November Golf

Looks like the weather is going to give us one last hurrah.  The forecast is warm, Sunday am almost 50!  The high tomorrow is 60, wow one more chance to make some birdies.  I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday.  We have much to be Thankful for in our house, especially group hugs. Remember, the leaf rule!
Go Blue,

Turf

The greatest game ever played

Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies.


- Bobby Jones
 
The golf course is almost ready for a wintery nap. Irrigation lines are all blown out, as well as the out buildings. Playing surfaces are protected against snow mold, a cold weather fungus which can injure fine turf. Tee markers, signs, stakes, and ball washers have been brought in out the winter elements. Although it seems a little sad, these comfortable autumn days are still enjoyable, you may have to walk a little more to keep the body warm, but the golf is still good.


The golf course, without all the amenities I mentioned, takes on a simple look. As a golf minimalist, I can’t stop myself from looking at all the things we don’t really need, to play golf. We love to clog up the landscape, addicted to nifty gadgets and placards with symbols that provide information. We sure go through some great effort to make a simple game complicated and expensive. Yes, I realize that my colleagues and I play a big role in this, but so does golfer demands. It all comes down to that overused and vague term…….value.

If golf is going to survive the next generation, we need to figure out its value, and that may mean, getting back to the basics; the true essence of the game which has held the attention and fascination of men and women for over a hundred years. This great game which is now viewed as boring and time consuming to the younger crowds, depends on them to survive and flourish. Golf not only affords us exercise and escape, but teaches valuable life lessons like perseverance, patience, forgiveness, and more importantly, redemption.

Those are my golf thoughts for today.

Go Blue,

Turf

Fall cleanup, winterization

The last week I have received many questions about the aerification of the fairways.  Without too much science and detail, I will try to explain the process.  We do a traditional aerification on the red nine (1-8) where we pull cores of soil out of the ground and mulch them up.  We like this approach because of the sandy soil on most of the red.  Pulling the soil up and placing on top helps us control thatch.  The rest of the course is treated with a modified slicing approach with a piece of equipment called an "aerway".  The aerway makes a slice about 4 inches long and shatters the soil below the ground.  The reason for the different approaches is the soil subsurface, because of the different soils, we change the management of these soils.  The heavy clay soils of the white and blue courses have been topdressed for several years now and we don't want to incorporate the clay into the sand, so a solid tine approach to aerification is appropriate.  
In addition to cleaning up broken branches, fallen trees, and a billion leaves,  we are closing down the irrigation system this week and have closed the course bathrooms.  We are getting ready for winter---yuck.
I have been banned from cheering for college football teams,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Fairway aerification

We have all the fairways that we pull cores out of aerified.  The rest get a modern slicing with a device called an aerway.  In the early hours, and other wet times, the soil on the surface can be spread to make these ugly tire tracks.  Until the soil at the surface works it's way in, we ask that you keep the carts in the rough.
The soil is an important part of controlling thatch and keeping the turfgrass healthy.
Go blue,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Awww nuts!!

Fall is in the air, and stuff is falling from the trees.  As if growing grass in heavily tree populated areas isn't hard enough, we have acorns.  So what is the big deal?  Cart traffic over acorns pushes them into the ground, so where we once had fine fairway grass, we now have a bumpy, woody replacement.  We will not get turf back until a fuzzy rodent type creature volunteers it's time to remove them, or nature degrades them.  Either way, I am not a big fan of the result.
But....you can help, please avoid driving the trolleys (golf cart) in areas where there are black walnuts, acorns, cottonwood twigs, or the like scattered on the turf.  Your cooperation with these and other matters, like ball marks and divot repair, help keep Briar Ridge a quality facility.  
Go Blue, 
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Waiting for leaves to fall

We are in a bit of a holding pattern right now.  We will aerify the red and white greens monday and tuesday if the rain holds off.  The blue greens are healing slower than we haf hoped, but are coming along nice nonetheless (yes, I know, but it's my blog and I can write it how I would say it).  We are walk mowing the blue greens for the first time today and they should return to a consistent speed as the others.
 Marco did a great job on the new bench area on 1 blue tee.  We hope to add more of these around the golf course this fall and next spring.  We hope you enjoy them if you encounter a delay, or if you simply want to rest on a not-so-busy type of golf day.
The fairways are firm right now as the forecast is calling for several chances of rain, come on out and bust some long balls!
Go Blue!
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Preparing the blue

We have begun aerification on the blue nine greens today.  We will continue next week on the white and red.  Getting these greens done early means two things for us; 1. That the recovery time is quicker, and 2. The grass that is filling in is bentgrass and not poa annua.  We take a great deal of care to fill all the holes as far up as we can, and we think we provide a pretty good product considering the disruption that takes place.  If you have never seen the process, I think you would be amazed, it is a great team effort for sure.  This cultural practice (aerification) is very important to the health and quality of our greens, anyone who enjoys quality conditions, should appreciate the efforts put forth, because it is not a picnic on this end.
Over the hump,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

The woolly bear

Look who I found!  The woolly bear is a cool project for kids, it is still early, but I found him yesterday.
Course dried out nicely.
We are off the path!
First day with gloves,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Feels like fall

North winds, cool temps, and leaves on the ground; all make it feel like fall here at BRCC.  We will be carts on path, hopefully the winds will help us dry up before too long.  The wet spring meant we were on the path many times this year.  We have a ton of areas adjacent to cart paths that are bare mud, or knotweed.  The photo is of an area where a pothole has developed from continued traffic.  Please pay attention to keep all four tires on the path around greens and tees.  Also, when you must navigate around other carts, pick high areas and go around on the non-fairway side, the fairway side receives all the traffic it can handle on non-path days.  These small details can help us keep our course in great shape and really make an impact on the overall perception of well we are maintained.
As always, I appreciate your help on the course, I hope you have a great Holiday weekend planned.
Go Blue,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

What is that falling from the sky?

Oh my, rain??  It has been quite a stretch of dry weather.  Soon we will be aerifying greens, tees, fairways, and traffic areas.  We have alreading begun re-seeding areas in the rough where the ryegrass quit on us.  This is prime time to seed, soil temps are warm and weed pressure is low.
I took the above photo yesterday in a light rain.  You may recall me talking about pond buffers and water quality.  I often emphasize how important our natural resources are.  I am particularly  protective of Lake Michigan (could be because I drink out of it).  The photo demostrates a sediment load, sediments cover up crucial habitat, may increase water temperature (which can influence dissolved oxygen content, pH, available phosphorous, all of which may lead to increased algal bloom). The loading being done in the photo is upstream from us, and serves to remind us of why it is important to manage our property with the environment, and our drinking water, in mind.
Cheers,
Turf
P.S. Check out the pond color after.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

It's not that I dislike carts...........

It is more of the disrespect that drivers show for the golf course.  This picture shows that the cart that did the damge is not a club car or typical golf cart, it has slimmer tires and a wider wheel base.  It is almost the end of August, I just keep thinking ahead to aerification and fall fertilization when we can recover from all the turf stresses.  
Please drive carts with care, avoid high speed turns, and do not let children drive unattended.  You can check the club directory for the current policies of golf carts and usage.
Go speedracer!,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Cool nights

One of the things that helps the turf recover in the fall is the return of cool nights.  The plants are active doing some dark phase photosynthesis (no, I'm not making this up), and respiration.  Cooler nights help the plant utilize available water better, and quite frankly give it a little break.
Our problem from yesterday was a 110 volt line inside a transformer that was arcing to the transformer cover.  Problem solved, now we have to address the localized dry spots (LDS).  LDS is a neat soil problem, unless you are the one trying to manage it.  What happens is that small areas (foot or so in diameter) become hydrophobic, or water-scared.  These areas will appear in the middle of a well irrigated, even wet area, and will be extreamely dry.
Looks like a great day!
See you on the tee,
Turf
P.S. The opposite of hydrophobic is..........wait for it.........hydrophyllic, which is water loving.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

When water is not wet

Ever wonder why plants look so much better after rain?  We can irrigate and irrigate, but things just seem to be staying alive, instead of thriving.  Irrigation water lacks several properties of rain water that contribute to this phenomenon.  One of the first things you have to consider is the source of the irrigation water and any of the inputs that enter that source.  Some sources are better than others, and some are downright nasty.
We sit somewhere in the middle, however we still treat our water with the system in the photo to adjust the pH.  I will refrain from boring you with details about bicarbonates, calcium ratios, and dissolved solids.  I will say that quite simply, that certain qualities of water make it easier for the plant to utilize it.  It goes back to the simple concept of osmosis and is why eating a large amount of salt can kill you.  
We began to notice some areas of localized dry spots in fairways (see other photo), we felt that something was wrong, and we should have better soil moisture.  Upon further inspection, our acid injection system was (is) experiencing technical difficulties.  Kinda like the gall stone of the irrigation world.  We are working on solving this, right now we think it may be an electrical issue from the utility company.
Wish us luck,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Disease, dry, and the other

As if it wasn't hard enough to manage fine turf this year.  We have seen it all and then some.  There are several patches of grass that appear to be stressed, and die back from a small circle, upon closer examination we found that buried in the turf is a small ball like the one in the photo.  My best guess is that these little guys fell from the sky during fireworks celebrations.  I don't know what it is, except it is metallic purple, and grass doesn't like it.  If you see such a small object feel free to take it home with you, compliments of me, I have a large enough collection in my cart now.
Tired and cranky,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Mosquitoes, skunks, and gall stones

We had just enough rain overnight to send the mosquitoes into a frenzy.  Not enough to go cart paths only, just enough to soak the crew as we thought the showers were past us.  Remember, insect repellent kills turf, please apply in non turf areas.
The summer stress has taken it's toll on turf (not to mention other things), so, the skunks, raccoons, apossum, and the like are out searching for the fall delicacy of grubs.  Whether the grubs are there or not, these rascals like to dig in brown and stressed areas.  Relief from these areas are covered under the rules of golf.
2010 also brought another pest to the world of turf, gall stones.  Not exactly a good time, but the staff at Community took good care of me.  As my nurse put it "gall stones can make you feel like you want to be dead, but a problem with your heart can make you dead," reassurement that I was doing the right thing getting checked out.
What a year,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Cart traffic stresses turf

Well, the heat took it's toll on some fairway turf yesterday.  We are seeing cart traffic marks in several areas.  It is important that carts avoid stressed areas during August and late July.  Mounds are especially sensitive to damage because of the nature of slopes and water holding.  You will also notice areas on the perimeter of the fairways that are damaged, several factors come into play here and our single row irrigation system is just one of them.  Please be mindful of the high stress on the turf right now, avoid mounds and low areas, and observe the 90 degree rule, which reduces the amount of traffic in the fairways.  Another way to reduce the traffic on the fairway is to crossover the fairway to your ball and continue on to the rough.  Whichever way you choose, please refrain from driving in the fairway when possible.
Hydrate,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Expansion areas take a beating

Most of the areas of the course have managed to survive the extreame wetness as of late, with the exception of the green expansion areas.  It was optimistic, but not realistic that these areas would all heal and be 100 percent in one year.  We knew though, that eventually, if we stuck with the program, they would heal and add some great hole locations to the course.  We have a couple of management tricks up our sleeves to help, and the weather should turn soon to aid in their recovery.  
We are drying out, for a day at least,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Night time temps dive

Thankfully we have a reprieve from the muggy nights, last night even smelled like summer on the course.  The humidity has meant headaches not only for superintendents, but allergy victims as well.
Low areas remain wet and waterlogged, the turf in these areas are stressing out and we are out slicing as many of these areas as we can.  I am certain that we will see turf loss in these areas.  The cool night temps will help, but we will have to see how the next forecasted weather pattern plays out.  
I can tell you this much, turfgrass seed sales are up.
See you soon,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Heat and humidity to continue

The stress of 2010 continues for turf on golf courses throughout the midwest.  Waterlogged soils and high soil temperatures stress turfgrass root systems and comprise the overall health of the plant.  We continue to be optimistic that our past cultural practices such as topdressing and aerification will help us through this difficult weather pattern.  The USGA has a good article posted on their website, you can view it here.  The above photo is actually from the article.  It is rarely a good thing when a photo of your golf course is included in an article by the USGA (7 red fairway was shown in one several years ago.)  We still have some standing water in a couple of fairways and we continue to push that water to drains.  Turf that remains under water for several hours usually dies.  We will watch the turf closely over the next 7 days and have had to raise mowing heights in response to the environmental conditions.  Hopefully this will pass and we will have a good three weeks in August for great golf.
So far, we are hanging in there,
Turf

First estimate was poor...........

Looking at noon, possibly closed all day.  More detail to follow.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Ugggghhhhh

Rain is pounding the region this morning.  We were already dealing with saturated soils and yesterday was the first day off the path.  The rain is supposed to end around 7:45 and we will be closed for approximently one hour after this rain to allow putting surfaces to drain.  These times are approximate at this time because, due to the lightning, we are not able to get on the course to check conditions.  Based on past experience, a 9:00 start time would be my best guess right now.  We will be cart paths only when we open, with a good chance that will continue into Sunday, as the forecast has very little wind with slightly humid conditions.
Check back for further updates,
Turf.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Briar Ridge to add nine holes

It is that time of year again, the clubhouse bentgrass is being transformed into nine holes of mini-golf.  It is very difficult to allow last years course be the best ever.  So, we will try to make the course even better this year.  The weather for this weekend looks good, hope to see you at Briarfest.
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Presidents cup 1st day

Rains hit around four this morning and it came down hard at times.  There is standing water on all major playing surfaces, bunkers, and cart paths.  We will be delayed in our mowing, but hopefully we will not affect the starting time.  At this time the rains have almost quit, but thunder rumbles in the west.  We will try to move as much water as we can, and make bunkers playable.  Worst case for carts would be rough and path only, one crossover in fairways at the green stakes.
See you soon,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Trees and turf

It's not that I dislike trees, on the contrary, I love them.  I just don't like them interfering with my turf.  This picture demonstrates what a good root pruning job can do.  This spring, a trench was dug along the tree line, can you guess what side of the photo the trees are on?  This fall, we will be back at our old practice of pruning roots along fairways and greens.  The biggest challenge we face with roots in a green is on 8 red, as the trees in the ditch steal water and nutrients from the putting surface.  The photo is from 8 red, to the right of the beginning of the fairway, check it out.
I would love some clouds,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Sclerotinia gone wild

The current weather pattern continues to promote fungal activity.  The research that is being conducted on three red fairway in conjunction with Dr. Settle of the CDGA is showing more pathogenic activity than any of the other sites included in the trials.  We are seeing some really cool things and have even begun some experimental treatments based on our observations.  Science is happening right here at Briar!  Be sure to take a moment and see it for yourself.
Have a fungus free day,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Fairways that look like this.........

Have a tendency to grow stuff like this, pythium fungus.  Warm nights have produced long durations of leaf wetness and.......whammo, pythium and brown patch.  We found these little monsters on seven red, the tight trees create an environment with poor air flow, and turf that is comprimised since it is competing with trees for light and water.  Heavy rains would not have been good.  We will be restricting cart traffic to the path for a few days to allow the turf to recover.  
See you on the path,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Ahhhh, summer

This photo is of some type of chemical injury to 4 white green.  The definite borders to this type of injury immediately indicate some type of spill or other application.  This spot does not smell of gas or oil, and grass is coming back in the centers which tell us that whatever was here provided only temporary toxicity.  My guess would be single malt scotch or some other adult beverage.
Cheers,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Reading dew patterns

High heat and stress continue for our turf here at Briar.  It does not appear that we will get any relief until August.  Cart traffic will continue to stress the turf, but you can help minimize the damage done by carts.  By driving 90 degrees out to your ball, and then back to the path we can reduce cart traffic by as much as 75 percent.  Many people drive right down the middle of the fairway to their next shot, or to their partners ball.  Even though this is very convenient, it does not promote quality playing conditions.  I like the exercise portion of golf, I will often take a few clubs and leave the cart somewhere in between my ball and my partners, thus allieviating some stress and getting some exercise.  
In the photo above, the dew patterns tell a traffic abuse tale.  Lack of dew in areas is a sign of stress, in the photo we can see that many players continue around this corner instead of going to the path.  It is not uncommon for us to go cart path only in extreame heat, especially on certain holes.  Please help us to continue to reduce cart restrictions by being mindful of the stress that carts produce.  Please pass this information along to your playing partners who may not be so tech savvy.  
Together we can continue to enjoy some quality golf conditions.
Hot and sweaty,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Insect repellant kills turf

The mosquitos are out in force, please remember to apply repellants on the path or in a cart.  We are seeing many areas where turf has been damaged.  The heat looks like it is back.  Enjoy what is left of this weekend,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Home stretch

We are entering the home stretch of the golf season.  The stress on the turf in the next four weeks will be at it's peak.  In addition, most of our events are concentrated to this time.  The drop in the humidity is a blessing.  Hopefully we can continue on our current management strategies and the turf will respond well.  We will be careful not to push the putting greens too much, and hopefully we can leave the cutting heights right where they are.
In the photo is a ball mark made by Jan Sutorius as she tried to make a hole in one for me (she repaired it quite well also).  Great shot Jan!
Tee it high,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Bunker contamination

Thought I would take a break from the heat and share a photo that I took in the right greenside bunker of 4 blue.  This photo demonstrates the contaminated top layer of sand. Most players complain that there is no sand in the bunkers when in fact there is plenty of sand.....it has been buried from years of the surrounding edges eroding.  We are doing a temporary fix in this bunker by skimming off the contamination, and adding some new sand.
I need some clouds,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Happy Independence Day

I want to wish everyone a safe Holiday. We are starting to dry out and showing signs of severe turf stress in traffic areas. The wet conditions we experienced earlier allowed for the soils to become compacted and now the turf in those areas are struggling to get the water they need from the soil. Please pay special attention while driving a cart to avoid stressed areas, while we try to rope off these areas, cooperation from the members is best. Below is an old photo showing turf wilting in traffic areas.


Have a great Holiday,

Turf

2010 will be interesting

This year has already seen it's share of oddity, and for the golf course superintendent, I'm afraid it's going to get interesting.  The weather has set the stage for disease and decline in turf.  Several golf courses in the Fort Wayne area have sent turf samples off to Universities to be looked at.  It is my understanding that these areas started off bright orange, some then turned yellow, and they all eventually turned brown (death).  We are scouting the course carefully and this includes our chemical control plots.  These are areas where no chemicals are applied to suppress or control disease.  The infamous dollar spot is having a field day as the weather is perfect for that pathogen (sclerotinia macrocarpa).
We are still on the cart paths, and the mosquitos have taken a pint of blood as I write.  Impressive seeing how the winds are about 12 mph.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Half inch of rain

Storms came through this am and dumped more water on our already soaked golf course and range.  We will be on paths today and a good chance on sunday.  The fairways were very soft to begin with, and just because there is no visible water does not mean that the soils are not saturated.  Traffic on saturated soils leads to heavy compaction and reduces the amount of soil oxygen that the roots of the turf desperately needs.  Comprimising the health of the turf in the early parts of the season may result in turf loss during stressful periods.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Return to normal......kind of

Looks like we are drying out to lift the path only restriction.  Some areas of the rough are extreamly wet and we may be paths and fairways on certain holes.  Bunkers are all pumped out, the new bunkers held up quite well, while the old ones have considerable wash-out.  Hopefully we will have the place put back together right before the forecasted thunderstorms this weekend.  Looks like today is the day to play, greens are cut and rolled.
You may notice several irrigation leaks, the ground being severely saturated allows for greater pipe movement.  We had to take the pumps down (off pressure) to avoid further damage.  If you notice any areas, please notify a staff member.  Hopefully, with the pumps down we can figure out what is a leak and what is simply drainage, this job sure stays interesting.
Tee it high,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Thursday Conditions

Rain and storms overnight.  Course is closed until noon today.  We will be on the path.  We are moving as much water as we can to try and make the course as playable as possible.  We have had three inches of rain since last friday.  Hopefully we can get some sun and wind now, we are due.  Oh yeah, and guess who is here.

Course closed

Well it doesn't happen very often, but it did today.  Rain closed the course, we will be busy moving water.  The staff did a great job of preping the course for the CWDGA South District Team Matches, and we were excited to show off our course, but after playing only one hole, the storms came.  I will post course conditions early tomorrow.
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

More rain with some creepy skies

More rain came today and put an end to sand hauling, rough mowing, and all sorts of otherwise productive work. With the ladies South District matches coming, tomorrow will be a long day.  Someone do a dry weather dance please!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Happy Father's Day

Should be a good morning for golf.  As you can see by the dew patterns on the fairways, soils are still saturated.  Traffic on saturated soils results in heavy compaction.  We are lifting the cart restrictions, but ask that you only drive in the fairways to your ball and then back to the path.  Please do not continue to drive down the fairways once your shot has been played.  Many low areas are still soft.  Please pay attention to the terrian and avoid driving in low areas.  Player cooperation with cart restrictions, helps us to be more liberal with cart usage.
I wish everyone a great day of family and relaxation.
Wish me luck as we head out to the warrior dash.
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Course gets another inch of rain

We are open, and will be on cart paths only today.  Lots of standing water and soils are saturated.  Please keep all four tires on the path.  Thank you,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Cats and dogs

Well, a front went through and it poured on us for about ten minutes.  Just enough to screw up some of our bunker and hauling work.  Not enough to put us on the path though.  Photo is of the front passing over my neighborhood.  

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Irrigation leak day 4

Wish us luck as we tackle this one, hopefully there is enough pipe inside the coupling to make the repair we are planning on.  More later...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Potential for disaster

11 pallets of sod are coming today as we make a push to finish the bunker project.  So, it would only make sense that we would find an irrigation leak on a mainline.  We are lucky that we have had some rain, as the parts to repair this 8 inch line are days away.  A leak like this mid-summer would have us jumping.  Looks like they are uncertain what the weekend will bring weather wise.  Cross your fingers,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Lucky lucky

We have missed most of the heavy rains that have been in the area.  We are still off the path and the rain looks like it will miss us to the south.  We are preping the course for play, and we will see what the afternoon brings weatherwise.
Pictured is a dying Oak, several years ago we experienced dry conditions that are now showing in the stress of many trees.  
The mosquitos are out in force, remember that insect repellant kills grass and you should stand on the cart path when you apply.
I have to run,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Weekend Update

We are catching up on the rough, bunkers are filling with sand, and some string trimming is getting done around trees. Yeay……..we finally feel like the course is taking shape. We have been very busy trying to keep up with the regular maintenance while finishing up several projects. As frustrating as this spring has been, I have been able to look back and see just how much we have accomplished this past winter and spring. I have a deep appreciation for my staff and I am very proud of their efforts. I probably don’t thank them enough, but they are the most amazing crew I have ever dealt with. I hope you get a chance to come out soon, the course is playing well, looks like some showers over the weekend may soften things up a bit, just as things were getting back to semi-firm.


See you on the tee,

Turf

From wet to dry

It is hard to believe how fast conditions change.  We found this area of localized dry spot on six red fairway today.  The course has dried out nicely and we have been able to resume work on the bunker project.  The first loads of sand have been ordered and we hope to begin placing it in the bunkers early next week.  We continue to receive comments about ball marks, please encourage your playing partners to repair their pitchmarks, it really is a matter of sportsmanship.  We also rescued an injured red tail hawk yesterday, I am hopeful it will make a full recovery.  I will update the blog with it's status as I receive more information.  
Three day weekend on it's way,
Turf

-- Sent from my Palm Pre