Rain

We will regret saying this later, but we have had enough rain to last us for a long time. It would be more useful to spread some of the larger totals out over a period of time, but there is no arguing with Mother Nature.

Since the start of May, we have received 12.25” of rain! This has made scheduling maintenance practices a very difficult process. Two separate rainstorms accounted for more than four inches each in 24-36 hour time frames. When this amount of water falls in a short period, the ground cannot accept it and it stays along the surface and sits in low areas. Bunkers wash, mulch runs, sticks and debris clog drains, and ponds and creeks overflow their banks. We cannot do much to stop the water, instead we wait for it to recede and then begin the cleanup process. What has been difficult is that about the time we catch up from the previous rain, the next storm is upon us.

This cycle has affected several noticeable things on the course. First, the rough has not been cut as often as we would like or at all depending on how wet the area is. This has caused trouble for the golfers because long, wet rough means lost balls, frustration, and slow play. Using lighter equipment, such as push mowers and smaller machines has enabled us to manage most of the rough, but there are some spots we just cannot get to. Also, when cutting long wet grass, clippings remain. Clippings look bad and make for poor playing conditions, so they must be blown. This extra task adds more man hours to maintaining the rough.

Bunkers are also troublesome with this much rain. Unfortunately, bunkers are one of the aforementioned low areas in which the water sits. It takes several hours to pump all the water out of the bunkers, even with a large trash pump. Also, the sand washes down off the faces and is then contaminated with soil. We would like to add new sand to all the bunkers and give them a fresh white facelift, but spending time on making the bunkers playable after the rain has limited our ability to add the new sand.

Lastly, other areas of the property are affected by the rain as well. The creek near the maintenance facility has twice overflowed its banks and caused several issues. For example, in the most recent storm, water from the creek ran into the tennis bubble and created a great deal of cleanup. Also, the culvert that runs under the road gets clogged with sticks and leaves and sends even more water up and over the road.

The rain now has been a nuisance and made some things more difficult and added more tasks to our regular maintenance routine. Once summer hits, some of this rain would be useful, but by that time Mother Nature may have a different plan.

 

 

 See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org