A Look At Our Operation

A couple of weeks ago we shot a video that is being done for the club's website that shows my staff in action as well as explaining our current green renovation project.

This video gives great information about our operation in addition to explaining the detailed steps involved in the renovation process of the putting green. These steps are explained and also insight is given as to why we are trying to eliminate Poa Annua from our greens. 

 The company that is doing our video production is called Oswego Creative and they do great work check them out Here

Sustainability and Subjectivity

Here is a very interesting video from Dr. Larry Stowell from Pace Turf that talks about how golfer perceptions can can effect profitability.

The Future is Here.

Here is some great technology being put to work. Pretty soon I won't have to worry about my staff calling in sick. Now if we could just retrofit a snow blower on it, we would be set year round.

The Benefits of Turfgrass

With all the snow on the ground right now it is hard to believe that the golf season is not too far away. As the days are beginning to get longer the thoughts of green grass are once again filling my mind.

Here is a great video about turfgrass that most people do not even think about.

Turf Slapped

A Golf Course Superintendent could only wish.......

Watch The Video

The wear and tear on the golf course continues to mount as another summer month has come to an end. The Golf Shop has put together a GREAT!!! video that shows the correct way to care for the golf course while your out playing. I would personally like to thank The Director of Golf George Kahrhoff and Assistant Golf Professional Brian Nishi for taking the time to put together this great teaching tool. This goes to show that the Golf Shop and Golf Course Superintendent can work well together.

Whats In My Cart

Earlier in the year Epic Creative came out to shoot pictures and video on the golf course as a follow up to see how the Bentgrass fairway conversion is doing.  Epic originally came out in 2007 to first document the success we were having with our Bentgrass fairway conversion.

What started out as a photo shoot and interview went horribly wrong when they asked me to show them whats in my cart. As you can see it has a lot of things that are needed on a moments notice on the golf course.  My cart is kind of a mobile office, tool box and trash can all rolled into one.

The video can be found Here enjoy.

Aerification Information

With aerification coming next week I found this great video that explains in detail the importance of aerification to golf course greens in particular.  This process holds true for all of the play surfaces, but is most critical for maintaining healthy greens. I hope you can take the time to watch the entire video.  

Is Spring Ever Coming?

I am beginning to wonder if we will ever warm up and start to get active growth of the turf.  The moisture we have been receiving in the last couple of weeks is great, but if soil temperatures do not increase growth will not take place.

We have started to green up but that is it.  We are still mowing in a modified (reduced) schedule of what we would normally be doing this time of year because of a lack of growth.  Soil temperatures are still in the upper 40's and peaking out in the low 50's durring the day when ambient temperatures are at their highest.  It seems like when we start to make positive steps in warming up the soil, we are thrown off track once again with unpredictable weather. A perfect example of this would be that yesterday we had a high temperature of 74 and today we have not gotten any higher than 39 degrees with snow coming down.

Enjoy the video below that shows today's wonderful working conditions.

Mainline Installation

The installation of the HDPE mainline pipe is very different, due to the nature of how the pipe is connected (fused) together.

Traditional PVC pipe is very rigged and cannot easily be handled which requires connecting each 20ft section at a time down in the trench. Additionally when obstacles are encountered that require a slight direction change, fittings such as a 22 or 45 degree must be used.

HDPE is a highly flexible and durable product that can be easily bent to follow contours during installation that eliminates the need for minor directional fittings. The product can be a little more difficult to install due to the weight of the material, which changes traditional installation techniques. Unlike PVC large sections of HDPE pipe (200-400ft) are commonly fused together outside the trench and then are placed in the trench as the excavation moves down the line.

The most difficult part of this process is getting the pipe in the trench which requires the use of heavy equipment to do so. On the 16” pipe we are using each 40ft section weighs nearly 1000lbs each.

Below is a video that shows how a large section of fused pipe is installed into the open trench

Tee 2 Green Video

Check out this video success story from Tee 2 Green that profiles myself and The Country Club at Castle Pines Bentgrass fairway conversion.