December 28, 2012

Good or bad....?

I am asked “Is the snow good or bad”....well, it depends!

Snow cover actually protects the turf, much like an insulating blanket, from the winds and bitter cold. Turf that has been under snow tends to be healthier in the spring than turf exposed to drying winds and wind chill temperatures. Snow also helps curtail wear and tear, as not a lot of golf is played when snow is on the ground.

But then, if the snow should turn to ice, the turf can suffocate after a few weeks. Also, as snow and ice melt, the abundant moisture coupled with above freezing temperatures is perfect for diseases such as yellow patch, grey snow mold, red thread, and pink snow mold. And the melt also means greater traffic damage due to soft soils. If the soil is thawed on top, but is frozen underneath, then the water cannot drain and makes things even worse. Roots drown, or get sheared from traffic, and in most cases the soil structure gets ruined. All of these scenarios have long term consequences.None of them are good.

And if there is no snow cover at all like last year, desiccation and wear and tear can really set the turf back.

I wish there were easy answers, but there are not. It all just depends.

December 19, 2012

People have been asking me what the goats are up to these days and how are they doing....

They are doing just fine! They are at my farm living the “life of Reilly”, or in other words, being spoiled.

They are on a healthy diet of quality hay, molasses coated grain, and sunflower seeds  which provides them with extra fiber and protein, and natural oils for their coats. They also have free choice minerals. In their fenced in area, they have planks and cinder blocks to climb on, and a goat chalet to nap in and keep them out of bad weather. And they also have their animal friends – chickens, ducks, a cat and the horses to baaaaa at and discuss barnyard politics. Then they get a lot of human visitors – someone always shows up to see and pet the goats! They have it pretty good and easy these days! There most likely will be a little culture shock next spring when they come back to work here, but I think they are looking forward to some delicious poison ivy!

Mary, Francis, and Irene told me to pass on to you their wishes for every one to enjoy a happy holiday season and that they are looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!

December 11, 2012

Friday night we had two and one half inches of rain and originally I intended to make the course “walking only” on Saturday because it was so wet. But being a Saturday, Mark and I talked it over and decided to go “cart paths only” and we opened up to carts at 10:00am.

Well, that didn’t last very long....

I am sure the person driving the cart had no intentions of causing damage, but none the less, he went off the the cart path and did. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. It happens routinely. Even on days when carts are allowed off the paths, sensitive areas that are roped and/ or signed off are driven on with abandon by some. The ropes are simply knocked down and the signs ignored.

It doesn’t make a lot of sense to go about with disregard. And it certainly is not fair to those who follow the guidelines, and who have to deal the bad lies left behind by others.