Course Update 2/19/21

 The amount of snow and ice so far this month has limited our ability to work outside, but we've managed to find access to a few areas to continue tree work.  In addition to the daily maintenance of the parking lots and sidewalks around the clubhouse, on days we can't access the golf courses the staff have been refurbishing equipment and course accessories for the upcoming season, deep cleaning and organizing the staff areas and equipment storage in the maintenance building, and participating in virtual continuing education seminars.  Better weather will be here soon and our goal is to have all the winter projects completed by early March so we can focus on the long list of course maintenance activities this spring.

We removed two pine trees along the cart path near Orchard 7 green that were nearly dead and would pose a safety hazard this year had they been kept. 

We also removed several smaller trees and two Maples that were in decline behind Orchard 7 green along the road.

Here's the stump from one of the Maple trees removed behind Orchard 7 green.  We suspect the tree suffered major damage at a young age due to the hollow trunk and the growth pattern of the live wood.

This Mulberry tree behind Orchard 9 green was removed due to the shade it cast on the practice green during fall mornings. The dense shade led to poor turf quality and heavy frost on cooler mornings, which further delayed opening the green for play.

This large Oak tree between Lakes 8 green and 9 gold tee unexpectedly died last fall and was removed for safety reasons.

We also removed a multi-trunk Oak tree in the penalty area behind 8 green that prevented the blue and gold tees on Lakes 9 from receiving full morning sun.

Here's the stump from the dead Oak tree near Lakes 9 gold tee.  The chainsaw in the picture has a 28" long bar and a smaller person could have stood in the hollow cavity.

The tree was so big that we could only fit two of the trunk logs in our trailer at a time.  The hollow cavity was found in the bottom 10' of the tree, which would have created a serious safety hazard if we hadn't removed it.

The stump from the dead Oak tree had to be cut into quarters due to it's size.  There's a glove near the center of the picture to illustrate how big it was.

All our equipment is serviced and broken/worn parts are replaced during the winter to minimize breakdowns during the season.

Randy, our long-time mechanic, is rebuilding the protective cage on the tractor used to collect balls on the driving range.

Ronnie and Tommy are cleaning and sanding over 300 tee markers so they can be painted for the upcoming season.