Gas Line Update

Yesterday was an eventful one for the gas line install. As a reminder, this is a supplemental line that goes through the golf course. It feeds homes on Sunburst Dr from the Frontage Rd. The easement leads from the intersection of the 12th tee and the Frontage Rd, along the utility path between the 11th and 16th greens, under 17 bridge and off to the neighborhood.
They are replacing the entire line due to a failed valve and a pressure overload on the line before the new bridge on 17 was installed. Once the bridge with a new line was complete the gas company has been working on replacing the line from the bridge back to the Frontage Rd.
Here you see they have discovered the old 4" HDPE line after three days of thawing the ground. They removed the old line and installed a new identical line. The next picture, is a pressure test being performed on the new line. Let's say conditions are not ideal for these guys, but they are making way.
Due to another cold front coming our way this weekend the new plan is the install the entire line and have everything completed by Saturday afternoon. The gas company rented another thaw machine for the remainder of the line. Friday they plan to be here and install the rest of the line and be off site by the weekend.
As you might have guessed, yes this does interfere with the nordic track. The snow shoe course is unaffected.
For the safety of the skiers the nordic track has been routed closer to the 11th and 16th greens and over the easment that has already been replaced. This is a temporary fix and the normal track will re-open when the work is complete. The trail is clearly marked.

Interns

Andrew Evans completed an internship for the 2010 season and he did a fantastic job. He graduated Iowa State University in December and has a bright future ahead of him in turf management.

I was forwarded this blog post from Dr. Nick Christians at the University about his experiences here in Vail. There are some gret pictures to... Click here to view the post.

2010 Review

Another year gone by. Not a bad one at all. A warm year, lots of golf, very little weather delays and rounds were good. 2010 brought a decent amount of spring snow, sustained high temperatures, flooding, drought conditions and somewhat early snow.

This year we finished up the pumphpouse landscaping, new cart path in areas, new tees on 4 & 8 and we now have a final master plan. This year we also began perfecting the irrigation system, tore into the 7th tee, built two new bridges and a new weather shelter.

The weather numbers for the year are as follows:

warmest month: average high, July 74.9, highest temperature: July 18th at 85 degrees; coolest month: average low, January 6 degrees; lowest temperature: January 8th, -13 degrees. At the golf course we measured 26.43" of moisture with 197.75" of snowfall for the calendar year.

2011 is looking real good right now. We'll start the year with better knowledge of the new irrigation system, finishing touches on the bridges, #7 tee and the weather shelters. The master plan is beginning to open the door to possible new projects on the horizon.

Thanks to the great staff here in the Vail Golf Maintenance Department, especially to Equipment Manager, Kirk Hower; Assistant Superintendent, Justin Gompf; Second Assistant Superintendent, Tony Giroux and a special thanks to VRD Facilities Manager, Scott O'Connell for making us look better.

Happy New Year!

The Nordic Series: The Snowcat, Part 1

The Vail Recreation District purchased a new Prinoth Husky Snowcat a couple of seasons ago to keep up with the growing sport of nordic skiing here at the Vail Golf Club. As a golf course superintendent in this town, I am always asked what I do in the winter. I reply with "only working 40 hours a week".

Let me explain a few things about how a nordic track is maintained. First off, there are four of us through the winter months that groom and maintain the track daily. We also maintain a packed snowshoe course and some plowing. Much like golf, there are no holidays for nordic skiing, so there is someone on hand everyday for the entire day.

Below is the tiller or the cutter bar. The cutter bar is in the rear of the snowcat just before the corduroy mat, that tills up any snow and evens out the surface. It is crucial that the operator knows the course and how to manage the tiller at all times. During low snow periods, there could be rock or cart path that needs to be avoided. If there have been a number of days with no snow, the tiller helps to soften the surface slightly to allow skiers to catch their edge. When the snow piles up, the tiller helps pack the snow down and keep it in place. If the tiller is not set correctly for each condition it can severely impact the life of the track.

Visibility can be difficult when trying to understand what the snow looks like after it has been processed through the tiller. Having the mirrors set correctly, quickly helps grooming for the day. They help you see how much snow is gathering in the tiller, how fast the tiller speed is, what condition the pans leave behind, and that one skier who is riding your tail.

The steering wheel is the "bread and butter" of the operation. Conveniently you can make all the necessary changes you need right in front of you. The four push buttons on the top left help direct the entire rear attachment. The positions are center, left, right and float. Float is most commonly used to react to turns. The four green and black buttons operate the tiller and the pans. From left to right; turns the tiller on/off, sets the depth of the cutter bar, raise/lower the left pan, raise/lower the right pan.

The two knobs on the bottom left of the wheel determine tiller turning speed and the speed of the entire unit. The bottom push button operates the windshield wipers and in the background above the wheel is the light console to inform you of what is happening and what might be wrong (ex. low oil, pressure, etc)

This is your main switch board. The joy stick operates the plow in front of the cat, there are pressure, fuel and rpm gauges. Finally, there are numerous switches to help with the cutter bar, defrost to keep windows clear, parking brakes, exterior lights, heat, wipers, and of course the radio.

In part 2, I will discuss more about the pans, plow and other features of the snow cat. The series will also discuss course markings, types of skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, safety and other maintenance equipment.

There is still time

You have until January 5th to vote for your favorite golf courses in the state of Colorado. Click here for the link to vote Vail Golf Club as your favorite golfing destination.

Golf Heals

This link was sent to me today. Click here to view a great story out of Tacoma, WA. You my have seen it before. It could be one of the Golden Bear's best piece of work. All the best to a safe and happy holiday season.

Winter

Beginning today the days are getting longer! I always look forward to that. Makes for a longer ski day as well. Snow conditions haven't been better at the Nordic Center and we are off to our best start ever. Lots of early skiing and the entire track has been open for well over a month now.

Looking forward to some more storms over the holiday weeks.

To date our project are just about complete with only the gas line installation still on. After the new year we will work with XCel to continue with finishing their supplemental line through the course. I would guess they have 500 yards left to install, which would take about 2-3 weeks to install. Thawing the ground takes up most of that time.

Enjoy the holiday season, stay tuned for my "All Things Nordic" segment where I will begin to post the making of a Nordic track and snowshoe trails.