Finally, some rain!

After several days of 90+ degree temperatures and only 1" of rain since early June, we finally got a nice shower last night.  In spite of applying about 500,000 gallons of water to the course nightly, the continuous heat and lack of rain had begun to take it's toll on the course.  Alex reports that  about 1.25" of rain was recorded at the maintenance building gauge, while my gauge on the opposite side of the course near 12 fairway reached 2.25".   To show just how dry the course was....even after that rain Alex reports that cart traffic today will be at 90 degrees.

Stump Grinding

With tree removal comes the inevitable problem of stump removal.  Over the years we have accumulated quite a few tree stumps from trees that were either taken out during storms or removed for agronomy reasons.  Over the past couple of days we've been fortunate enough to try out a small(ish) stump grinder, and have removed over 15 stumps in various places around the golf course.

click pictures for original size

The picture above shows one of the bradford pear stumps that was on #6, right-rear of the green just as Alex begins the grinding process.

Just a fraction over 10 minutes later you can see the resulting hole where the stump has been ground all the way below surface level.



 The picture below shows the aftermath of the large honey locust stump on #6.  A little clean up and some topsoil and you'll never know there was a tree there.

4th of July Fireworks

Did you miss the 4th of July fireworks show Monday night at Lake Valley?  Or, were you there but enjoyed it so much and wish you could see it again?   Well, we don't have the entire show, but maybe the 2nd half of it available for you to view.

There are two clips here.  The first one is about 6:21 long and picks up in the middle of the show.   The 2nd clip is the last 4 minutes or so, including the finale'.   Both of these were shot in 720p HD, so if you will go Full Size you can view them in HD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Myqed8wOt8

and the final 4:00 or so, including finale'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qaPRvVTFuk

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Grounds Crew

You see them on the course when you play.  Here are the guys who keep Lake Valley in the wonderful condition it is in. (click pictures for larger version)



2011 Grounds Crew - Lake Valley Golf & Country Club
Front row, l-r;  Jeff "Bo" Smith;  Lashley McDaniel; Kelly Crowell; Alex Hultz - Superintendent; Patrick - mascot, companion, and chaser of squirrels; Jay Ballard; Kevin Crowell - Assistant Superintendent; Scott Crowell - mechanic; Charlie Parker;  back row, l-r; Duane Maggard; B.J. Wall; Harold Stephens; Leonard Land.



This is how you more often see the guys - hats on!



Front row, l-r:  Leonard Land, Jay Ballard, Patrick, Kevin Crowell, Harold Stephens, Lashley McDaniel, Scott Crowell.  Back row, l-r:  Jeff "Bo" Smith, Charlie Parker, Duane Maggard, Alex Hultz, Kelly Crowell, B.J. Wall.



Check out this Fact Sheet from the USGA about what it takes to set up Congressional Country Club for this week's U.S. Open.   http://turf.lib.msu.edu/gsr/article/anon-open-6-10-11.pdf    Here's a few highlights:

# of Members of the Grounds Crew:
Congressional  =  55 + 120 volunteers this week (mostly superintendents)
Lake Valley = 10

Greens Mowing Height:
Congressional =  .100"
Lake Valley = .130"

Target Stimpmeter:
Congressional = 14 - 14.5 feet
Lake Valley = 9 - 9.5 feet

Typical Mowing Schedule:
Congressional:  All areas daily; Greens, tees, and fairways twice daily
Lake Valley:   Greens daily;  roughs, tees and fairways 2-3 times per week

They are able to accomplish this by having a huge crew of qualified available help, with their own 55 staff members plus 120 volunteers, and an unbelievable assortment of equipment (19 fairway mowers?!?!?!)  One of the most telling statements though is this quote:  "..these conditions are just temporary.  This level of conditioning cannot be sustained week-in and week-out without such tremendous support."

Why Are They Cutting Trees?

“Why are we cutting so many trees?” There have been a few members ask that question recently. The answer is that every tree that has been cut down has been taken out for a specific reason. No trees are removed without committee discussion and agreement. Here is a list of trees that have been removed in the past year or so, and why they were removed.

Hole #2 – two trees on right side near cart path were removed for safety reasons. High winds in 2008 had caused them to separate at their base and they were leaning to a degree where there were concerns about them falling.

Hole #3 – large tree in front of green. This one was severely damaged by the 2008 winds to a point where there was nothing left but the trunk.  New pin oaks have been planted nearby.

Hole #4 – large tree near gold tees was removed because it was extremely hollow and a danger for collapse. We didn’t realize just how hollow and dangerous it was until it was cut down.  Check out this blog entry:  http://lakevalleygolf.blogspot.com/2011/04/tree-safety.html

Hole #4 – large tree left rear of green was removed for turf benefits. The canopy of this tree shaded the area between the cart path and the green, and it’s root system competed vigorously for water and nutrients. This combination of competition for food and water, plus a lack of sunlight made it difficult to grow turf in this area.

Hole #12 – about 6 trees were removed from the left side of the fairway, primarily to allow sunlight to reach the turf. Because of the heavy tree canopy, the turf in that area was only receiving a few (maybe 3) hours of direct sunlight per day, which is not enough for healthy turf to grow. As a result, rain runoff washed out the area, making a bad situation worse. By reducing the canopy we are providing more sunlight to the area which should promote turf growth. Opening the area also greatly improves playablility of the hole.

Hole #14 – midsized tree in right rough was removed. It was dead.

Hole #18 – midsized pine tree ~100 yards from green was removed. It was dead.

The August 2004 newsletter reported that about 198 new trees had been planted on the course since 1980. We have planted several more trees since 2004. The bottom line is that yes, trees have been removed and more will be removed, but not without appropriate discussion and consideration before a decision is reached. We are also constantly reevaluating areas that would benefit from the addition of trees and usually plant several trees per year.

 In case you haven't noticed it yet, there is a newly dead tree on #1 where the cart path runs through the first cluster of trees.  It is an elm and appears to have been taken by Dutch Elm disease and will eventually be removed.   There is also a large elm by the tee on #4 that is still green, but is showing effects of Dutch Elm and may have to be taken eventually.

This elm on #1 has succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease and will have to be removed.

12 Tee Landscaping





Jay poses with the new landscaping by #12 tee. (click for larger photo)

  

Take a look at the new landscaping at the wall along #12 tee!   Jay has done an excellent job of building the stacked block walls, and Charlie has helped with the landscaping to make this a much more attractive area.  He's got a bit more to do toward the front of the wall, but it's all coming together nicely.   This project has been completed using block that we already had and was either in storage at the maintenance building, or has been repurposed from elsewhere on the course.   If you see Jay or Charlie (or Alex) let them know what you think of this project.