Snow Water Equivalent

Posted under the heading you will notice recent snow water equivalents for a few local peaks. In all three locations the water equivalent is lower than 2002, when the state experienced the worst drought in recent years. I will keep an eye on this periodically to see how it will effect the golf course's water supply. Good thing we have a new irrigation system to manage water more efficiently.

Multimedia message

This picture was taken next to 11 green. This area was an elk bed last night. A few tracks were noticed on the green, but no significant damage.

15 express

Yes, this is the express way that the elk now travel at night as they
pass through 15 green. Mostly just traffic right now, but this may
alter our clearing practices.

Afternoon Putting

Not yet, but we can make afternoon putting available when the practice greens are clear. Frost and saturated conditions would have to subside before allowing anyone to putt. These factors can leave a negative impact on health and ball roll going into the spring. When I feel comfortable letting the public out there to putt I will cut a few cups and put flags in.
This may sound ridiculous, but my biggest fear is the bad apple in the group. Similar to what happened last fall with 14 green. I can not afford to sacrifice any part of the golf season. Check back in 2-3 weeks, I will keep you all posted.

The Process

I recently had a few questions on how we determine which greens are cleared. Under normal conditions I would begin clearing the greens that see the most sun. These greens have the least amount of snow and are easier to clear. Since their melting rate is higher there is a greater chance for ice to form at the surface.

However the last two winters were not very normal for us. The elk traffic have changed our process a bit. So our goal this spring is to target the greens that had a lot of elk traffic which may have created ice forming at the surfaces. So far greens 14 & 15 have come out looking healthy.

As for the practice greens, for a little afternoon recreation on a warm sunny day? I am hoping to have all of the greens cleared by the end of March. Usually the practice greens are last to be cleared. This year they will be last because the practice area is the only area on the course that we noticed zero elk traffic. However, with our recent weather, we may get to the practice greens much earlier.

Today we target 11 green. Then we will move to greens 16, 17, 7 and 3, then we will re-evaluate with the weather and any other elk traffic that may occur over the next couple of weeks. So far we see no signs of the elk leaving Vail. Makes me wonder if they will become year round residents?

14 Green

Yesterday, the 14th green was cleared and the process went very smooth. This green is one that sees very little sunlight through the winter and as you can see it came out nicely. No snow mold or ice damage present.
There was the threat of elk traffic throughout the winter, but there was no evidence.
If you take a closer look to the second picture you will notice some of the sand left from last fall's heavy topdressing. This is a good thing to help protect the plants. We also noticed the color not as vibrant as years past. This is due to the late snowfall and the green was able to go into dormancy. The benefit to dormancy is that the plants are better prepared for the fluctuations in temperatures that we are beginning to have in the valley.
The 15th green was cleared today and we have excellent results with this green as well.

Not Today

With snow flurries and cloudy weather today, conditions were not suitable for clearing greens. However with February gone, here are the weather totals for Vail Golf Club. The average high was 29 degrees and the average low was 6 degrees, with the lowest recorded temperature for the month was -10 degrees.
The golf course received 34.75 inches of snowfall which equated to 1.89 inches of moisture. The total snowfall for 2010 is 52.75inches.
Tuesday is looking good for seeing some grass around here.