Was it windy?

We get the course picked up, storm comes, pick it up, storm comes.
Rinse, lather, repeat.
Arggghhhh,
Turf

Why cottonwoods are weeds.

A weed is defined as any plant that is out of place. Based upon the definition, even a rosebush could be a weed. Weeds have more to do with desired function of an area, than with plant variety an species.
Cottonwoods served as functional wind breaks for farmers. Prolific growers and reproducers, cottonwoods were an excellent choice. They were also grown as timber along wet river banks because of their tolerance of wet soils.
But, when it comes to golf, Cottonwoods, and their cottony mess, disrupt mowing operations, air cooling coils, and my allergies. Their soft bark and fibrous wood, make them brittle. This brittle tree makes a mess of the ground below in every thunderstorm. The annual cost of these trees in labor cleanup of playing surfaces is incredible. As spoken in Seinfeld,
Vile weed!!
The damage continues,
2 and 6 white greens last night,
Turf

Comfort on the course!

I'm taking a break from turf issues today to bring you a new gadget for your golfing pleasure!
It's the PGF fan, rechargeable battery operated, fits in the cup holder.
I don't know how much, but does it matter? This thing looks COOL!
Check it out at pgffan.com
Stay cool,
Turf

First vandalism of 2013

We had some joyriders last night.
Broken flag sticks and burnouts.
Please be aware and report any suspicious nighttime activity to security.
Help us to protect the golf course by educating young drivers of appropriate cart operation.
Golf cart operation is fun and young drivers like to "experiment" with their abilities.
Please keep this in mind when allowing nighttime cart access.
Should be a great U.S. Open finish!
Happy Fathers Day!
Turf

Last nights storm

Lots of debris down!
The good news is that the cottonwoods are probably done showering us with cotton mess, but they also dropped many branches. Vile weed!!
We are busy with cleanup, this will take a few days.
Turf

What mom said

Growing up as the youngest of six, we might sometimes hear "can't we have anything nice around here?" We could be a rowdy bunch!
Those sentiments were echoed as I drove up to find my new traffic stakes laying about the fairway. Upon closer examination I found the coyote pups were chewing on the green vinyl caps.
In my morning drive this am, I came across a pup in the tall grass by 8 red, I told him to leave my stakes alone.
I don't think he understood,
Turf

Cart path edges

One of the toughest areas to keep looking good are the cart path edges. This spring has been wet, so the damage to these areas increased. There are several ways which you can help.
1) keep all four tires on the path around greens and tees.
2) avoid bare areas when entering the fairway from the path.
3) when going around other carts, go wide.
The second and third photo show the incorrect and correct way respectively to pass other carts. The natural inclination is to stay close to the path when going around. Going wide, and passing where there is healthy turf is best.
These photos were taken during a staff roundup for training purposes. I thought I would pass the information on to you as well.
The sun is shining...two in a row!!
Turf