Today is supposed to be opening day and we are covered in this all too familiar white stuff. It looks like we’ll be having our usual spring Wyoming weather. Let’s hope this isn’t on the ground for too long because we are all getting tired of this routine.

We have begun removing the sand cover off of the greens this week to begin the process of opening the course up. This can only be done when the sand is dry as it tends to smear and cause more damage from the extensive brushing. The greens that have been uncovered have wintered very well and we are pleased with the condition of the turf. We figure that as soon as the surfaces dry up, we will continue this work and get some flags and cups in the ground.

Aerification of the greens will commence on May 17^th/18^th and we will have nine holes shut down at a time to accommodate this very crucial process. The work is time consuming and an eyesore but is beneficial and a necessary lifeline for the turf.  

The crew has been busy with equipment repairs and servicing golf carts for the season. This work is almost completed and we are ready to begin working outdoors. Cross your fingers over the next couple of days as we are supposed to receive some more wet weather and maybe it will stay in the mountains where it is needed. Once again we can’t wait to see all of you and let’s make 2010 a great golfing experience.

Thanks for your continued support,

Jason D. Aanestad

Golf Course Superintendent

The golf season is near…I think. Wow, this has been one long winter and we haven’t even gone through our typical April/May weather. The course has basically been covered with the same snow we received in November and is still hanging on as long as it possibly can. I know many of you are suffering from cabin fever as we are but the snow cover has been a blessing. We didn’t have the horrible wind that is normally blowing off our snow cover and the greens are very thankful for that.

We’ve spent the off-season working on budgets, equipment, and attending educational conferences. The board and staff members had to make some hard decisions with budgets this year due to economic status of the club. There were several cuts made to ensure that the budget was more fiscally stable and realistic. With that said we have had to improvise some of our maintenance practices to accommodate these changes and hopefully they’ll make ends meet. The costs associated with golf course maintenance are continually rising and we are doing our best from having to pass all of these on to our customers.

The club was recently granted funds from the Lander District Recreation Board and this year they will be used mainly for offsetting these recent budget cuts. We also plan on using some of the monies to improve fairway conditions and installing some sod on bare areas around the facility.  The club is very fortunate to have received this assistance as we would not be able to function without the grant(s) awarded.

The cart path project on #15 and #16 hasn’t been completed due to the ability to get the concrete trucks out to the jobsite. Our foundation work is done however in process of getting this established our haul route collapsed and never dried out before the snow set in. We have an alternate plan in place with shuttling the material out to the potential cart path but we will have to wait until the property is accessible. Please cross your fingers as once this path is completed, we’ll have checked off one of the engineering nightmares from the never-ending list.

We have several little projects to take on this year. The board has decided that it cannot afford to take anymore on until the financial situation allows us to maintain the current layout that we already have. This will also allow us to get the course in the best possible shape for the upcoming tournament schedule. The WSGA tournament in September will require plenty of volunteers and I will have a signup sheet that will be posted at a later date.

Well our time will be focused on getting the course ready for the opening date weather permitting. This involves sweeping the sand off the greens, mowing, establishing tee areas, cleaning up debris and watching the snow melt. I can’t wait to see all of you in a couple of weeks and my staff is ready for a great year.

Thanks for your continued support,

Jason D. Aanestad

Golf Course Superintendent

The summer is starting to finally come around after the long spring.  We are seeing some warmer temperatures along with the typical thunderstorms that are rolling through the area. Our course continues to improve on a daily basis and we are bailing hay in certain areas.

 The greens went through aerification on May 18^th and 19^th and only had a few setbacks. There were some greens that were stressed before this process and the following week they had a slow recovery. Some of the greens have come back real nicely and the others are not that far behind. We started lowering the height of cut on the mowers this week and we will continue to use our rolling practices. The “bumpy” putts will soon be eliminated (our staff will no longer be responsible for missed putts).

We have begun our control on the broadleaf weed populations on the entire property as well as the pasture grass on that has invaded the back-nine. With the recent moisture we have been forced to halt this process so the chemical doesn’t get washed off the surface of the plant. The control being used on the pasture grass is only experimental and needs a second application before we can see results.  

Starting the week of the 8^th we’ll be beginning our fertilization of the rest of the facility so when you see the big red spreader heading your way please cover your face as a precautionary due to distance at which this piece of equipment throws the material. The chances of us coming near you are slim but better safe then sorry.

The crew size is limited right now due to some financial constraints but hopefully with the more favorable weather we can soon operate with our full staff. Until then some of the detail work around the facility will have to be put on hold until we can get some to time to address these eyesores. There have been some great evenings these past couple of days we urge you to bring out your friends to enjoy a round after work or during the day.  Please feel free to contact me(332-9407) with any questions you may have regarding the course or if you need extra balls as my dogs have brought me quite the collection out of the ditch banks.

PLEASE FIX YOUR BALLMARKS!!!

Thanks Again,

Jason Aanestad

Golf Course Superintendent

                Once again I find myself looking at a piece of property that has gone through another season with many improvements and more members than I’ve experienced in the last four years. It’s great to look back on the growth and development on not only the course but all of your shots, they look so much better than the spring.

This summer has been very busy with all the projects and newer maintenance practices that have finally started to improve the playability of the course. These changes have been improvised throughout the summer to offset the rising prices in the last few months. The cost of products and shipping has seen a dramatic increase due to petroleum demands over the summer. This has put some different restraints on normal maintenance but we adapted the best that we could.

The greens played much better this year and we also reached a threshold on the speed of several holes. Speed can often cause stress and wear on the turf so it becomes quite difficult to manage the proper speeds. Next season they will be similar in speed but will be healthier in the long run. The roll of the ball is more affected by the smoothness of the surface than the height of cut. If the height goes too low there will be injury and we risk the loss of the plant. Regardless I think the majority of the membership was happy with the condition of the greens.

Earlier I mentioned the projects that were completed, well we have two major projects left ahead of us and both of them are already in progress. The back-nine is going to be closed periodically to allow for this work to be done. The irrigation and fertilization of the back has been suspended to dry the area up to accommodate the excavation. This is a bummer for us as the turf would fill in just the like front has this fall. Soon as the drain lines are in we will pour the water and a heavy fertilization to push some last minute growth.  We have finally reached a point where we are able to push the grass and this is what the back needs to fill in all those voids in the rough and fairways.

The drainage project is scattered throughout the back-nine and will provide some major relief to the standing water. These drain lines have been installed as mains and will have the capability to be expanded in the future. We were fortunate enough to have Mountain West Electric to donate their time and equipment to complete all the trenching.  The crew was here for almost 3 days and they were amazed at the amount of water that is suspended in the ground. This project will be a slow process due to the amount of moisture present as we speak. The trenches continually slough off and require cleaning before we can get the gravel and pipe in place. If these lines were cut in more sandy soils the clean up wouldn’t be so drawn out. However this project had to be done and the delays at this moment will be rewarded next year.

The other project taking place is the cart path between #15 and #16. This work has also begun and will be moving along as soon as this drainage is in place. The moisture is affecting the ability to remove material for the cart path but has started to dry out even with the drain lines half completed.

Our season will end soon and the course will be shut down once the snow starts to fly but this is also the time when the ground is getting ready for the flush in the spring. What we do to the course now dictates what will happen next spring. The course employees are happy to see the weather change. This means we can slow down our schedules, see our families and most importantly welcome hunting seasons. We will have a few more days of nice weather and we hope you will take advantage of the opportunities. 

Lastly I have to express my sympathy for the family of Jim Jeffres, we lost him recently after a long battle with cancer. He was very supportive of the golf club and a great person to chat with and keep me in line on the course.  Thanks for everything Jim!!!

Thanks,

Jason Aanestad

Golf Course Superintendent

332-9407

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

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