Snow cover

The last half of this past week the course has been closed due to snow fall. Since Mother Nature is a golfer the course should be open this weekend or shortly thereafter. The forecast is looking good to get in a few more rounds.

Wednesday marked the beginning of blowing out the irrigation system and draining the irrigation pond. As of Monday, October 27th the new irrigation system will commence. Excavation on a new wet well to construct a new pump station will begin. It is critical that the pond be empty to set the intake pipe and well. Stay tuned this coming week for pictures and updates on the progress of this project. The decision to begin this part of the project is due to the low water table this time of year. The well will be 16 feet deep and we stand a greater chance of not having ground water problems this time of year. The pump you see here is a 6 inch pump operated by a diesel engine.

A dash of snow

A dusting of snow by the day's end on the course today. I saw the Vail Mountain School's Nordic Ski team practicing around the golf course with their "dry gear". Most of our fertilizing has been accomplished with only a few holes left.
Much of the work accomplished today by the crew involved cutting back the willow bushes. The tenth hole is done and now we are moving to the first and ninth hole. With cutting them back so much, it is now much easier to find your golf balls. Our goal for willow cutting is to ease future maintenance of these very fast growing plants. In low lying areas willows do very well in poorly drained soils and suck up a lot of the ground water. After being cut so drastically, at first glance it may look as if they are dead. Have no fear, these hardy plants don't skip a beat and when the soil temperatures rise in the spring, you'll see plenty of new growth.

Fall Fertilization

A good nitrogen application in the fall is a healthy way to start the 2009 season. Now that the soil temperatures have dropped below 40 degrees the turfgrass plant has slowed growth tremendously. However it is a great time to build carbohydrates and strengthen the plant for the winter months. When soil temperatures warm up in the spring the plant can respond to these changes positively. This application is critical for better winter survival and spring rejuvenation. At Vail Golf Club we use Ammonium Sulfate which is popular in these climates. It is very economical and provides an excellent source of quick nitrogen to reach our goals. This application will take the entire week.

Getting in another round

Well Wednesday turned out to be a perfect day. Cool morning but plenty of golf in the afternoon. The golf course stayed steady with play today. We continued to topdress a few more fairways, 10,18,1 and 9.

Also, today we continued to research options for the retaining walls for 3 and 7 tee boxes. These failing walls must be repaired and we are looking at the spring of 2009 to do so. Kevin Atkinson, golf course architect, has been hired to draw up a master plan for the entire golf course over a two year period. He has been employed to start in these locations to better the golf course. Signs look very promising and we are getting excited to accomplish these tasks in the future.

topdressing continues

Topdressing fairways today on holes 12 and 13. Tomorrow we will continue with topdressing fairways 10 and 18 tomorrow. Also half of the driving range tee will be closed tomorrow. have no fear, there has been limited play on the range lately so you will still have plenty of room to tee it up if you only have a limited amount of time to hit balls.

Clean up efforts continued today with the staff raking and sweeping up leaves around the course. There is still plenty of color throughout the course which makes for a beautiful walk.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Very cold weather today, the high was 42 degrees. We began to topdress fairways today accomplishing holes 11, 14 and 16. The topdressing sand we use comes out of a sand pit in the Denver metro area. It is screened and provides an excellent medium for the fairway playing surface. The sand accomplishes many issues including divots, low areas, fills aerification holes and overall provides a smoother surface. A sandy soil drains better, compacts less and reduces wear and tear from play. When the sand is incoprporated into aerification holes it helps dilute the thatch layer and provides a healthier envirnment for the turfgrass.

Coming out of the storm...

A dusting of snow on the course today, however the rest of the week is looking quite promising. This week, the staff will continue to topdress fairways in preparation for the winter season. We also plan to blow out the irrigation system this week. It is critical to drain the system thoroughly for the wintertime. Soil temperatures and evaporation rates are low enough now to rely on Mother Nature for moisture. In the event of a dry fall, tank watering will be neccessary to prevent dessication and turf decline late in the season. As long as the weather stays nice, the golf course will be open for play.