Here’s hoping that each and every one of you has had a Joyous holiday season thus far. I know it has been extremely nice to spend a good amount of time with my family after a long, but highly rewarding season here at Elcona. Scenes like the one above have been few and far between so far, but the first snow fall on the course makes the property really pop!
On behalf of our full time staff, I would like to say thank you for your gifts to us from the Holiday Bonus Fund. They are truly appreciated by everyone and is one of the many ways that make Elcona a great place to work. We all appreciate your support throughout the year in helping us achieve our goals, both professionally and personally, and allowing us to keep Elcona a special place for all of us to enjoy.
Above is a link to my annual “Elcona in Pictures” video compilation I enjoy producing. One of the absolute perks of this profession is seeing this property each day grown and change, with wildlife abound. While my camera skills do not do it justice, this place has some spectacular scenery each day we are all out here. Hope you enjoy this 6 minute compilation.
December brought much in the way of warmth with little to no signs of precipitation, wintry or otherwise. Many of you even got to enjoy golf in December! The long term forecast suggests that this weather pattern will flip soon, so while I am not seeing any golf days in January, it will allow our staff to shift focuses to spreading the final layer of sand (that I write about here) on greens and getting the meat of our annual tree work plans accomplished.
Those tree work plans have been slowed by softer ground, so I am very happy to see high temps in the 30’s the next 16 days. Our annual plans do not include the high numbers of removals that previous years have seen, but allow us to focus on renting a man lift to trim and maintain the beautiful trees that we want to have on the course. The lift also allows us to remove trees that in the past we have had to call in professionals to remove for us. While those professionals will still be needed on occasion, we are happy to be confident in our abilities to complete what needs to be done as a staff given the proper tools. We will be completing this lift work in February.
The irrigation upgrade made steady progress through the months of November and December. Wissco Irrigation, much like the grounds operation here at Elcona, loses many of their staff in October and November until spring time. At this time, a bit over 50% of the sprinklers have been upgraded to modern decoders, and all have passed their tests. When the weather allows throughout the winter, they will be out here to keep plugging away at completion, which is still on schedule to be well before the system is truly needed for the 2024 season.
Our staff did a wonderful job building a new green tee on hole #4. With great input from the Golf/Greens Committee, we have been taking a look at where it makes sense to bring the green tee yardage to a more manageable number and make the game more enjoyable for those who play that set of tees, all while keeping the integrity of the design and strategy of the hole as it was intended to be. This tee’s new sod has already grown new roots with the warmer December and after some rolling and topdressing, will be in play for the 2024 season given normal weather!
In the spring of 2024, we will be breaking ground and constructing a new green tee on hole #14, and with approval from the Committee and Board of Directors, will enact a plan to build new green tees on holes 3,6,9,13, and 15 over the next 2 years. At this time, the plan is for the existing green tees that are being replaced to remain as alternate tees to help manage the increased wear and tear the white tees have received due to the higher amount of rounds that are being played from them, which is a great thing!
As always, if you have any questions, please email me at ryan@elconacc.com. I am more than happy to discuss what is happening outside at Elcona! Have a great rest of your week, and here’s to everyone having a blessed and Happy New Year in 2024!
Ryan
Rub of the Green 