It's Good to See Everyone Back at the Club

Happy Canada Day and good to see everyone back at the Club for the summer months of July and August!  Hope everyone is well during these interesting times of social distancing.  Golf has been a great distraction for everyone to get out of the house and get some fresh air, exercise and help maintain mental wellness.  The Club was busier then normal through June with more people up at their cottages escaping the congestion of the city.  The weather was great as well through June with 10+ days at or near the 30 degree mark.

This is my first post in quite some time, so I apologize for the lack of interaction.  Most of the Club communication this spring has centred around the Government Guidance guidelines and changes to programming as a result of COVID-19.  There hasn't been any course updates so I thought I could start to get everyone up to speed starting with course overwintering conditions.

COURSE OVERWINTERING

The Greens overwintered extremely well after a challenging year last season with a lot of winter kill.  The success can be attributed to the Club's decision to purchase six new "Green Jacket" ice blankets for greens 1, 2, 10, 13, 14 and 18 which are repeatedly temperamental to winter damage.  We definitely had ice this winter, so the covers did their job!

Ice-damage on #13G spring 2019

Removing "Green Jacket" tarp #13G spring 2020. No ice damage!

The fairways weren't so lucky though and received extensive ice-damage in low lying areas on fairways 1, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13, and 15.  On December 8th, we had 2-3" of ice form on our low lying fairway areas after a 25mm rain storm followed by a cold snap that went down to -8c, then followed by 35cm of snow!  Crazy extremes!!!

Skating rink of 3" of ice seen on #5 fairway early December

We attempted to remove the 35cm of snow off the fairways to try and tackle the ice.

Snow removal off 8 fairway early December

We applied an ash granular product to help melt the ice.

Tractor with spreader full of granular ash product

Unfortunately our attempts to remove the ice failed after 3 repeat freeze thaw cycles came later in the winter after this event initial event early winter. throughout the winter.  We were left with ice-damaged areas to repair in the spring despite our efforts.

Ice damaged areas on #5 fairway May 12th.

While overall recovery isn't 100% yet, there has been a substantial grow-in of bentgrass into the damaged areas.  We will continue to aerify and overseed any remaining thin areas as the opportunity permits. Appreciate your patience!

Recovery from ice damage photo July 2nd

In my upcoming posts, I will give everyone an update on the Golf Course Projects completed this spring and anticipated opening dates for use, as we enter the July 6th timeline with Men's and Ladies' day tee times beginning.  I will also provide some insight on the challenges of managing a golf course during a pandemic.

Have a great round!