Welcome to 2026!

 

The weather could not be better as we enter the new year. The dry, mild temperatures are a win for everyone as golf play has not slowed down but we are able to accomplish our pick of projects with the absence of significant rain. January is our month to really ramp up improvements for the coming season and we are deep into that progress. The North team has started and is moving along quickly leveling heads around greens.

The finished product eliminates any tripping hazard, allows for a smoother ball roll and also ensures that the sprinkler head water distribution is correct and level.

The South squad is also continuing work around the greens getting the fan bases closer to a 100 foot radius of the bentgrass. Ground poles on 4, 8 and 11 were each planted almost 4 feet in the ground this week. 

The weather has been great for golf but any kind of grass growth even on ryegrass is non-existent. We will remain on the range mats for the majority of January with the exception of the north tee for a day here or there. The more ryegrass we can preserve for March and April when the weather really starts to turn the better off we will be. 

The bulk of tree work over the past two weeks has taken place on the right of 13 South. This fairway sits in the shade all morning because of the high bank and proximity to the sun rise.

Micah and the guys had the new excavator working hard all week here where a number of trees lined the rough and the larger bank of exposed roots continued to wash away.

Micah ripped out a number of stumps and softened the sharpness of the mounds as they tied into the rough grass. This area will be sodded to tall fescue next week and will present much nicer as a periodically mowed native grass area. Tree work will continue here on 13 next week with the unhealthier cedar trees and also on the larger pines that shade the approach to the green almost all day long.

A new trencher was added to the fleet this week and we are excited to get it moving on Monday. This machine takes advantage of the power supplied by the tractor and uses a conveyor belt to deposit spoils into a progator. Hand shoveling spoils is the hardest part of drainage but this new machine eliminates that problem!

One more new machine that was delivered as part of the 2026 Capital budget was this Takeuchi track loader. Our existing rubber tire skidsteer is great around the shop but this rubber track machine is much more versatile out on the golf course whether it is pushing soil, loading logs or just managing the debris piles. Having two loaders now will really help with production across our 390 acres.

For the months of January and February we have also rented this man lift to help prune up as many trees as possible around the property. You will see this lift in the parking lots early in the mornings and then out around the courses later on. The staff has certainly embraced more in house tree work this year and the result is going to be better turf conditions and a cleaner look all around.

Enjoy the weather while you can as the temperatures return to normal January levels next week!

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