Course News

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.

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