality short and long term.  When we run into repetitive frost delays it can be expected that on occasion the delay will be longer to provide the golf course with what is necessary to continue to be successful. 
• Time
  • The Turfcare team starts work in advance of sunrise especially during the time of year when we deal with frost.  When temperatures are at 5 degrees or less at 5am during the frost time of year, generally by the time the sun rises the temperatures will drop and frost will set in.  It is not uncommon for the Turfcare team to begin preparations to be stopped by frost that sets in with sunrise. 

It is difficult to make the perfect decision as it relates to frost, turf and the game of golf.  There are many factors as described to be considered.  These decisions on occasion need to be made early in the morning for the sake of communication.  Our goal has always been and will continue to be to get the game of golf rolling as soon as possible but ensure we provide all members with the conditions expected here at Niakwa.

Respectfully,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update – May 7th

With the first golf week behind us we hope that you have been able to get out and enjoy your first round of the 2025 golf season.  The course continues to green up and progress as we move into some great spring weather.  Over the next couple weeks we will begin to focus more on details and the game of golf as we are currently setting the stage for a great 2025 golf season.

The capital course improvement projects are beginning to come to an end.  We have completed sod work across the new bunkers on hole 16 and the required sod installation on hole 5.  Our hope is to seed the 5^th green Thursday May 8^th dependent on weather.  Bunkers should wrap up this week with only one bunker remaining to fill on hole 8.  There will be some compacting to take place but we hope to have the membership playing all bunkers and back on the 16^th green as of this weekend.  To note when we open the 16^th green the new bunkers will continue to be ground under repair for the next few weeks while the turf establishes. Please take caution in retrieving your ball and take a proper drop.  Freshly laid sod can cause injury if you choose to play from it.  Please keep all cart traffic out of this area.

Course etiquette is a topic that needs some serious attention and improvement.  The club has made a significant investment in our bunkers.  As a member it is your responsibility to care for these newly restored bunkers.  Please ensure that you rake them if you play in them and please return the rake to the fashion in which you found it.  For your information the first day of play this season we had 44 bunkers open for golf of which 29 were played in and not raked afterwards.  This is completely unacceptable from any member and is not conducive to premiere private golf club care.  Further to this we need to see an improvement in ball mark repair and divot filling.  These are common sense game of golf items that are the responsibility of each and every golfer every time you tee it up.  Hold your fellow members and guests responsible and together you can improve your experience here at Niakwa.  This goes for all times of morning, afternoon and evening play.  We appreciate your attention and cooperation with this as we continue to make Niakwa the best it can be each and every day.

It looks like a great week ahead for some early season golf.

Respectfully submitted,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update

With the first golf week behind us we hope that you have been able to get out and enjoy your first round of the 2025 golf season.  The course continues to green up and progress as we move into some great spring weather.  Over the next couple weeks we will begin to focus more on details and the game of golf as we are currently setting the stage for a great 2025 golf season.

The capital course improvement projects are beginning to come to an end.  We have completed sod work across the new bunkers on hole 16 and the required sod installation on hole 5.  Our hope is to seed the 5^th green Thursday May 8^th dependent on weather.  Bunkers should wrap up this week with only one bunker remaining to fill on hole 8.  There will be some compacting to take place but we hope to have the membership playing all bunkers and back on the 16^th green as of this weekend.  To note when we open the 16^th green the new bunkers will continue to be ground under repair for the next few weeks while the turf establishes. Please take caution in retrieving your ball and take a proper drop.  Freshly laid sod can cause injury if you choose to play from it.  Please keep all cart traffic out of this area.

Course etiquette is a topic that needs some serious attention and improvement.  The club has made a significant investment in our bunkers.  As a member it is your responsibility to care for these newly restored bunkers.  Please ensure that you rake them if you play in them and please return the rake to the fashion in which you found it.  For your information the first day of play this season we had 44 bunkers open for golf of which 29 were played in and not raked afterwards.  This is completely unacceptable from any member and is not conducive to premiere private golf club care.  Further to this we need to see an improvement in ball mark repair and divot filling.  These are common sense game of golf items that are the responsibility of each and every golfer every time you tee it up.  Hold your fellow members and guests responsible and together you can improve your experience here at Niakwa.  This goes for all times of morning, afternoon and evening play.  We appreciate your attention and cooperation with this as we continue to make Niakwa the best it can be each and every day.

It looks like a great week ahead for some early season golf.

Respectfully submitted,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update

On behalf of the Turfcare team we are excited to welcome the membership back to Niakwa for the 2025 golf season.  The course has wintered well and we hope everyone has a great golf season ahead.  The course has gone through some changes since closing in the fall.  Bunkers have been under a sand replacement program, the 16^th bunker complex has been rebuilt and we are busy working on the replacement of the 5^th green which will provide us with another excellent bentgrass surface later this season.

Bunkers:

• All green side bunkers have been completed and are ready for the game of golf.
• Fairway bunkers are ready on holes 1 through 6.  We are working to have all bunkers on course complete as soon as possible. 
• Any bunker without sand is to be played as ground under repair.
• The 16^th bunker complex is waiting for sod.  We are hopeful we will be able to receive this sod early next week.  Please refrain from walking on the soil around the bunker complex on hole 16 as it can cause contamination of the bunker sand and destroy the integrity of the bunker in advance of it receiving sod.  If your ball ends up in the bunker or on the soil please follow instructions on how to retrieve it.  This bunker will be ground under repair for a few weeks until the sod installation is complete and the sod has been established.
• The weather this spring made working conditions at times difficult.  The end result is some tracking and rutting of rough areas where equipment needed to travel to push forward with the required work.  While these areas look rough at the moment.  They will recover and smooth out in time as we continue to maintain and groom the property. There will be no long term negative effect from the equipment scars. 

Greens:

• With the exception of the 5^th green all greens have come out of winter in good condition.
• The putting green still has some significant damage to be repaired from the same vole damage that destroyed the 5^th green.  The repairs to this green will continue and it will take some time for them to blend into the existing canopy.
• Green speeds and consistency will come in time as we progress with spring weather.  Right now the poa greens and the bentgrass greens are being mowed at the same height which will not provide consistency from green to green.  We will begin to separate mowing heights following aeration on May 12^th at which time we should start to see a more consistent putting experience.
• The 5^th green will see the installation of irrigation later this week.  Our goal is to have this green completed and seeded by May 10^th.  For reference the 7^th green was seeded on May 17^th and was opened on July 26^th.  We are hopeful we can turn around the 5^th green as quick weather permitting.  The 5^th green site is also a much different growing environment than that on hole 7 but we feel we should be in and around the same time line.

Other:

• We have prepared many areas on course for sod.  Unfortunately sod is not being harvested in Manitoba at the moment so we will be arranging a load from Alberta early next week.  The area’s prepared for sod are ground under repair.  We will button these up as soon as possible when we sod the 16^th bunker complex and 5^th green site.
• Voles did a lot of damage to the property this winter.  We have prepared the worst of the areas for sod.  There are many areas that will be left and will recover in time.  The damage was not limited to specific areas rather it was wide spread throughout all playing features of the property.
• Cart paths are in poor condition from the spring weather and required use for construction.  These will be attended to as the construction work wraps up and when time allows.  They are not a game of golf items and will not take priority this spring over turf items.
• With the new bunker sand a reminder to all members to practice proper course etiquette.  Please enter a bunker on the low side.  Please use two hands to rake.  Please return the rake to the area it was found. Please take caution in raking the bunker not to pull sand up to the edge of bunker. 
• Driving range will continue on mats until later in May.  We have some range panels still in need of replacement.  Once we have the date for our range climbers to be available we will close the range to complete this.
• There is ample traffic control in place this spring.  With some weaker areas of turf please follow the traffic control this will aid in setting us up for a good summer of conditioning. 
• Over the next couple weeks our contractor will continue to work and button up the golf course.  They have worked extremely hard to have Niakwa in position to wrap up these projects in a timely fashion to minimize disruption to the game of golf.  Please provide them room to work and respect their work environment as you play your first rounds of the year.  The more efficient we allow them to be the sooner they will complete all works required.  We would like to thank Goodwin Golf for all their efforts in making Niakwa a better golf course.
• When travelling from the 4^th green to the 6^th tee box please continue to follow the cart path system.  We do not want to create wear towards the 5^th hole from the 4^th green.
• On course bathrooms are open and ready for use.
• There are many details across the property that need to be attended too.  The focus has been primarily on projects as we prepared the course for opening.  As these projects begin to wrap up our focus will turn more into the details. 
• A reminder to all members that the back parking lot is closed until the bunker project has been completed.  We need the space for semis to deliver sand and for the contractor to work.
• We have a lot of new team members on the Turfcare team this season.  Time will be required for them to learn the course and equipment.  Please be patient as we work through our biggest turnover on many seasons. 

It has been a very busy fall and spring for the Turfcare team out on the golf course.  The changes that have taken place will significantly improve the member and guest experience at Niakwa.  We hope everyone has an excellent golf season ahead!

Respectfully,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update

Course preparations continue for the 2025 golf season.  We are happy to report that the course has wintered well and is off to a very manageable start this season.  The Turfcare team is busy working through many items to ensure a positive opening and year ahead. 

The week of April 28th will see some final items that are required for opening take place.  The most important of these items is the irrigation system.  We have been busy spending many hours attending to numerous issues with the irrigation system that has prevented us from filling the lines.  With the golf course being dominantly poa, opening without water leaves us with the inability to manage wear on the poa turf which in turn can be detrimental to our goals and long term success for 2025. For 6 consecutive seasons we have ensured that we have water available prior to opening and it has served us well with positive seasons of conditioning.

The bunker capital project continues to make progress.  All green side bunkers will be completed and in play when the course opens with the exception of green side on 16.  This bunker is undergoing renovations to improve drainage and aesthetics of the golf course.  The reduction in size of this bunker will also provide a more economical maintenance bunker complex by reducing sand requirements up to 50%.  Fairway bunkers will continue to be filled with sand when we are open.  Please be mindful of the contractors working to complete the process.  We do not expect this process to run much past the middle of May weather permitting.  With this process continuing the back parking lot will be unavailable to members until the project is complete.

With the spring roller coaster of weather we have had some challenges completing some of the items on course we desired.  Turf repairs to areas of the property have yet to be buttoned up.  When we open there will be areas under repair waiting for sod.  We are working to coordinate one load of sod which means the 5^th green and 16^th bunker complex need to be ready before sod can be ordered.

The 5^th green resurfacing project is well under way.  This Saturday April 26^th our irrigation consultant will lay out the irrigation changes for the 5^th green.  Irrigation installation should begin sometime on Monday April 28^th or when our irrigation components arrive.  Our hope will be to have this green seeded in and around May 1^st which should set us up to return to playing the 5^th hole in the later part of July weather permitting.

While we are experiencing a very positive weekend ahead of weather we continue to have frosty mornings that delay course preparations.  The forecast for the start of the week is wet with a -5 predicted overnight on Monday.  We are still dealing with weather variables that have a negative impact on turf and preparations.  We are hopeful that the overnights begin to stabilize in turn allowing conditions conducive for plant growth and the game of golf. 

We are excited to get the golf course open for the membership in the week ahead.  More updates will be provided ahead of opening to members with information on what to expect as the first rounds of the season are played.

Respectfully,

Shawn Major, AGS

Golf Course Superintendent

Course Update

Work has begun on the resurfacing project for the 5^th green.  We have stripped the old poa turf and removed it from the green site.  As soon as we can get some green mix delivered we will quickly move into the final preparations of the greens surface.  Irrigation install for this green is set to be laid out on Saturday.  If all goes well and the weather cooperates we are hopeful to have this green site completed and seeded by May 3^rd.  Other course preparations continue as we work towards getting the property ready for the game of golf. 

Vole Damage on the 5th green

Course Update

Golf course preparations are slowly beginning to take place.  While we have experienced some nice days we have yet to see a stretch of weather to dry the property out.  We continue to wait on frost to leave the ground.  This week the Turfcare team will focus on removal and storage of winter covers and begin with some general spring cleanup.  The capital bunker program has resumed work for the spring.  We are hopeful for good weather in the days ahead to assist with course preparations and the bunker program.

Course Update

The snow slowly continues to melt across the golf course.  Much as it was with the last update, the overnight low’s hitting as cold as -9 on April 3^rd have slowed the encouraging start to spring we had at the end of February. 

We are beginning to see a lot of the turf on the golf course and we are eager to get into spring temperatures that will allow us to begin course maintenance.  While much of the snow has melted we still have a ways to go before we can begin to prepare turf for play.  We need a good stretch of weather to thaw the ground, soil temperatures to warm up into the 10 degree range to support turf practices and the game of golf.

Enjoy the Masters week ahead!