3.28.2018

Good Morning,

Average temperatures are finally around and we are trying our hardest to take advantage of any opportunity we have to prepare the course for the 2018 season. Contractors have been plugging away with the finishing touches of the back nine renovation and will soon be paving cart paths as the prepare to depart. Leibold irrigation is finished with their portion of the project and has already pulled equipment and storage containers from the property, a great sign that we will soon have the course back to ourselves!

As the course transitions into a refreshed look, so will our maintenance staff and equipment. Thank you to all members and management team in supporting our department to update our equipment and catch up with the new technologies and innovations. John Deere provided a very competitive package and service guarantees that made us feel comfortable “going green.”

I am very excited to say that we have started rehiring seasonal staff for 2018 and have some of our best employees returning while also harboring a new partnership with Workaway International to provide 5 H2B visa employees for the maintenance staff this summer. These individuals are all from South Africa and are working as a part of the program to develop their professional careers in the industry.

We hope to see you on the course soon, and if so please feel free to provide feedback of the new process we are trying in the bunkers. One of the biggest problems last year with our new bunkers was a combination of soft sand and minimal flashing near the edges which allowed for the ball to come to rest in an unplayable lie. We have decided to try a new process with raking that leaves the edges much more firm and smooth and the bottoms less “fluffy” to allow the ball to roll back further away from the edge. After 2 full winters and plenty of moisture throughout all seasons, it seems that bunkers on the front 9 are finally setting up the way we hoped!

Finally, to address the biggest question of 2018….. When will we open?!?  I really wish I had an exact date we could advertise but unfortunately at this time it is hard to tell. We are still shooting for a mid-may opening but the cool conditions have hindered an early spring wake up for the golf course. Within the upcoming weeks it will be easier to narrow down a date as I hope grass starts growing again so we can begin post renovation conditioning.

Thanks for following along!

– J.R. Lynn, GCS