Another week closer to spring

 

After the last ice storm I don't think anyone was expecting the forecast for 10"+ of snow to actually happen but it did and then some. The track loaders were out in the middle of it and the guys made it happen to get the club back open as soon as possible. This was the most snow this property has seen since 2004 supposedly.

The only activity the golf courses have seen over the past week was some sledding as playing surfaces have been covered for a solid week. Golf resumes today and the high of 50 should melt most of the remaining piles of snow.

Our warm season turf has been through the ringer this winter. It was definitely a benefit to have snow cover on top of the greens tarps as the temps dropped below 10 degrees Monday morning. The sun came back out however and as low temperatures came back above 30 any remaining snow was pushed off the impermeable covers and they were peeled back to let the greens see the sun and breath again. The greens look good and hopefully we will only have to worry about winter kill in deep shade areas which are getting fewer and fewer by the day.


While the boys were bust pushing snow, Micah, Eric and I had already traveled to Orlando for the Golf Course Superintendents Associations annual conference and golf championships. The golf on Sunday was easily the coldest round of golf we had ever played with sub 30 degree temps and over 30 mph winds. Up the road at Lake Nona the LPGA canceled their final round Sunday because of the cold conditions but 600 superintendents pressed on.

I went ahead and defended my fourth flight title, leaving the southern natives Micah and Eric cold and thinking how they can better manage their handicap. Micah accumulated 44 points giving him 9th in the second flight and Eric scored 42 points putting him in 24th in the first flight. The golf championships are always a highlight of the conference, allowing for plenty of time to network with other superintendents across the country. Networking is a big part of the golf business. Considering how many different moving parts we have going each and every day, it is important not to get trapped on your island.


The GCSAA celebrated its 100 year anniversary during the trade show this week. This was one of the original greens mowers from St. Andrews. It was very interesting to see how far yet how similar some of these machines are to what we work with today.


Happy to be part of the wall of history with being involved with the 2017 BMP project as well as the First Green initiative which helps introduce our side of the industry to middle school kids.


That is me back right at one of the many First Green events Ryan Kraushofer hosted at his club. Ryan along with being the Superintendent and GM for his course in Maryland is now a Director for GCSAA and continues to push great initiatives to help grow our industry.


The conference is always a great time to see old friends and colleagues and see some new products. Robot technology continues to progress but the barrier to entry is still high. This little guy is $65k and still needs someone to be blowing in front and raking its tracks and edges behind. We have a few tricks up our sleeves for this year though with some new equipment. Stay tuned and get ready for some better weather!

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