So it begins, the DECK behind the clubhouse...

So it begins, the deck at the clubhouse. With all our careful planning, some things just muck up our best laid plans.....this case the drain for the clubhouse gutters. Here Lupe is making a repair to the drain line.




Here Mike is working on one of the footing holes for the deck, which involves carving out the edges of the hole since a 12" tube doesn't fit into a 12" augered hole... The tubes are a little bigger than 12" diameter and the auger is worn slightly...

This picture is showing the layout of the holes behind the clubhouse. 12 in all, hitting drainage pipe 3 times, go figure...Now on to concrete on Monday.

Today was a first....

I've been in this so-called business called golf since 1984.....

Today, for the first time in my golf career, I changed a full depth cup on sand based greens in February, yes February in Chicago.

Last February, I was removing ice from 4 of my greens. The soil temp was a balmy 37.3 degrees. I did some poking around and did find a few frozen spots at the 10" level.

I'm waiting for someone this year to ask when I'm mowing and rolling....only at the Sanctuary.

Enjoy this so-called winter, and as always please fix your ball marks.

My Mechanics version of a look over...

I get asked what we do during the winter, and these 2 pictures are a small testament to the Equipment Manager, Mike Wesolowksi. This is the John Deere 7500 fairway mower, it is 3 seasons old.

This a typical winter for him and his equipment servicing. the mower is taken apart and cleaned, and the washing involves pressure washing and hand washing of the machine. All fluids and filters are changed, bearings and seals are inspected, radiator removed for cleaning and clipping removal.

The cutting units are completely disassembled , bed knives are replaced and ground, reel ground to a true cylinder, all bearings are replaced on the rollers and reel housings. The units are washed and reassembled.

This process is repeated for 2 greens mowers, 2 tee and approach mowers, the other fairway mower and the bank mower. This process is closely followed by the rest of the equipment. And to his testament, he also schedules the service time to accommodate the Park District equipment also.

Snow...finally..

Well, today is January 12, we finally are receiving measurable snow. I say this after having 450+ golfers since Christmas, yes Christmas.....

I do have some concerns about snow on top of unfrozen ground...I'll worry about that later.

And for you deer hunters, today is the last day for archery season in Illinois...so mark your clocks...5:13 pm its over. My luck this season, was shall we say.....not good.

And for you NASCAR fans, 44 days until the Daytona 500...

White Sox fans... Pitcher and catchers report in about 35 days...

Thanks for the season

Its that time of the season, staff is on a vacation, course should be wintering quite nicely and the the heat and humidity of 2011 are behind us.

It was a difficult season, started off with actually removing ice of of 4 greens after the great snow in January. I've been here 16 seasons, that was a first.

Course opened in March, employees came back at the end of the month, had the course looking great.

May was the first test, with our I-80 Amateur test, rained both days, had well over an 1.5" of rain in 2 days......then the first of 2 flood events in May and June.

June was going okay, until the direct lightning strike to the irrigation system, then lost some turf on the 14th fwy, 14th green was good. It finally came down to soil chemistry, water, and juvenile turf that succumb to the heat and flooding.

July was the most difficult month all season, started out hot and then humid and it stayed for over 2 weeks...Had a rather tired staff and super.( My central air was out at my house)

August started out ok, attempted the 1st of 3 seedings on 14th fairway...did a whole lot of aeration, seeding, topdressing, and watering to revive this hole. Come to figure out the irrigation water was causing some problems.

September and following months was like planned clockwork...aeration, seeding, high school kids....

No major irrigation problems this season. Maybe after 16 seasons the pump station finally aknowledged I'm the higher authority here.

Finally I would like to thank all the people who golf at the Sanctuary Golf Course, it's staff and the volunteers who make this happen.

I'd like to personally thank the guys on the grounds staff, who worked through the brutal season we come to know as 2011.

I've been in this business called golf since 1984...this season ranks up there with the worst, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2010, and now 2011.

Thanks.

2011....Is it done yet?

It's way too long since I've posted, so I'm gonna be having quite a list here. The course has so far come through the fall with flying colors. I'm going to list the things that have been accomplished since September.

• Aerated all playing surfaces
• Topdressed Greens, problem areas on fairways, and approaches
• Reseeded and topdressed 14 fairway
• Leaf cleanup
• Brought in all golf accessories for winter service
• Removed trees approved on holes 14 and 15
• Covered range tee for the winter
• Applied all snowmold controls to greens tees and approaches
• Organized shop for winter storage and work
• Staff left for the season on October 28th
• Irrigation system was winterized in early November
• The course is still open, and available for play
• Equipment servicing has begun
• Budgeting process has begun

With this list, we've come to the part of the season that staff likes, Vacation.

It's been a way too long

It's been way too long since I've been on here.

A lot has been happening around here.

14 fairway recovery...reseeded 3 times. Finally looking like a fairway. This includes some new drainage near the 150 marker.

Aerated 19 greens, 8.5 hours and topdressed with sand, and fertilizer.

Aerating fairways with solid tines, almost complete!!!! Tees and approaches are next.

Just completed our 3rd high school conference meet today. Kids are finally done.

We will be planning and execution of some tree trimming and removals on 14 and 15 fairways.

We will be doing greenside drainage on holes 2, 3, and 6. This is from water freezing on the these greens and had to be manually removed last February.

Sodding will be on greenside slopes on 2,3, 6, 10, 14, and 15. This is for various reasons, such as tired grass...drainage...lack of grass from bunker sand buildup.

Any questions feel free to email me at mowerdouge@hotmail.com, I'll be glad to get back to you.