May

May has been a very busy month for the maintenance staff. The tournament season has begun and we still face the challenge of the wet weather. We have completed all of our cultural practices and a few projects. A new white tee was constructed on #3 to help increase pace of play. This tee is approximately 20x30 feet and consists of 80 yards of sandy loam and 30 yards of sand. It will open for play in about two weeks. We have also installed tee markers for a short course. This new set of markers will play around 3200 yards and should be a great addition for both junior and beginner golfers.

Every Spring the arrival of ducklings are scattered throughout the golf course. We found that the new desired location for nesting is in the middle of our ornamental grasses!

Spring?

Every year when March arrives I begin to plan out the weekly projects that we have postponed all winter due to inclement weather. Sure enough, every March the daffodils and tulips emerge and new buds and blossoms adorn the trees. I always think that just maybe Spring is here. However the weather is so crappy we still find it difficult to complete projects. Day after day the bunkers continue to get washed out and my hatred for the Willamette Valley deepens. I believe Charlie Sheen controls the weather and he is "winning."

I often hear "Oh the Willamette Valley is so pretty and green." Ya, well go try and putt on the putting green pictured above in the middle of March. There's your pretty!

The start of a new year

As we enter 2011 we have had some great weather. The last two weeks of January have been dry and unusually warm, with many days seeing high temperatures in the 50's. This has allowed us to complete much needed rough mowing, among other maintenance practices. It looks like a golf course again!






We were recently informed of our successful recertification with the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. The OGA Golf Course became certified with the ACSP in 2004 and we continue to maintain the course in an environmentally friendly manner.

February will be very busy for the maintenance staff. In addition to regular maintenance we plan to install irrigation heads in areas with limited coverage, add and redistribute bunker sand to provide consistent sand depths and begin constructing a new tee on #3.

New Equipment

We recently received our two new rough mowers, as well as a new bunker rake. Replacing some of our older equipment has been long overdue. I'm looking forward to being able to keep a consistent rough cut. They won't look this pretty for long!

Fall Is Here!

Well, its officially that time of year. The leaves are beginning to change color and the aerification equipment is being put to use. This week we are aerifying and sanding tees and approaches. Monday, September 20th, we will be aerifying and sanding greens, followed by the fairways. This is always a busy time of the year for the maintenance staff, but a nice change from the monotony of routine maintenance.

Dog Days of Summer

I'm back! I apologize for the month and a half hiatus. We have been busy on the course and a little short staffed at the moment. It seems every year I long for summer to arrive and look forward to the end of the rain. However by about mid-August I begin to countdown the weeks until fall aerification and the end of irrigation season.

Here are a few photos of typical weekly maintenance practices that occur during the season.

We verticut greens once a month at a depth of 1/16" below height of cut. This is followed by a light sand topdressing.

We typically roll greens three times per week. Greens are hand watered daily to maintain turf health and consistency.

Summer?

Well it's the middle of June and it feels like May. This has been an unusually cool, wet spring. We have yet to irrigate the entire golf course, as we have only watered greens and tees as needed. The cool temperatures have been ideal for growing cool season turf and the golf course is in great shape. I'll share a few recent photos...