SPRING IS HERE!

Spring has finally arrived at Lake Valley. This picture from Saturday morning 4/10/10 shows that the pear trees have just about bloomed out, but the redbuds and other "red" flowering trees are still quite expressive. Dogwoods have started blooming as well, but with the temperatures expected in the upper 70's and 80's next week, they may not last long.

The bermuda fairways have started greening very well, and the few days of high temps next week should bring them in very nicely. All in all, the course is in great shape and starting to really wake up!

New Groove Regulations

As you may or may not know, 2010 brings in new regulations on the size and shape of the grooves on your golf clubs. Actually, most of the 2010 rules changes apply only to PGA Tour players, but changes are also on the horizon for amateurs in the next few years as well. Of course, if you only play with your group of four on Tuesdays this may not affect you at all, but if you play any events that are played under USGA rules you should be aware of the pending changes.

It's a bit of an infomercial, but Cleveland Golf has put together a web site with information about the changes and what they mean. The site address is www.yearofthewedge.com. I encourage you to take a few minutes and browse around their site. There's lots of interesting information there.

Core Aerifying Greens

Today Alex and his crew are in the process of core-aerifying and top-dressing our greens. We have done a deep-tine aerification each year, but it has been a few years since we did a core aerification. What's the difference, you ask? Deep tine aerification involves driving knife-like tines into the green, kind of like punching it with a series of screwdriver blades. Core aerification uses tines that are hollow tubes and pull small cores from the green and drop them on the surface, where they are removed. In both processes the resulting opening is then top-dressed with sand.

After the green has been cored, crew members are using blowers to blow the cores off the surface and get it ready for top dressing. They will then use our normal topdressing procedures. Here's a link to our topdressing page:

Why do we core aerify? Core aerifying opens up the green to allow air to the root system. It also assists in reducing soil compaction, which also helps the root system by allowing an easier path for moisture,air, and nutrients to reach the roots. The picture below shows the depth of the cores that we are pulling today, about 3" to 4".

Why We Play The Game

This was sent to me as an email recently, and I thought it was so good I wanted to share it. Hope everyone enjoys:

Why play the game of golf?

It's the way the first tee feels, alive with possibility.

It's that feeling, out of nowhere, that comes as you're lining up a putt, letting you know that all you have to do is get the ball rolling and the hole will get in the way.

It's the thump of a well-played bunker shot.

It's nine holes late in the day, when the sun is sinking and the shadows are stretching, showing every bump and roll in a golden light that makes you stop and look around.

It's calling your shot and pulling it off.

It's your Saturday morning game, with a little money on the line and no haggling about the teams.

It's the guys who look like they can't play a lick then spend their days around par,
not needing swing coaches, just having a knack for getting the ball in the hole.

It's calling your own penalties.

It's a kid with his bag slung over his shoulder, cap pulled down low, hoofing it down a fairway.

It's nipping a wedge just right, having it bounce once and cozy up to the hole.

It's a bowl of peanuts and a cold beer at the end of the day, when stories can be embellished, if only a little.

It's the warm feel of a turtleneck in December, the first greening of the grass in March, the thrill of hitting it a club longer in July and greens as fast as the itchen floor in October.

It's the suntan marks left by your golf socks and shoes.

It's having the sun behind you and catching a tee shot square, having a moment to admire it as it's framed against the sky.

It's the small but sudden thrill of finding a new Titleist, even if you already have a bagful.

It's the clutch in your throat the first time you see Pebble Beach in person and the never-ending thrill playing it.

It's the belief that the magic you've found in a new driver will last forever.

It's the scent of salt air, the faint taste of pine pollen on your lips and the glimpse of a gator in a low country lagoon.

It's standing over a 5-footer that doesn't matter to anyone but you and being thankful for the feeling.

It's Mickelson with a wedge in his hand, and Nicklaus on the property.

It's the little places with pickups in the parking lot, ragged grass, bumpy greens, worn-out golf carts, yellow range balls, and a spirit all its own.

It's the way you practice your swing in the elevator riding down, the way you put an overlapping grip on the rake, and the way you see golf holes where others just see fields along the highway.

It's the way tournament golf feels, even if it's just a little club event.

It's the feel of new grips and the shine of new irons.

It's playing with your father, your brother, your son.

It's listening to David Feherty, Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo explain the game as only they can.

It's the gentle creak of aging muscles in the evening, a good tired.

It's winning the press at the 18th.

It's going for a par-5 in two, trying to cut a corner, and that instant when you wonder if the shot is as good as it looks.

It's golf. And it's why we play the game.

Moles and other varmits

This will be redundant for those who read our most recent member newsletter, but this is so cool I just had to tell everyone about it. At one time or another you've all seen mole damage, either at Lake Valley, another golf course, or even your own yard. Unless your name is Alex, and you can catch them barehanded, you know that getting rid of moles is a difficult and daunting task. Generally speaking, the best way to get rid of moles is to get rid of their food source, which is usually larvae.

BUT....now comes on the scene a new product, at least, new to me. When you have a minute check out www.rodenator.com, or go to YouTube and search for "rodenator". The videos will blow you away! :)

Tree Trimming

Tree trimming continues today as part of our winter course maintenance. Today Alex, Bo, Kevin, and Kelly are using the bucket truck to trim limbs on #12 that overhang the fairway. Limbs are being trimmed back so that they don't hang out into the fairway, which will hopefully provide a more "fair" opportunity on your #12 tee shot. Unfortunately, the bucket truck only lets Alex reach so high, so some of the upper limbs may still overhang a bit, but this should be a nice improvement in the playability of this hole.

Projects of this nature are continuing around the course as weather conditions allow. Cold temperatures and frozen ground allow us to move equipment onto the course without damaging the turf.

SNOW & COLD

Wow - it's been brutally cold and snowy here for the past several days. Daytime highs have been in single-digits or low teens, and overnight lows have gone well into minus figures. Add about 5" of snow on top of that and there hasn't been much work done outside lately. The ponds are frozen solid, too, as you can see in the picture above. That's #17 green with part of the frozen pond in front of it and the clubhouse in the distance. Click the picture to see a larger version.

Even though nothing has happened outdoors in the past week or so, the guys have been busy painting all of the tee markers (minimum 18 holes x 4 sets x 2 each = 144 tee markers), broken tee cups, and trash containers. Gene has all of the mowers sharpened, serviced, cleaned and ready for another season.