Spring update

We are just around the corner from another golf season. The temperatures are slowly on the rise and the days are getting longer. It is time for the Grounds Department to start revving up. Over the next few weeks we will be putting some of the course setup materials back out on the course and tidying up from the winter.

The first thing you may notice when heading out on the course this spring is our new tee markers. Through some connections in our local Superintendent fraternity, we were able to have a terrific metal logo tee marker made for a very minimal cost. The new markers were cut out of 1/8” thick sheet metal with a plasma cutter. Once we had the “raw” tee marker, we ground off any rough edges, cleaned them with acetone and primed them to be painted. We then painted each marker with the corresponding color of the set of tees on the golf course: black, blue, white, gold, and red. Anywhere that two colors share a tee space we used one marker of each color. This will be easy to identify for players, but will also be very convenient for our staff during setup because there is no worry about the wrong color being in front of the other. The old tee markers will be stored and used during the winter while the metal tee markers are being refurbished. This will allow a full set of tees to be out on the course at all times during the year. Repainted ball washers, hazard stakes, and yardage stakes were also all put out this past week.

Another improvement that you may notice is the yardage posts out on the driving range fairway have all been repainted and new flags put on top. The bright, fresh paint makes the posts jump out to a golfer standing up on the driving range tee. The posts look clean and crisp and are now much more visible.

As you head down 3 fairway, you may notice stakes surrounding a sinkhole about 50 yards from the green. This is where we moved the Japanese maple from 3 fairway to near 15 forward tee. Because the soil was so dry during construction it did not compact quite as well as needed. With the wet winter, some of the soil sank, leaving the outline of the tree hole. For now, we will simply keep the area staked off. Any necessary repairs will be made once the Bermuda grass begins to grow so that some of the sod can be salvaged and any new sod we have to lay will have a legitimate chance of surviving.

Finally, we have also put our purple martin houses back out on their poles. March 15^th is the general date for purple martins to return to our area. Providing housing and having it ready on time is not only a benefit for the birds and bird enthusiasts at the club, but we will also be using it as documentation for our Audubon Certification.

It is good to start getting the course put back together. Some of the staff’s hard work over the winter is on display through freshly painted items. The turf gets a fresh start in spring and so we like to give the course a fresh start as well.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org