New Assistant Superintendent

Warmer temperatures are on the way and the turf will be waking soon. As we head into spring, we would like to welcome a new face on staff- our new Assistant Superintendent Wesley Monaghan.

Below is a short introduction from Wesley:

 

Hi, nice to meet you! My name is Wesley Monaghan, I’m the new Assistant Superintendent here at Bretton Woods Recreation Center.

A little about me: I started working in landscaping about 10 years ago. I worked for Garden Time Designs, a small landscaping company, working my way up to supervisor. I then went on to Eagles Nest Country Club, out in Phoenix, MD. I’ve also had the opportunity to work at courses in different states including Texas and Iowa, eventually returning back to my roots here in Maryland. I’m currently enrolled in Ohio State University’s Golf Course Management program and continuing my efforts in pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Turf Management. I’m passionate about what I do. Every day spent on the course brings new and enriching opportunities to grow.

With that being said, I’m excited to bring my experience to Bretton Woods, to learn as much as possible, and to help maintain the beauty and playability of the course. I look forward to seeing every one of you out on the course and can’t wait for the 2025 season to begin!

 

 

We are working to get Wesley up to speed and comfortable here at Bretton Woods. He has just finished his first week and has fit in well on the staff from the start. Be on the lookout for him this season, and beyond, and stop and say hi when you can.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don't start off 10 tee without permission from the Golf Pro Shop.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Greens aeration with Ninja Tines

For a brief few days winter backed off and the temperatures warmed up. For the Grounds department, it gave us a chance to execute our greens aeration plan.

For many seasons now, we have aimed to aerate as early in the year as possible. Completing the work early usually helps avoid big conflicts with golfers because the golf season is not in full swing. The work is completed ahead of the handicap posting season, and healing begins quickly, allowing for the best putting surfaces possible once the posting season starts. But most importantly, aerating this early allows time to elapse between aerating and our plant growth regulator (PGR) applications for seed head  control. The link provides more detail, but the short story is: suppressing growth with PGR’s to prevent seed heads also stunts the healing process from aeration. If we aerate early enough in the season, some or most, of the healing can take place before we spray PGR’s. While we were forced to wait a little later than we have in the last couple of years because of snow and completely frozen ground, we still were able to accomplish the work in our desired window.

We also had a new strategy for spring aeration this year. To minimize the healing time required, we used even smaller tines than we have in the past. These new tines are called Ninja Tines and are not quite .2” wide (and we ordered the XL version!) This is nearly 50% smaller than the tines we have used in the past.

The beauty of the Ninja Tines is that they are specifically designed to create very minimal disruption. They don’t remove very much soil like typical hollow tines, and they are very skinny. One of the main reasons for aerating any surface is to remove thatch, which is the organic material from the plants- dead leaves, stems, roots, etc.- that accumulates in the soil, and the Ninja Tines are designed just for that. The Ninja Tines do not penetrate deeply, which limits the soil removed, but they do grab the thatch. And because they are so small, we can poke lots of holes, removing lots of thatch, with the least amount of surface disturbance. By using the Ninja Tines, we have decreased the size of the hole created, which will speed up recovery, and we have still attacked the thatch buildup. Because this was the first season trying this new process, we can’t be definitive on the results yet. But watching the process and judging how it turned out, we are very optimistic.

We expect this adjustment to our spring aeration program will be an improvement, and something we continue each year moving forward.

 

We are now back to posting once per week. Thank you

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please don't start off 10 tee without permission from the Golf Pro Shop.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Bunkers and cart paths

It has turned out to be quite a winter thus far, colder and snowier than any of the last several winters. We have been limited in our outside work time, but we are ready to get back at it, and we have started a few projects that will continue over the next few weeks.

First, we have started the process of refilling bunker sand in greenside bunkers. Last year, we refilled fairway bunker back to a consistent depth across the course. So far, we have only finished a few holes- we are dealing with having to schedule loads of sand on days when it won’t freeze to the inside of the dump truck! - but we will work to catch up on any lost time. For now, we are working on getting the sand into all the bunkers and quickly spreading it out. We have not thoroughly leveled every bunker and compacted the sand yet, but those steps will occur. The temperatures are slowly climbing out of their lowest point as we aim for spring, and we will have more workdays available coming soon.

A second, longer-term project we are slowly working on is cart path edging. This is another process we have completed in the past, most recently in 2021. We have tried edging in the winter, spring, and summer. Each time of year has its pros and cons, winter avoids most golfers, summer is better weather, but sometimes we must do the work when it makes the most sense. We would have normally wanted to wait a little later into spring before starting, but with so few other projects available because of the cold and snow, we started edging a little earlier this year. Nevertheless, the edging process was interrupted by the cold too- we had 2 different days we had to stop work because the ground was frozen so solid our edging machine could not cut into it.

Cart path edging is a slow process considering that just the basic stretch of cart paths that a golfer would use to navigate the course is over 4 miles long. That does not take into account the sections that are more just for maintenance access or any other paths around the property. We will work on this project as time and weather allow.

It won’t be long before we are back into a more regular routine of course maintenance. Until then, we have plenty to keep us busy if the weather allows.

 

Starting in March, we will return to weekly posts. Thank you

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please avoid walking through overly saturated or puddled areas on greens if possible.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Inside work when it is cold

Welcome to 2025. The weather has been the dominant feature thus far in January. 2 separate snowstorms along with temperatures plenty cold enough to keep the snow around have kept our outside work to a minimum. Nevertheless, work always continues.

Prior to the snow falling, we were able to finish up a few outside projects that we started back in December, which you can read more about here. The new practice bunker construction is complete, we are just waiting to add sand. The old practice bunker is gone- filled in, sodded, and the old fence has been removed. We also finished up our last drainage work on #14 approach. All the new drains will come in handy when the snow starts to melt.

Now that it has turned decidedly cold and snowy, we turn our attention to inside work. All equipment is serviced, and preventive winter maintenance is performed. We break down all our most frequently used machines over the winter and repair and replace anything necessary. The equipment is also hand washed and detailed, keeping it looking new and operating to its fullest capacity.

Not overlooking our responsibilities at soccer, all the goals are disassembled, repaired as needed, and repainted. This protects them from the long season of being out in the elements. Similarly, benches and Adirondack chairs are sanded and stained, so they can withstand the weather as well.

We also work at this time of year making changes or upgrades to our shop that we won’t have time to do once the season starts. This year, for example, one of our main goals was to repaint parking lines inside our warehouse where we store our maintenance vehicles. Over time the old lines had faded out and parking had become a jumbled mess. To restore some organization, we thoroughly cleaned the floor and repainted the lines. We made some changes to the old setup also, since some of the space is being used differently than before.

Despite plenty to keep us busy inside, we are a little anxious to get back out and wrap up a few more tasks before spring officially arrives. Hopefully, Mother Nature will give us a few opportunities.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please be careful on greens that are partially covered in snow or ice. Do not play from these spots, and please do not try and scrape the snow or ice out of your way.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org