The winter of 2018/19 has been full of ups and downs weather wise. The old addage, “If you don’t like Indiana weather, just wait a day.” has been quite true the last 3 months.
The golf course is holding its own so far as we head into winter’s homestretch (we hope). Ice accumulation has been a focus of ours with the ice storms we have encountered in the last 3 weeks, however there is no cause for concern for the turf. It is however something we will continue to monitor. When the ice melts, we have been out with our squeegees moving as much water as we can to help prevent refreezing and crown hydration injury to the Poa that dominates the putting surfaces.
The staff and I are almost complete with our annual tree maintenance and removal program. This last week, we have been focusing on the area at the intersection of US 20 and CR 21. This area has several Silver Maples that had begun to decline, as well as a Sugar Maple that had severe storm damage from last May’s MNO storm. Once the stumps are ground and holes are filled, this area will be much improved and a cleaner look as everyone enters to use the club.
The ice storms have kept us busy with tree clean up however, as these weather events reek havoc on softer wooded trees, like the white pines shown below.
Winter also means improving our facility and making it more efficient. Lighting is in the process of being upgraded to LED technology, increasing the level of brightness and safety to the space while reducing the amount of energy needed to light the area. The employee locker and break areas have also received a nice face lift and improved efficiencies. The staff has done a fantastic job with this work!
For our staff, winter also means attending educational seminars and shows to further hone our skills and get the latest updates on trends happening in our industry. This year’s dominate theme is again common in most everyone’s industries today: Labor efficiency and attracting and building a great team. We also have sat in on talks centering on the increased use of data analytics to monitor growing conditions, and I got to view some of the robotic machine technology coming out within the next few years. The new Rules of Golf have been discussed quite frequently as well. All in all, there are many reasons to be excited about the future of golf, both from a game and course maintenance perspective.
If you have any questions, please contact me at ryan@elconacc.com. Have a great week and stay warm!
Ryan
