3-12-17

We have moved on from sunshine and warm weather to a final touch of winter.  The golf season will be here before long and patience will be the best medicine.  I am just excited for the golf season as everyone else.  Spring is always an exciting time but there is always the threat of Mother Nature zapping us with some winter reminders.

I attended the South Dakota GCSAA annual turf conference, in South Dakota, this past week.  There was some excellent speakers available to share some of the latest information.  The main focus was wetting agents, aerification, and managing bentgrass in severe conditions.

It was a great opportunity to freshen up on some education and do some networking with a bunch of fellow golf course professionals.  Sometimes sharing personal experiences with fellow comrades is the best type of education available.

I started working on refurbishing our aluminum cups to the original form.  The golf course has 45 aluminum cups that are roughly 20+ years old.  There is a lot of paint accumulated over the years and it all needs to be removed to get a clean fresh paint established.

There has also been a lot of work done preparing all the computer documents and paperwork for the start of the season.  All types of fees and payments are tracked by paper copy and on a Google Drive.  This allows me to keep a precise updated list available at the front desk or on any web based device.

This also includes updating gift certificates, punch cards, tri fold advertising fliers, and tournament mailings.  All of these have been updated or are in the process of going to print.

Also, clubhouse inventory is starting to arrive.  Our liquor license started on March 10, so there will be beverages in the clubhouse early this coming week.  I will also be opening the clubhouse in the near future for limited hours.

This coming week I will be finishing the reel sharpening process.  I have three fairway units and two tee units left to sharpen the bed knives.  The bed knife is mounted on the bottom of the frame.  The reel spins against the bed knife to complete the cutting process.  These two parts need to remain in proper cutting condition to make a clean cut.

If the mower does not perform a clean cut, it results in more of a tearing process.  This leaves the turf in a stressful state and can open the door to disease pressure.  It also makes for an unhealthy turf exerting a lot of energy to repair the stressed area.  No matter what kind of turf you are mowing, a sharp blade performs best.