Please fix your ballmarks as well as other ball marks that you may encounter. We are dealing with a high volume of un-repaired ballmarks that will result in damage that will carry on through the winter.
Thanks
Posted: August 31st, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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#4 BEFORE SOD IS INSTALLED
#4 AFTER SOD IS INSTALLED
#6 BEFORE SOD IS INSTALLED
#6 AFTER SOD IS INSTALLED
Posted: August 4th, 2008 under Course Projects.
Comments: none
Hello Again,
This update is now officially being composed in what we call the summer months. What happened to spring? We went from 50’s to 90’s but I guess we shouldn’t complain since we were so fortunate to have the moisture in the mountains. Our course experienced the growth flush in about two weeks in June and now the turf is in shock due to these high temperatures and the only way to combat this is to pour on the water. The greens are almost filled in from the winter damage but they didn’t quite respond how I was predicting. This again was the result of the sudden transition from winter to summer. The entire Rocky Mountain region has also been halted by these same factors. There are a few courses that have sporadically wintered well and also have had a nice response to our short spring. It has left most of us frustrated in the turf industry and bugging the universities for answers to all of our problems. The answer that gets passed along is always the same, “patience folk’s summer will come”.
Well here we are and let’s look at what we have accomplished with these conditions. The number #6 tee box was quite a task for us and the final product is by far one of the better playing surfaces in the county. Expect this to be open by the second week in August. We also were able to rebuild the forward tees on #4 and also the new teaching facility behind #2 green. The nursery green was intended to be seeded this spring but with the unusual weather we had the overnight lows would’ve killed the sensitive bentgrass. Our plan is to have this teaching complex sodded/seeded by this fall. The concrete work on #1 is completed and we are gearing up for the next cart path on #15/#16. This fall we plan on doing some major drainage work on #3, 10, 11, 12, 15, and #17. The trenching will commence as soon as some of the ground starts to become more stable.
The greens have reached a speed this year where we are on the verge of being too fast. #18 will become completely unplayable if it becomes any faster. This speed is the result of our new rolling techniques combined with the new fertilization program. Now we cart start having some real fun with those pin placements.
Our crew is working long days and I keep paying overtime but I think the results are worth it. Plus we have to make up all those hours from our long winter and non-existent spring. Please check the website as I will update it this week with new photos and some new data that has been released over the summer. I wish all of you pars and birdies and if not smiles and laughter. However I know that there always is frustration that is associated to our unique profession.
Thanks,
Jason Aanestad
Golf Course Superintendent
332-9407
Posted: August 4th, 2008 under Newsletter.
Comments: none
Hello Again,
I’m finding myself some free time writing this month’s newsletter as the course is getting covered in this all so familiar white stuff for the second day in a row. As many of you are a aware this moisture brings relief to the maintenance department as we need every bit of moisture that we can get. Our water source will be turned on May 8th so we are blessed to have this crucial factor to help aid us in establishing more turf this spring.
The crew size is limited now but we are going to doubled by end of next week and as soon as school gets out we will be in full force. I have my new assistant coming on board May 10th. Jon Graham will be a great asset to our department. Once I get him shaped up I know he’ll be a wonderful assistant. I also brought on another internship this summer, his name is Brady Loose and he will be graduating with his turf degree as well. Of course the current crew is as solid as ever considering they are my father and brother but this family affair needs some relief. We’ve been busy working on getting the course open and we hope to have all the course accessories on by the end of next week. Our hands have been full with getting the first couple mowings completed and trying to keep up with the irrigating to compensate for these nasty winds lately.
The course has shown some signs of promise with the green grass that is poking through and surely in the next couple of weeks we’ll be needing a swather to keep up. I can’t say enough to thank all of you who have been patient with our watering schedule as some days I often wonder how many golfers are getting soaked or are disrupted when those heads pop up. As soon as we start getting our main water supply built up we will switch our watering window to the night routine… weather permitting.
The greens are starting to roll better after every mowing and soon we will begin our new rolling technique that will not only start speeding them up but will also improve the health of them as well. Our new aerifier will show up in the next week and we will start our venting process which will allow air and water exchange to help with the durability and sustainability. These practices once implemented should show immediate response and hopefully secure the desired putting speeds as well as being able to check up those balls.
The cart path work has started and we hope to finish this project next week. The crew of the honor farm has done some great work and we are fortunate to have these pathways erected for no charge. Next time you see one of the guys in the green shirts tell them they are doing a great job. They don’t bite and they love the positive reinforcement.
Our tee boxes on #6 and #4 have been delayed due to the weather patterns but this work will resume once the ground is more stable.
I encourage you all to check out the website as we will be posting information related to golf course maintenance as well as photos of our property. In time I hope to have all of the past photos and current photos archived as soon as I figure all of this technology out. The other additions to this site in the future will include a section for FAQ’s, Turf Terms, Employee Profiles, and some nerdy turf humor.
In closing I am excited to see all of the regulars as well as the newcomers to this frustrating game and let’s start mowing some grass!!!!
Jason Aanestad
Golf Course Superintendent
Posted: May 2nd, 2008 under Newsletter.
Comments: none
Reasons for #6 Tee Box Renovation
Posted: May 2nd, 2008 under Course Projects.
Comments: none
Welcome back to the Lander Golf Club if you are reading this post you probably have nothing better to do or you really are interested in what I have to say. This winter was a very long one for all of us in the Lander Valley. The course was covered in snow from the second week in December until the last week in March. This provided nice cover for the course and was a blessing for the cross country skiing activities that seemed to take advantage of this wonderful gift. The weather recently has given us another shot of moisture but it seems our wind speeds have been drying the ground up at an unpleasant rate.
Many of you commented and noticed the scars on the greens a couple of weeks ago. These marks are the result of Fusarium Patch (snow mold) which can be attributed to wet and cool conditions. Furthermore soils that are high in ph and under snow cover for long periods of time this disease can spread quite rapidly. The effects of this common problem are a “frog-eye” circular pattern with mainly visual blemishes and is more a cosmetic injury than a complete loss. This damage has almost healed and in the next few weeks the patches will be gone. We were fortunate to have caught this disease in the beginning stages before further damage was done.
The timing of this last snow storm couldn’t have been better as we struggle this time of year trying to keep enough water in the pond to offset the typical Wyoming wind. We also fertilized the greens two days before this system and this has given the greens a nice kickstart for the spring.
Posted: April 29th, 2008 under Course Projects.
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