Course News

Bunker Maintenance Update

The bunker maintenance project wrapped up for the fall this week with the inclement weather.  The team from Goodwin Golf made great progress this fall.  They were able to complete the excavation and removal of bunker sand from all bunkers on course.  They completed the edging and removal of this material on all bunkers on course.  To date we have installed sand piles in all green side bunkers and have a some fairway bunkers with sand piles in them as well.

As we look to the spring we will still require a few weeks of good working weather to complete the full maintenance program. We have yet to complete drainage flushing and any required repairs through most of the fairway bunkers.  Once this is complete these bunkers will have the floor tamped to smooth and then the sand will be installed.  Sand needs to be spread across bunkers and depths checked followed by a plate tamp to set the sand for play.  We are hopeful that we will be able to complete much of this required work ahead of opening next spring.  Weather will be the factor that dictates when we can resume and how quickly we can complete this project.  There should be no concerns on completing this process ahead of the end of May 2025. 

We would like to thank the membership for its support as we look forward to resuming and completing this process which will revitalize Niakwa’s bunkers for its membership and guests to enjoy.

Bunker Maintenance Update

Great progress continued in bunkers this past week.  We have only a few fairway bunkers in need of excavation remaining.  All green side bunkers have received their new sand and we have begun to deliver sand to some fairway bunker complexes.  With the colder overnights we have had to halt flushing the drainage system.  This work will continue in spring to ensure our bunkers are draining properly.  Our goal will be to complete the excavation works remaining this week and to hopefully haul out all contaminated materials by weeks end.

This will be the last week that we see bunker work take place this fall.  We are beginning to lose efficiencies with frost/ frozen ground each morning followed by minimal working daylight hours.  Heading into spring we are in a good position with this project.  We will be able to disperse the sand piled in bunkers.  Once this is complete the bunkers will be plate tamped and ready for golf.  We have minimal drainage works remaining and will need to haul sand to fairway bunkers only.  This winter the bunker sand will be stored in the back parking lot.  This is allowing us to avoid road restrictions and inflated costs in spring and it is also keeping the sand on a clean solid surface to avoid contamination.

Weather dependent we expect that we can complete the work remaining in bunkers in about 21 working days.  We are hopeful that we will be able to resume this process sometime in April next spring. While we can expect some work to continue once the course opens we are confident that this process will be completed well within the projected time line in advance of the end of May.

Bunker Maintenance Update

On Monday November 4^th the Turfcare team along with some great member volunteers completed the flax installation to protect the poa greens through winter.  It was a great day for applying the flax and we would like to thank the members who dedicated the day to assisting us with this annual process.  Your efforts were greatly appreciated.

Bunker maintenance continues to progress this fall.  We have begun to drop piles of sand in the green side bunkers on the back nine with the front nine having all sand placed.  Excavation of all green side bunkers will be complete early this week and work has already begun on fairway bunkers with hole 1 being excavated.  Once excavated the process includes ensuring that our drainage is functioning.  Once this is confirmed and any repairs required completed, we tamp the floor of the bunker before installing sand.  The forecast looks good to make additional strides with this program this week once the frost burns off the course each morning for work to continue.

Bunker Maintenance Update

The bunker maintenance program continues to make positive stride this fall.  As of today all green side bunkers on the front nine have been excavated, contaminated sands removed and drainage has been flushed.  We had to make a couple small drainage repairs on the green side bunkers of #1 and #2.  This week we are beginning to excavate the green side bunkers on the back nine.  Our goal is to have all green side bunkers excavated by this time next week and complete all drainage works required to begin filling all green side bunkers with sand.

Bunker Maintenance Program Update

The bunker maintenance program continues to make good strides this fall.  The front nine green side bunkers have all been edged and excavated.  The edging has revitalized the aesthetics of the bunkers and will create a strong visual improvement.  This week we will continue with excavation of green side bunkers, begin to remove contaminated sand piles and begin to test the drainage. 

Course Update- October 7th

The first couple of frosts hit the golf course this past week.  With this we are expecting to see the majority of leaves begin to fall this week.  The Turfcare team will be out daily blowing the prime play areas tidy.  We will push leaves into tree lines and begin to mulch. 

There are a couple of low overnights forecasted for the last week of play.  We will be close to experiencing frost on a couple mornings.  If we do experience frost we will look to minimize maintenance as much as possible to minimize the delay to the tee sheet.

Have a great final week of golf for the 2024 season.

Course Update

Above average weather continues to dominate this fall.  With this the demands of the Turfcare team continue to be the same as mid-summer.  We are currently working with 7-10 staff daily trying to maintain the course to the best standard as possible while handling the work load of what generally takes 20 plus people daily in the peak season.  We will continue to prioritize greens while ensuring we make the right decisions for the success of the turf with winter looming.  Mowing frequencies have been reduced as have rolling practices.  It is essential we do not let the weather impact sound fall decisions that will aid in successful overwintering and setting the stage for a successful 2025 golf season.

The first frost will probably hit the course in the week ahead.  A reminder that traffic on frosted turf will cause death to the turf plants.  When we get into frost we will make the best effort to minimize maintenance and get the game of golf going while minimizing the delay. Again these decisions will be made with the best interest of the golf course at the forefront.  Some delays may be longer than others depending on the programs required for the day.

With frost and the month of October we are expecting to begin the battle with leaves.  We will do our best daily to blow all prime play areas free of leaves and keep the course as playable as possible as it relates to this annual fall challenge. 

Respectfully,
Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update

The Turfcare team had a successful start to the aeration program on Sunday evening September 15^th.  We were able to complete removing some material from the 10 greens on course that required it.  Unfortunately the rest of the aeration program was impacted beginning on Monday September 16^th with rain events.  We were able to apply sand to greens then the rain started.  This unfortunately prevented us from completing the aeration program and also prevented us from working sand into the canopy. This week while we deal with the results from the poor weather greens will be inconsistent.  We still need to achieve some turf health check marks as a part of the aeration program to set the stage for winter.  This Monday September 23^rd the course will remain closed for the day while we work to complete the fertility and aeration practices.

Respectfully,

Shawn Major, AGS

Course Update- September 11

This Sunday September 15^th at 2:00 pm aeration will begin.  We will begin with the putting green and then head out on the course at 2:30 pm following the last group of tee times.  On Sunday we will core the greens on course that require it.  Monday all greens will receive a heavy sand followed by a vent and some fertility.  At the same time we will also begin fairway and tee aeration for the fall.  We were not able to complete aeration of fairways in spring with conditions from winter.  With new shallow rooted poa we expect we could see some setback of turf through this necessary process.  The fairway and tee aeration program will continue daily until complete. 

Course Update – September 6, 2024

Over the past week we have been utilizing a new paint for the hole on greens. This new paint was not selected by choice. Unfortunately the manufacturer of the paint that we were using stopped with production early this season. The paint that we are currently left to use takes significantly longer to dry. It also takes a heavier application with the new paint to get a nice white appearance which adds to the dry time. Dependent on weather which can either accelerate or slow the dry time of the paint, the golfers playing early in the day may experience some wet paint transfer to their hands while retrieving the ball from the hole. Please take extra caution while removing the ball from the hole to prevent your hand from touching the lip and preventing this paint transfer. The paint is a water based product that will wash off if it does happen to transfer. We will look into other paint options for next season to try and improve this important daily detail.