Hmmm, where to begin. It has been a few weeks since my last post, and let me tell you, things have changed quite a bit. The weather has warmed up, cooled down, warmed back up, got COLD, and now it seems that we are going to stay warm for an extended period of time, I hope. The only thing that I can find to complain about is the abundance of pine pollen floating through the air. Oh the joy of spring.
The past couple of weeks have been quite busy for the maintenance crew and will only continue to get busier as we move towards summer. Last week, the crew worked hard mortaring rocks around the newly renovated flower beds and it appears with the work they put in yesterday, the end is in sight. Another new renovation that was started AND completed yesterday was the re-painting of the bathrooms at #'s 4 & 14 to match the newly constructed water cooler stands. With just a few small projects left, we will now be turning our attention to the weekly maintenance practices that are required during the growing season, which includes mowing, aerifying, weedeating, etc.
The golf course has shown more signs of life with the warmer temperatures. Yesterday, we fertilized the fairways and tees to give them a jumpstart into the new year and by next week you should see a major difference in the color of the turf. With the exception of a few week areas, the greens held up well to the winter that we experienced. These areas, mainly the front of # 3 and the back of #13 have been put on a rejuvenating foliar diet that will whip them back into playing shape quickly. One thing we are doing to limit traffic in these areas is to eliminate placing any pins in or around these weak areas for a couple of weeks. We will also cease mowing these areas until we see adequate growth taking place. Weekly small, hollow tined aerifications will take place once we get into more stable grass growing temperatures, which I hope is right around the bend.
Why are these areas weak, you might ask. There are a few factors that have lead to the thinning of these areas and the main culprit being traffic. The problem we run into on #'s 3 & 13 is that entry and exit points are limited to a very small area. These areas are under a lot of stress from foot traffic on a constant basis, compaction occurs, and the health of the plant deteriorates due to shallow rooting. Just something to think about next time you are out playing, when you are exiting a green, try and take a different path than then the one you used to enter onto the putting surface...call it a game within the game.
So as the day draws to a close, I will close by saying I hope that you all have gotten a chance to come out and enjoy the beautiful weather we have been experiencing. I will do my best to get on a regular routine now that we have entered the growing season, but as always feel free to shoot some questions, concerns, even suggestions my way and I will do my best to answer any and all.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Interesting Weather Information
Houston reached 80 degrees yesterday the first time we have seen 80 since November 15, 2009…now that is impressive this far south and gives a testament to just how cold this winter has been. The area has just suffered through one of the coldest winter periods on record and the month of February averaged significantly below normal. Houston recorded its 5th coldest February on record (6.9 degrees below average), Hobby its 3rd (8.4 degrees below average) and College Station its 5th (7.8 degrees below average). Victoria tied for its 2nd coldest February on record! Houston only had 2 days of temperatures above average during the entire month. From the period of Dec 1-Feb 28th (meteorological winter) Houston suffered its 6th coldest winter ever and the coldest since 1977-1978, Galveston its 5th coldest winter ever, and College Station its 6th coldest winter ever. Additionally, at Corpus Christi, the number of days that were at or above 70 in February 2010 was only 4…last year there were 26 with the average being 12.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Is Spring Here?
Well as March has rolled in, it looks as though we will be experiencing some nice seasonal temperatures over the next couple of days. This is the first week in a while that there is no rain in the short term forecast and no hint of any frost delays, YIPPPEEE!!
With the temperatures consistently warming up, hopefully we can wake the grass from the deep slumber it has been in since about late-November. As the temperatures begin to reach more seasonal-like, the soil temperatures will begin to rise, and we will see the emergence of some green, yes I said green, color across the golf course. Believe it or not, the grass is not DEAD, it's DORMANT, and it will come back once the conditions are suitable. As we move into spring, the sun will begin to move more into the northern sky generating more intense sunlight on this part of the world, bringing along with it warmer temperatures. A perfect example to watch for is the temperature inside your car when it is parked outside for an extended period of time. If you were to park in the direct sunlight today, the interior would be comparably cooler than a month from now, unless it is a cloudy day. Try it and see.
Over the past few weeks, I hope you have all gotten a chance to see the new additions we have made around the course, mainly the flower beds. We have done a lot of renovating, removing, and replanting in these beds that have been neglected over the past few years. Due to the flower bed renovation at the clubhouse, we were left with a large amount of healthy plant material we were able to transplant out into the recently renovated areas. Next time you are out, pay attention to the tee box areas on 6, 10, 12, and 13. These were all areas that were targeted as "most needing attention." These new additions should go along way in dressing things up around the course and we will continue to make improvements where ever we can
I will close by saying I hope you can all get out and experience the wonderful weather we are experiencing this week. Also feel free to pass along comments on the blog, I promise I can take the negative with the positive. This is a tool for me to communicate effectively with you as a member, so your feedback will only make it better. Until next time hit it straight and as few times as you can.
With the temperatures consistently warming up, hopefully we can wake the grass from the deep slumber it has been in since about late-November. As the temperatures begin to reach more seasonal-like, the soil temperatures will begin to rise, and we will see the emergence of some green, yes I said green, color across the golf course. Believe it or not, the grass is not DEAD, it's DORMANT, and it will come back once the conditions are suitable. As we move into spring, the sun will begin to move more into the northern sky generating more intense sunlight on this part of the world, bringing along with it warmer temperatures. A perfect example to watch for is the temperature inside your car when it is parked outside for an extended period of time. If you were to park in the direct sunlight today, the interior would be comparably cooler than a month from now, unless it is a cloudy day. Try it and see.
Over the past few weeks, I hope you have all gotten a chance to see the new additions we have made around the course, mainly the flower beds. We have done a lot of renovating, removing, and replanting in these beds that have been neglected over the past few years. Due to the flower bed renovation at the clubhouse, we were left with a large amount of healthy plant material we were able to transplant out into the recently renovated areas. Next time you are out, pay attention to the tee box areas on 6, 10, 12, and 13. These were all areas that were targeted as "most needing attention." These new additions should go along way in dressing things up around the course and we will continue to make improvements where ever we can
I will close by saying I hope you can all get out and experience the wonderful weather we are experiencing this week. Also feel free to pass along comments on the blog, I promise I can take the negative with the positive. This is a tool for me to communicate effectively with you as a member, so your feedback will only make it better. Until next time hit it straight and as few times as you can.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Interesting Weather Information Past & Present
Climo:
So how cold has this cold winter been? Per the NWS the average Dec 1-Feb 15 temp. for KIAH has been 49.1 degrees or the 7th coldest on record and currently the first 15 days of Feb are the 8th coldest on record. More astounding is the fact that Galveston is currently running an impressive 8.0 degrees below average for the month of Feb. By far this has been one of the coldest winters of the past decade and likely for many since the late 1980’s.
Spring Outlook:
The outlook for the March-May period for TX will continue to favor the wetter and colder pattern of this winter. El Nino indicators have shown a gradual cooling of the current ENSO in progress with conditions heading toward neutral by early summer. This corresponds well with above average rainfall and continued cooler conditions. One interesting aspect is all this cold air affects on the Gulf water temps. Temperatures are running above 2.0 degrees colder than last year at this time over the Gulf. With all the cold and stable air in place it has been hard to get severe weather going along the Gulf coast this winter. During such El Nino winter severe threats and tornadoes are fairly common along the US Gulf coast. The combination of poor moisture quality over the Gulf and a very suppressed sub-tropical jet has resulted in all the “action” being out over the central Gulf of Mexico. This activity in this very active pattern should begin to lift northward over the next month, but the colder than average water temperatures may help mitigate much of a severe weather season until the Gulf warms a bit and the cold air intrusions abate.
So how cold has this cold winter been? Per the NWS the average Dec 1-Feb 15 temp. for KIAH has been 49.1 degrees or the 7th coldest on record and currently the first 15 days of Feb are the 8th coldest on record. More astounding is the fact that Galveston is currently running an impressive 8.0 degrees below average for the month of Feb. By far this has been one of the coldest winters of the past decade and likely for many since the late 1980’s.
Spring Outlook:
The outlook for the March-May period for TX will continue to favor the wetter and colder pattern of this winter. El Nino indicators have shown a gradual cooling of the current ENSO in progress with conditions heading toward neutral by early summer. This corresponds well with above average rainfall and continued cooler conditions. One interesting aspect is all this cold air affects on the Gulf water temps. Temperatures are running above 2.0 degrees colder than last year at this time over the Gulf. With all the cold and stable air in place it has been hard to get severe weather going along the Gulf coast this winter. During such El Nino winter severe threats and tornadoes are fairly common along the US Gulf coast. The combination of poor moisture quality over the Gulf and a very suppressed sub-tropical jet has resulted in all the “action” being out over the central Gulf of Mexico. This activity in this very active pattern should begin to lift northward over the next month, but the colder than average water temperatures may help mitigate much of a severe weather season until the Gulf warms a bit and the cold air intrusions abate.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Another Rainy Day
Well, well after 2 days of sunshine this week, what else could we have expected? Hopefully, we will miss out on the frozen precipitation that our neighbors to the north are having to deal with. I figured I had a couple of minutes to spare so I decided to come in and update you all on the course happenings.
Last week we were able to complete our pre/post emergent herbicide applications that have been postponed due to the wet conditions. This combination of herbicides will help control the winter weeds that are existent in the fairways and tees as well as begin to build our barrier against the weed seeds that will begin germinating when the soil temperatures begin to rise. The cooler temperatures have hampered the effects of the chemical used to kill the existing weeds, however we are seeing some slight yellowing, which is a positive sign that the plant is taking it up slowly.
On top of the herbicide applications, we have been hard at work on renovating the old flower beds around the course. Our main focus has been around the practice areas and the clubhouse, since these are areas that get a lot of "eye time", with a goal of completing all bed work next week. When the temperatures become conducive to planting, we will fill the most visible beds with low-maintenance yet highly decorative vegetation.
My goal with this blog is to not only communicate course happenings but also educate the benefits of the many agronomic practices that are performed throughout the year. I will attempt to keep it simple, however, please provide feedback on how I can make it better. If you have questions, don't hesitate to pass them along, it will only help to enhance the effectiveness of this communication tool and it will also help me pick a topic to discuss. If you are thinking about it, there are others who have thought or are probably thinking about it as well.
SOLID TINE AERIFICATION 101
Looking ahead to the next couple of weeks, we do not have any major agronomic practices planned, mainly due to the cold temperatures. However, peeking into March, if the temperatures cooperate, we will begin attempting to jump start some transition out of dormancy. One important practice will include poking holes into the putting surface, also known as, solid tine aerification. The holes will puncture the surface allowing more effective gas exchange in the root zone, helping to aid in respiration, or "breathing". The aeration is similar to the act of poking holes into the lid of a jar containing a frog. Without the holes the frog will eventually, through respiration, replace the oxygen in the jar with a hazardous by-product carbon dioxide, leading to its death. This same exact process happens in the root zone of the greens. If we did not "vent" the greens, eventually the root zone will be in abundance of carbon dioxide and a shortage of oxygen, leading to eventual suffocation of the plants.
Now that I have bored everyone to sleep with Agronomy 101, I will now post this message and wait for the feedback. As always, you can reach me by email at steven.chernosky@ourclub.com or call my office, 281-360-2002. I am always willing to listen to comments and pass along educative information to willing listeners. Until next time, stay warm, stay dry, and get ready for some great NASCAR action coming up this weekend!! Yes, I did say NASCAR, however I will also have one eye on Pebble Beach.
Last week we were able to complete our pre/post emergent herbicide applications that have been postponed due to the wet conditions. This combination of herbicides will help control the winter weeds that are existent in the fairways and tees as well as begin to build our barrier against the weed seeds that will begin germinating when the soil temperatures begin to rise. The cooler temperatures have hampered the effects of the chemical used to kill the existing weeds, however we are seeing some slight yellowing, which is a positive sign that the plant is taking it up slowly.
On top of the herbicide applications, we have been hard at work on renovating the old flower beds around the course. Our main focus has been around the practice areas and the clubhouse, since these are areas that get a lot of "eye time", with a goal of completing all bed work next week. When the temperatures become conducive to planting, we will fill the most visible beds with low-maintenance yet highly decorative vegetation.
My goal with this blog is to not only communicate course happenings but also educate the benefits of the many agronomic practices that are performed throughout the year. I will attempt to keep it simple, however, please provide feedback on how I can make it better. If you have questions, don't hesitate to pass them along, it will only help to enhance the effectiveness of this communication tool and it will also help me pick a topic to discuss. If you are thinking about it, there are others who have thought or are probably thinking about it as well.
SOLID TINE AERIFICATION 101
Looking ahead to the next couple of weeks, we do not have any major agronomic practices planned, mainly due to the cold temperatures. However, peeking into March, if the temperatures cooperate, we will begin attempting to jump start some transition out of dormancy. One important practice will include poking holes into the putting surface, also known as, solid tine aerification. The holes will puncture the surface allowing more effective gas exchange in the root zone, helping to aid in respiration, or "breathing". The aeration is similar to the act of poking holes into the lid of a jar containing a frog. Without the holes the frog will eventually, through respiration, replace the oxygen in the jar with a hazardous by-product carbon dioxide, leading to its death. This same exact process happens in the root zone of the greens. If we did not "vent" the greens, eventually the root zone will be in abundance of carbon dioxide and a shortage of oxygen, leading to eventual suffocation of the plants.
Now that I have bored everyone to sleep with Agronomy 101, I will now post this message and wait for the feedback. As always, you can reach me by email at steven.chernosky@ourclub.com or call my office, 281-360-2002. I am always willing to listen to comments and pass along educative information to willing listeners. Until next time, stay warm, stay dry, and get ready for some great NASCAR action coming up this weekend!! Yes, I did say NASCAR, however I will also have one eye on Pebble Beach.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Rain on the Way
It seems like every morning that I am able to sit down and update this blog, there is a good chance of rain on the way, with today being no different. It appears that the El Nino pattern this year is living up to its reputation. If many of you are not familiar with the El Nino weather pattern, I will do my best to give some simple insight. The first thing that comes to mind when describing this weather pattern is the repetitive pattern of cool, wet weather systems moving through our area every 4-5 days. These fronts are not dropping high amounts of rainfall at one time, however with each passing front, we are seeing anywhere from a tench to half an inch of rain. You couple this with constant cloud cover and low wind speeds, and you are left with constant wet conditions on the golf course.
Fortunately, over the past couple of days the weather has cooperated enough for us to complete some much needed projects. Our main focus was put towards repairing the broken cart path on #2. As usual it was not just a quick concrete job because once we got everything exposed, we found a crushed drainage pipe as the culprit for the collapsed cart path. A ten foot piece of pipe and a few hours later, the drainage pipe and the cart path were repaired. Along with the path repair, we were able to touch up the paint in the on-course bathrooms. Hopefully in the next week or so we will see the new water cooler stands in place.
Until next time, stay dry over the next couple of days and I hope to see you all at the MGA tournament this weekend.
Fortunately, over the past couple of days the weather has cooperated enough for us to complete some much needed projects. Our main focus was put towards repairing the broken cart path on #2. As usual it was not just a quick concrete job because once we got everything exposed, we found a crushed drainage pipe as the culprit for the collapsed cart path. A ten foot piece of pipe and a few hours later, the drainage pipe and the cart path were repaired. Along with the path repair, we were able to touch up the paint in the on-course bathrooms. Hopefully in the next week or so we will see the new water cooler stands in place.
Until next time, stay dry over the next couple of days and I hope to see you all at the MGA tournament this weekend.
Friday, January 29, 2010
What A Mess!
Well the rain has come and hopefully gone. The radar is clear over us right now but I would not say we are out of the woods yet. When I last checked the rain gauge we were at 1.25" and that is only since about 2:15 this morning. How do I know that? That is when Maddie, my 3 year old Beagle, decided it was time to play, and of course, I am the lucky one who she comes to when she is energized. As I always do, I peeked outside to see the weather happenings and at that time, the concrete was somewhat dry, however the wind was picking up and the sprinkles had started.
The majority of the rain fell in about a 1 hour window, which left not much time to allow the water to soak in or run off, the end result being an abundance of standing water. The good news is it is slowly draining off so by this afternoon we should not see much at all.
The bunkers had some minor washing out of the faces and the crew is hard at work removing the contamination and fixing these wash outs. Fortunately, the outlook on the rest of the day is better than it started, with strong north winds forecasted. This should help in drying us out in time for the heavy frost on Sunday followed by more rainstorms in the early part of next week.
One positive to come out of this morning is we were able to see the effectiveness of the drain line we installed on #1 and it appears that everything is functioning properly. We still have a little tidying up to do around the catch basin we installed, but we postponed this work due to the forecasted rains today. Our plan is to relevel the ground around the basin to allow better movement of water into the basin, which should help to dry up the approach a little quicker.
Keep warm this weekend, it looks like we could see a hard freeze Saturday and Sunday nights. Unfortunately, this means we may have a lengthy frost delay on Sunday morning, but you can always make plans to come have breakfast at the club and wait it out.
The majority of the rain fell in about a 1 hour window, which left not much time to allow the water to soak in or run off, the end result being an abundance of standing water. The good news is it is slowly draining off so by this afternoon we should not see much at all.
The bunkers had some minor washing out of the faces and the crew is hard at work removing the contamination and fixing these wash outs. Fortunately, the outlook on the rest of the day is better than it started, with strong north winds forecasted. This should help in drying us out in time for the heavy frost on Sunday followed by more rainstorms in the early part of next week.
One positive to come out of this morning is we were able to see the effectiveness of the drain line we installed on #1 and it appears that everything is functioning properly. We still have a little tidying up to do around the catch basin we installed, but we postponed this work due to the forecasted rains today. Our plan is to relevel the ground around the basin to allow better movement of water into the basin, which should help to dry up the approach a little quicker.
Keep warm this weekend, it looks like we could see a hard freeze Saturday and Sunday nights. Unfortunately, this means we may have a lengthy frost delay on Sunday morning, but you can always make plans to come have breakfast at the club and wait it out.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
It appears that after a few days of sunshine and warm temperatures, we are going to get reacquainted with winter. The forecast is calling for a good chance of rain tonight into tomorrow morning. Let's hope it is a quick moving storm and we are not inundated with rain.
This past week we were able to finally repair the broken drainage line on #1 green which has been causing many headaches during the wet winter. Along with repairing the line, we also installed a catch basin in the approach to help drain that area.
The crew continues to dress up areas that were neglected during the growing season and also have begun to repaint the interior of the bathrooms on the golf course. Hopefully we will be getting our new water cooler houses next week. These two cooler stands will replace the stands that we currently have connected to the bathrooms on #4 and #14. By removing these stands, we hope to eliminate a lot of the moisture problems we are seeing inside the bathrooms.
I hope you are all making plans to attend the Big Game party on February 7th in the Mens Locker Room, I am sure Ramon will put on a great party for all. Remember that ladies are invited so don't forget to invite the wife or the girlfriend. We have a busy February planned at the club so make sure you get your hands on a club calendar and make plans to attend a few of the events.
Until next time, make sure you pull those jackets and umbrellas back out, it appears you will be needing them over the next couple of days. As always, feel free to pass along any ideas or suggestions you may have, our ears are always open to new ideas.
And always remember to fill your divots and repair your ball marks.
This past week we were able to finally repair the broken drainage line on #1 green which has been causing many headaches during the wet winter. Along with repairing the line, we also installed a catch basin in the approach to help drain that area.
The crew continues to dress up areas that were neglected during the growing season and also have begun to repaint the interior of the bathrooms on the golf course. Hopefully we will be getting our new water cooler houses next week. These two cooler stands will replace the stands that we currently have connected to the bathrooms on #4 and #14. By removing these stands, we hope to eliminate a lot of the moisture problems we are seeing inside the bathrooms.
I hope you are all making plans to attend the Big Game party on February 7th in the Mens Locker Room, I am sure Ramon will put on a great party for all. Remember that ladies are invited so don't forget to invite the wife or the girlfriend. We have a busy February planned at the club so make sure you get your hands on a club calendar and make plans to attend a few of the events.
Until next time, make sure you pull those jackets and umbrellas back out, it appears you will be needing them over the next couple of days. As always, feel free to pass along any ideas or suggestions you may have, our ears are always open to new ideas.
And always remember to fill your divots and repair your ball marks.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Miserable Weather Continues
We just can not get a break this winter with the weather, however it looks like we may miss out on the predicted rain today, but it is still early in the day. The golf course is holding up as well as it can considering the circumstances.
The past couple of days were spent applying herbicide to the golf course to get rid of the Volunteer Ryegrass that has come up during the past months. At this time, we also went ahead and put down our pre-emergent herbicide to help control germination of more weeds.
Due to the wet conditions, we are unable to get out on the golf course itself, so we are limiting our work to dressing up areas that get neglected during the growing season. These areas include but are not limited to, flower beds, broken cart paths, and other small projects. Please feel free to pass along any ideas you may have for that one area in your mind that may need a little love and affection.
A hot topic item around the club right now is the presence of the coyotes that have taken up residence on the golf course. These animals tend to come across to some as an aggressive animal, however their nature around here is more of the curious type. They are not one that will run up and attack any living thing, however they are not the type that will immediately run off unless they are spooked. If you happen to encounter a coyote, the best thing to do is to try and spook the animal off, by either shouting at it, waving your arms or a golf club, or by possibly driving towards it in your golf cart. The more that we instill the fear factor into these animals, the less visible they will become. However, if at anytime the animal does not turn and run when you attempt to scare it off, please notify someone in the pro shop and we will contact the proper authorities. If you want more information on the coyotes feel free to contact our local Wildlife Biologist, Keith Crenshaw at (281) 456-7029. Keith works for the Texas Parks & Wildlife and is great at answering any questions/concerns you may have with a wide range of animals.
If anyone knows a good salesman in the area, I need to place an order for a big dosage of sunshine, so send him on over. As always feel free to pass along any suggestions, questions, or concerns and we will do our best to address any and all. I encourage all who are not on the email list to sign up so that you can receive all weekly updates that Ricky sends out. If you have not seen the calendar for February it looks like we have a lot of exciting events planned, so make sure you don't miss out.
The past couple of days were spent applying herbicide to the golf course to get rid of the Volunteer Ryegrass that has come up during the past months. At this time, we also went ahead and put down our pre-emergent herbicide to help control germination of more weeds.
Due to the wet conditions, we are unable to get out on the golf course itself, so we are limiting our work to dressing up areas that get neglected during the growing season. These areas include but are not limited to, flower beds, broken cart paths, and other small projects. Please feel free to pass along any ideas you may have for that one area in your mind that may need a little love and affection.
A hot topic item around the club right now is the presence of the coyotes that have taken up residence on the golf course. These animals tend to come across to some as an aggressive animal, however their nature around here is more of the curious type. They are not one that will run up and attack any living thing, however they are not the type that will immediately run off unless they are spooked. If you happen to encounter a coyote, the best thing to do is to try and spook the animal off, by either shouting at it, waving your arms or a golf club, or by possibly driving towards it in your golf cart. The more that we instill the fear factor into these animals, the less visible they will become. However, if at anytime the animal does not turn and run when you attempt to scare it off, please notify someone in the pro shop and we will contact the proper authorities. If you want more information on the coyotes feel free to contact our local Wildlife Biologist, Keith Crenshaw at (281) 456-7029. Keith works for the Texas Parks & Wildlife and is great at answering any questions/concerns you may have with a wide range of animals.
If anyone knows a good salesman in the area, I need to place an order for a big dosage of sunshine, so send him on over. As always feel free to pass along any suggestions, questions, or concerns and we will do our best to address any and all. I encourage all who are not on the email list to sign up so that you can receive all weekly updates that Ricky sends out. If you have not seen the calendar for February it looks like we have a lot of exciting events planned, so make sure you don't miss out.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Greens are Covered
As I sit here this morning and go over my checklist of cold weather preparations and precautions, I keep asking myself, "just how cold it is really going to get?" That is probably a question that many have right now as we prepare for one of our coldest string of days in over 10 years. Based upon various weather reports, we have taken the necessary precautions to protect against the worst of conditions.
On Wednesday, we were able to get all twenty putting greens covered and staked down with only minimal problems. The little bit of wind that was blowing, however did cause a little ruckus on a few holes that aren't guarded by trees. In a little over 4 hours, all the greens were covered and we were packing up to go home, just as darkness began to fall and a light sprinkle was felt.
The process started off in a fiery rage and continued through about the first 6 holes, until we were met with our first hurdle on #7, wind. After securing the protective cover, the crew all began to wonder if this was a sign of what was yet to come. With their heads held high they moved onto #8, not knowing what was lying in wait for them. Just as the tarp was being unrolled and spread out, a strong gust came off the lake and had everyone holding on for dear life, hoping to hang on to the massive black monster. Finally, after what felt like minutes, but was really only seconds, of uncontrollable chaos, the wind died and the tarp was stretched across the green and quickly secured. After that melee, everyone felt slightly bummed, however the enthusiasm that they had at the beginning was soon rediscovered and the rest of the greens were conquered with minimal problems.
Today we will spend the morning double checking all of the stakes to make sure they are secure for today's winds that are expected to reach 30 mph with gusts of over 40. If you happen to witness a 2000 square foot black cloud floating overhead, don't be alarmed it is just a rogue greens cover. Please contact the maintenance department at Deerwood, and we will come and get the runaway.
As I conclude this morning's entry, I want to remind everyone to take the weather forecasts for this week seriously and protect your water pipes, plants, and your pets. We are in for some freezing temperatures that could last 36-48 continuous hours, beginning late this afternoon, temperatures that a lot of us are not accustomed to.
On Wednesday, we were able to get all twenty putting greens covered and staked down with only minimal problems. The little bit of wind that was blowing, however did cause a little ruckus on a few holes that aren't guarded by trees. In a little over 4 hours, all the greens were covered and we were packing up to go home, just as darkness began to fall and a light sprinkle was felt.
The process started off in a fiery rage and continued through about the first 6 holes, until we were met with our first hurdle on #7, wind. After securing the protective cover, the crew all began to wonder if this was a sign of what was yet to come. With their heads held high they moved onto #8, not knowing what was lying in wait for them. Just as the tarp was being unrolled and spread out, a strong gust came off the lake and had everyone holding on for dear life, hoping to hang on to the massive black monster. Finally, after what felt like minutes, but was really only seconds, of uncontrollable chaos, the wind died and the tarp was stretched across the green and quickly secured. After that melee, everyone felt slightly bummed, however the enthusiasm that they had at the beginning was soon rediscovered and the rest of the greens were conquered with minimal problems.
Today we will spend the morning double checking all of the stakes to make sure they are secure for today's winds that are expected to reach 30 mph with gusts of over 40. If you happen to witness a 2000 square foot black cloud floating overhead, don't be alarmed it is just a rogue greens cover. Please contact the maintenance department at Deerwood, and we will come and get the runaway.
As I conclude this morning's entry, I want to remind everyone to take the weather forecasts for this week seriously and protect your water pipes, plants, and your pets. We are in for some freezing temperatures that could last 36-48 continuous hours, beginning late this afternoon, temperatures that a lot of us are not accustomed to.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Arctic Blast
It appears that we are going to have a true winter this year. Looking at the forecast, we are in for quite a shock later this week, with an approaching arctic front that is expected to bring in some temperatures that this part of Texas has not seen in more than a decade. The changes will be felt beginning Wednesday evening with north winds reaching 20-30 mph coupled with temperatures in the 40's which will bring wind chills in the upper teens by Thursday afternoon. The only bright spot is that the wind will die down once the frontal boundary moves off the coast, however we could experience temperatures at or below freezing for 48-60 hours.
One major precautionary step we are putting into place is covering the greens with turf covers. This is only the third time in 5 years that we have had to cover the greens, but this is the first time we will be experiencing the extended freezing time that is forecasted. The covers will help to protect the turfgrass crowns and stolons from direct low winter temperatures and dessication, by trapping heat under them. Research has shown that covers have the ability of raising the soil temperature 10-15 degrees above actual air temperature. The covers will also prevent moisture loss, which will keep the turfgrass plants from drying out and becoming susceptible to dessication. Dessication is caused by high winds in combination with low humidity, which are both elements we will be facing with this arctic storm.
As of right now, we are scheduled to begin installing the greens covers sometime midday Wednesday and do not expect to remove them until, at the earliest, midday Sunday. This means there will be no play allowed on the golf course. We will attempt to control all traffic on the entire golf course because major turfgrass injury is possible when temperatures stay below freezing for an extended period of time.
As always with freezing temperatures, keep in mind the 3 P's, Plants, Pipes, and Pets. Make sure to protect pipes that are along the exterior of the house and disconnect any outside water hoses and remember to cover the faucets. As far as plants go, the best bet is to bring anything you can, inside the house. For those plants in the ground, hydrate today and tomorrow and cover with multiple layers of cover, if possible. The bad news is that the forecasted temperatures are below the cold hardiness of most tropical plants, so most of these will probably be lost. Last but not least, don't forget to bring Fido in from the back yard, I am sure he would love to curl up next to the fireplace instead of becoming frozen yard art.
One major precautionary step we are putting into place is covering the greens with turf covers. This is only the third time in 5 years that we have had to cover the greens, but this is the first time we will be experiencing the extended freezing time that is forecasted. The covers will help to protect the turfgrass crowns and stolons from direct low winter temperatures and dessication, by trapping heat under them. Research has shown that covers have the ability of raising the soil temperature 10-15 degrees above actual air temperature. The covers will also prevent moisture loss, which will keep the turfgrass plants from drying out and becoming susceptible to dessication. Dessication is caused by high winds in combination with low humidity, which are both elements we will be facing with this arctic storm.
As of right now, we are scheduled to begin installing the greens covers sometime midday Wednesday and do not expect to remove them until, at the earliest, midday Sunday. This means there will be no play allowed on the golf course. We will attempt to control all traffic on the entire golf course because major turfgrass injury is possible when temperatures stay below freezing for an extended period of time.
As always with freezing temperatures, keep in mind the 3 P's, Plants, Pipes, and Pets. Make sure to protect pipes that are along the exterior of the house and disconnect any outside water hoses and remember to cover the faucets. As far as plants go, the best bet is to bring anything you can, inside the house. For those plants in the ground, hydrate today and tomorrow and cover with multiple layers of cover, if possible. The bad news is that the forecasted temperatures are below the cold hardiness of most tropical plants, so most of these will probably be lost. Last but not least, don't forget to bring Fido in from the back yard, I am sure he would love to curl up next to the fireplace instead of becoming frozen yard art.
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