Spring Flowers!

Saturday morning started out around 45 degrees, but that didn't dampen the spirit of the Lake Valley members who volunteered to help Alex plant our spring annuals. Special thanks to Gerry & Marilyn Daniels (15 tee and 17 tee); Carol Sowers (17 tee); Terry & Carol Welch (17 tee); Deanna Starnes and Michele Waite (left of 6 green); and Ken Olive (hostas by 6 green / 7 tee).

Irrigation Factoid

If you've spent much time on a golf course, at one time or another you've encountered a wet area on the course that was obviously the culprit of a leak in the irrigation system. (or, as Alex likes to say the "irritation" system). Here's a little something to ponder on when your mind has nothing else to do. The plumbing that leads to each irrigation head on our golf course comprises about 10 different joints, "T"s, and fittings. As you know if you've ever done any plumbing, each of those is a prime candidate for a leak. Now, multiply that by over 700 heads on our course and you quickly see that we have over 7,000 potential leaks in our irrigation system. Add to that the fact that most of our system was installed in 1988, making it over 20 years old and you can see how an occasional leak will appear.

Mowing

Have you ever really stopped to think about the mowing process at Lake Valley? You know, at home you mow your lawn maybe once a week, twice in the early spring growing season. At LVCC (and any golf course) mowing is constant. Weather permitting, something is mowed every day. Here's a breakdown of our typical in-season mowing procedures:

GREENS: Mowed DAILY at a height of .125". It takes two men using two mowers about 1.5 to 2.5 hours to mow all 19 greens. The mow direction is changed daily (front-to-back, side-to-side, 45-degree, etc).

FAIRWAYS: Mowed 2 to 3 times per week at .75" (3/4") height. We mow approximately 30 acres of fairway. It takes 8-12 hours to mow, depending on the striping pattern used and the amount of interruptions (play).

TEES, COLLARS, and APPROACHES: Tee boxes, collars and approaches are cut 2 to 3 times per week at a height of .650". It takes 1 mower around 4 hours with an additional worker helping with pulling and resetting the tee blocks.

GREEN SURROUNDS / TEE STRIPES: The greens surrounds are cut 3 times per week at a height of 2.25". It takes 2 mowers about 5 hours to cut approximately 15 acres of turf. Areas from tee to fairway at least 2 times per week. These areas take 2 mowers around 12 hours to mow approximately 20 acres of turf.

ROUGH: The rough is mowed is cut 2 times per week at 2.5" and it takes one man around 20 hours to mow the 50 acres of turf.

As you can see, mowing on a golf course is kind of like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. By the time you finish one round its time to go back and start again.

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.