Current Flood Status

This our third flood in 9 months - April, July and December.  This one will just beat out April's flood as the higher of the three.  We are currently at 13.5 ft and I expect the water to go up another foot and a half yet.  The course received 3.2" of rain over the last 48 hours.

 

1,8,9,17,18 are under water.

We pulled the motors yesterday, I'm glad we did.

One more foot of water and the motors would have been ruined.

 

Flooding preperations

There is not much that we can do to prevent flooding, but there are a few things that we can do to prevent damage or loss.  Yesterday we pulled out all our green stakes and fish line from the river perimeter.  These stakes were there to deter geese from entering the property.  With the threat of flood, I would rather not let the stakes all float away.  Also today we have pulled the irrigation motors up from the river.  The National Weather Service has continued to increase it's prediction on the cresting height of the Blanchard in Findlay.  Yesterday it was 13.6ft, this morning it was 14.5ft and now the prediction is 15.5ft.  At 14.5ft, the water would rise enough to cause damage to the irrigation motors.  That is why we have raised them off of the river already.  Once this passes and dries out, we will begin clean up efforts.

Tree Removal

The frigid temperatures bring on its share of challenges, but it also allows us to take down trees without damaging the golf course because of the frozen ground.  The past few days have been productive for us, putting us ahead of schedule for the winter.  Yesterday we brought in help to remove some trees safely and efficiently.  We removed the 6 Cypress trees between 1 and 18 along with the dead Ash trees in the area.

Before the Cypress removal.

The morning after.  I find these types of trees undesirable on a golf course because they impede the views of the property.  We have some magnificent trees on the course but are unable to view and enjoy them because of the undesirable trees around them.  I asked the permission of the Board to remove these 6 Cypress and showcase the real beauty of this property.

 

The look changed dramatically once they were down.  You really get to enjoy the larger trees that were behind the cypress wall and never really noticed off the first tee.

 

Removing a very large Ash tree in the middle of 1 and 18.  It's unfortunate to see a beautiful tree like this go down.  But a landscape is ever changing, trees will come and go.  Old ones will die off and new ones will be planted.

 

I have to thank the Grounds Staff for their hard work.  They work in over 100 degree heat indexes in the summer and sub zero wind chills in the winter and are very productive.  It's part of the job and they enjoy getting things done.

 

 

Tree Planting

On Monday, 4 trees were planted.  As our older trees die off, I evaluate every year and decide where new trees should go in to secure a continous cycle of mature for many years to come.

Digging the hole for the root ball.

Planting a Maple near 6 tee / 7 fairway.

Maple near 2 green.

River Birch near 9 fairway.

Pin Oak near 5 fairway.

This tree was planted in Memory of Cecilia S. Sobczyk, mother of Mike and Kae Sobczyk.  Thank you to the donors: Scott Weasel, Chuck Weasel, David Ray and Mark Gazarek

 

 

Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference

Despite the lack of posts the last few weeks, the Grounds Department has been quite busy.  Besides the recent Thanksgiving Holiday, we have spent time on: mowing our surfaces for one last time, fertilizing all the turf before winter set in, making an application to our rough to prevent Crabgrass next season, applied a fungicide application to aid our turf in making it through the winter, completed the cleanup of all the leaves (big job), trimmed all of the shrubs in all of the landscaping on the property, cleaned out all our drains in the fairways and rough, planted 4 new trees on the property, delivered multiple loads of firewood to members, hung all the Christmas lights on the property and begun tearing apart equipment for winter maintenance.  We have recently begun our tree removal for the season, we will be putting a big dent in this project next week.

This past Tuesday - Thursday, I spent time in Columbus attending the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation's annual education conference and trade show.  As with all conferences, it great to get some insight on new research, brush up on the basics and touch base with old friends and new acquaintances.  Here is a list of the seminars that I was able to attend: Pigments and their impact on turf, Biostimulants, Wetting agents, Annual Bluegrass control, Turf fungicides, Preserving classic courses, Controlling Anthracnose, Managing Nematodes, Organic vs. Synthetic, Irrigation strategies, Controlling Annual Bluegrass Weevil, Foliar fertilization and the USGA symposium.

This conference is attended by hundreds of Superintendents from all over Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania.