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