Winter Update

As colder weather approaches, I would like to take a minute to update everyone on the latest happenings with the Stillmeadow Turf and Maintenance team.  We have had some unusually warm temperatures during the months of November and December.  This has allowed us to make really good progress on dead ash removals on the golf course.  This project has been our main focus.  We feel that the sooner we can get this off our plate, the sooner we can get back to finding the highest priority projects that improve course playability.  I don't predict that we will be able to remove every dead tree this winter, but with a little help from the weather we should be able to get them to a very manageable state.  While I am on the topic of the dead ash trees I would like to discuss the impact to the courses layout, hole framing, hole separation, etc.  While we hate to loose every one of the trees that improved the course, it was simply a very expensive process that would need to be repeated on a regular basis without guaranteed results.  We felt that the financial commitment required to possibly save even a few trees would be better allocated in other ways to benefit the future course conditions at our club.  We also hope to make another round of new tree plantings in selected areas around the course.

On days that the weather hasn't permitted us to be outside we have been in the shop working on a variety of different projects.  They are as follows:

• Shop cleanliness and organization
• Preventative and curative maintenance on equipment
• Equipment cleaning
• Reel rebuilding and grinding maintenance
• The construction, cleaning and refurbishing of hazard stakes, flagsticks, tee markers and bunker rakes
• Ball washer repair and refurbishment
• Administrative work on general planning, budgets, chemicals and fertilizer planning and preparation for our spring maintenance meeting
• Chemical license recertification

In closing, I would just like to say that I hope everyone was able to spend some good quality time with loved ones over the holiday season.  The entire team as well as myself look forward to the challenges that may present themselves in 2015 as we prepare to deliver you with quality course conditions again this year.  Thank you for your unwavering support!

Klint Ladd

Golf Course Superintendent

#5 Tee Improvements

In addition to a large quantity of time spent removing dead Ash trees around the course, we also squeezed in some tree trimming and thinning at # 5 tee complex. We expect everyone's scores to improve after this upgrade! 

Bunker Removal On #17

The bunker removal to the right of #17 fairway has been completed!  When removing a bunker, you typically have two choices. The first option is to fill the bunker and make it look and play as though it never existed.  The next option is to round over the edges and then place a topsoil cap over those edges and the bottom of the bunker. Upon completion of option 1, you would typically be left with a surface drained and level rough area.  Option 2,  will usually give you what those like to call a "grass or sod bunker".

When we remove a bunker, it is our goal to make it seem as though the bunker never existed.  We prefer this plan of action for three reasons: playability, durability and aesthetics.  When we address the topic of playability, we are talking about the fact that we don't have any sod bunkers on the golf course.  We do not believe that just a few sod bunkers scattered around the course would be our desired flow for a golf game at Stillmeadow Country Club.  We desire consistency and we feel that if we would be unable to quickly make sod bunkers a "theme" all the way around the course, then there would be no reason to have just one or even a few.  It's just not consistent.  The next reason was durability.  If you allow an area to surface drain it will always be a more durable situation than relying on drainage.  In many cases sod bunkers still require drainage as they typically sit lower than the surrounding grade.  This means drainage instillation and maintenance.  In addition to unwanted drainage, it can be very difficult and often unsuccessful to construct a sod bunker that is easily mowable and that has enough topsoil cap for a healthy root zone; especially through the summer months.  In many cases, sod bunkers are prone to burn up and have dead grass during the summer.  Lastly, is the topic of aesthetics.  Along with a playable, consistent course, we also desire a aesthetically consistent one.

We will continue to evaluate our bunkers daily to decide the best plan of action as it pertains to the improvement or removal of all bunkers around the course.

Removal

Seeding

2 Weeks

3 Weeks

4 Weeks

5 Weeks

6 Weeks

A Flashback to 2012

Less than three years ago, the current management team from Stillmeadow Turf and Maintenance embarked on a new journey to rebuild our club to reclaim past glories.  The course in general, with an emphasis on the greens, was in need of a much improved maintenance plan.  All of the greens needed attention, but one of the worst had to be #2 green.

The following photos are from #2 green in the early spring of 2012.

These photos are of #2 green now!  We think you will like the improvement!

The Stillmeadow Turf and Maintenance staff has greatly appreciated the support of the entire membership at the club.  The nice words, emails, calls and gifts have meant more than you could possibly know.  It has been awesome to hear that our members have even had positive words to those outside the club as some of it returns full circle.  It can sometimes be easy to forget how far we have come as a golf course and a club.  Pictures like these can be a positive reminder of that.  It can also be a reminder of what the course/greens could return to if aren't on our game.  The practices we preform such as analyzing, mowing, rolling, blowing, spraying, fertilizing, watering, stimping, manually removing weeds, verticutting, topdressing, aeration and brushing can be tedious and sometimes even slightly invasive to the game of golf.  However, they are invaluable to maintain the improved conditions that we have all come to enjoy and may even be taking for granted at our club.  Rest assured that as a maintenance team we plan to continue "grinding" to ensure that we do everything in our power to provide consistent and highly enjoyable course conditions.

Thanks again for your support of our maintenance team and our club!

Pictures: Tee and Fairway Aeration

Pictures From The Greens Aeration