Activities galore

Something for everyone!
This ladies putting session looked like a great time, and educational too!
There is much activity around the club. Be sure to read the emails and postings, or you may miss out!
The playground is installed and excluding some restoration work outside the area, looks awesome. Looks like there are some interesting gadgets and neat stuff to climb on. The Improvement train continues to roll. If you don't know about the sports academy, check with the office. Golf, tennis, soccer, and volleyball camps are happening.
Sign up or spread the word,
Turf

Happy Mothers Day

It is a chilly start today!
I would like to wish all of our Mothers a very happy and blessed day.
I imagine my mother will be spending her day on the course. In addition to life, she introduced me to this great tradition and pastime.....golf. What a great way to spend time with each other! Golf is truly a great gift to give to your family. 2013 should be the year to play some family golf!
If we are unable to share a round with mom, lets remember their loving ways. A mothers unconditional love is amazing. Lets be thankful and celebrate them on earth and in sprit.
Love to moms,
Turf

Small irrigation issue

It's that time of year! In the golf industry, we like to call it the irritation system, I mean irrigation.
Mainline leak, six white. My good friend Dale loaned me the shoring braces and boards, or this hole would have been even more massive. We have a ridiculous amount of tape, signage, cones, and anything else we could find to protect this area from anyone entering.
We needle tined the greens yesterday, rolled, brushed, and cut them. We are really happy with how they turned out. We will do the white and two and three blue as soon as we know we can get water on them (yeah this big pipe is preventing that action).
I almost forgot, new flags arrived!!
Back in my hole,
Turf

Joys of spring

The warm temps mean the ryegrass is shooting up in our roughs. We can barely keep up with the growth. Broadleaf weeds are flourishing. We certainly are busy this time of year. This week looks to be a good one for us to catch up!
Five and six blue had a small hydraulic tubing issue, so a few heads ran for about 6 hours.
It is roped off, please avoid these areas.
Have a joyous Sunday!
Turf

Cottonwood......wow

After the falling of this tree, we found a completely rotted cambium. Cambium is the vascular system of a tree. The cambium transfers water and nutrient throughout the plant. The photo with the white healthy cambium demonstrates how very little healthy cambium existed in this tree.
The bottom photo shows the larvae of some type of borer. This insect larvae may be responsible for the destruction of tissue that resulted in this trees death. We will be sending this little guy out for positive identification.
More from the insect world when he / she is positively identified.
Yuck,
Turf

Two red cottonwood

On the advice of a master arborist, we have decided to remove this large cottonwood. We have watched the slow decline of this tree for the last few years. This year, the tree lacks any signs of new budding and is showing serious loss of bark in the upper canopy. The tree now becomes a safety issue.
I have taken a photo of the hole with the tree in position. We will provide an after photo, and I believe that the trees past this cottonwood will still provide a challenge for any balls left. We will continue to talk about the future of this hole post-cottonwood to determine what will be put in its place.
Turf

Mr. Singleton

Today we remember Palmer, a great advocate of the game, well respected figure in the community, and a great gentleman.  Palmer Singleton was on the search committee that eventually offered me my current position here at Briar.  He was one of the first members of Briar Ridge that I would come to know and one that I will surely never forget.   Behind my desk sits a photo of Palmer and Susie, his high school sweetheart and partner in life's journey.  Palmer C. Singleton, Jr., was born and raised in Hammond IN, served our country in WW II, and returned to Northwest Indiana where he opened his practice of law, raised two children, and served as a volunteer for many charitable organizations. Palmer was an integral part of what led to the building of Community Hospital in Munster. Palmer certainly left his mark on our community. He was known as a good friend to many, a man to rely upon, a man with character.  Palmer also had a lengthy history with pro bono legal services as a frequent volunteer and advocate for legal services for the less fortunate.  Palmer was a prisoner of war in World War II.  

Palmer was instrumental in the creation of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program at Briar Ridge.  Pictured is a bluebird house with what was the Singleton residence in the background.  Many of the bluebird houses at Briar were built by Palmer and with the help of a local boy scout troop.  Palmer understood the need to be good stewards of the land and that golf courses can play a great role in protecting water quality, creating lost habitats, and conserving natural resources.  Mr. Singleton recognized the abundance of land that surrounds golf courses that are not integral parts of the game, and how those parcels could serve the community in greater ways.  The birdhouse and natural area on 2 red was placed there because of Palmer and serves as a reminder of his contributions.  I hope you have a great day. 
I miss you Palmer,

Go Blue!,
Mr. Good Boss

 

Sent from Erwin's phone, please excuse grammar and punctuation.