Winter update

We seem to be fully entrenched in winter now. Although it was a mild December, we have a lot of winter days still ahead of us. The combination of frost delays and rain mixed in with some mild and comfortable days has kept our staff bouncing back and forth from inside work to outside work.

The tee markers have all been refurbished and repainted. Bunker rakes have been cleaned, broken pieces replaced and needed maintenance finished. The rakes will be put back out in February if the weather is conducive. Similarly, all of the ball washers have been cleaned, repaired, and repainted and they will be returned to the course once we are clear of any freezing potential. Even though weather has still permitted some golf, now is when we must take certain course items in for repair. We cannot undertake this task at any time during the golf season because use of these items is necessary. So, although it may be an inconvenience to play a round in the winter when some tee markers are missing or there are not ball washers, it is vital in order for those items to be ready for the truly busy season. Also, we are very conscious to never take the entire course out of play, so we never take all of the tee markers off the course at one time.

Also, those of you who have been out this winter may have noticed some sinking of the ground in #3 fairway about 60 yards short of the green. This is the location of the Japanese maple that needed to be moved for construction and was relocated near the forward tee on #15. While the damage is unsightly, because of the cold weather, trying to fix the Bermuda sod now would result in death of the plants. As soon as temperatures warm consistently in the spring we will repair the area. For now it is staked to keep anyone from walking into the dip.

Many of you will also have noticed a very concerted effort by the grounds department to limb up all of the trees on the property. Although this is a daunting task, we have made progress. We started on #1 and have worked through to #3. This is a continuous project of which there are several rewards. The playability from around trees will improve because of the removal of low limbs for clearance when swinging a club. Also increased air and light will improve the turf below the trees. So keep an eye out for cleaner, better maintained trees around the course.

See you on the course!

Joe


jvillegas@bwrc.org