Greens Clearing

nice view to start the day

It's that time of year again. We spent the first two weeks clearing anywhere from 18" to 30" or more off of the greens.  So far we have cleared 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, and the putting green.  Overall they look great.  We did have some ice built up on a few greens but once that layer melted off the green below looked good and healthy.  Number 2 green did have some snow mold pop up a few days after removing the snow but it should just be superficial and not cause any long term damage.  All other greens were disease free after clearing and before this last storm system dropped 13"of snow on us over four days. 

snow mold on the front of #2

#17 looking good

I've been asked if the new snow is good or bad thing after removing the snow and if we would have to re-clear the snow from those already cleared greens.  The new snow is a very good thing!  Once we clear the green the first time we put down a granular fungicide to get the snow mold protection to last until the end of the season and it needs the moisture to release the active ingredients.  Another reason the new snow is good is that it provides water to the plant to prevent it from drying out while we are waiting for the rest of the course to melt off and before the irrigation system can be fired up.  Once the skies clear this weekend and next week we will continue clearing more greens.  Greens 5, 7, 15, and 18 are next on the list while 8 though 12 usually melt off without having to do much more than some shoveling to finish them off.

Golf Industry Show

Scott and I spent a week in San Diego for the Golf Industry Show.  Although the weather was about as good as it gets we spent a fair amount of time inside the class room.  We had a number of classes to choose from on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Classes ranged from the business to agronomic practices, and equipment maintenance to staff supervision and many other topics that help us to do our job better.  The trade show was open on Wednesday and Thursday.  The trade show floor has so many pieces of equipment and tools of the trade it easily takes two days to get around to see everything.  Many of the things at the trade show will never be used in Vail but some will and it gives us the opportunity to see what is available to the Golf Course Superintendent and gives us ideas on how we can continue to improve the conditions at The Vail Golf Club.