TCGCC Golf Course Operations

Winter Reel Maintenance

2012-02-15T13:47:00.000-05:00

My equipment technician Dave is a few months into his winter reel maintenance. He disassembles each reel and rebuilds the bearings, bushings, belts and pulleys as needed. Then everything is reassembled and the reel and bed knife get sharpened.

Dave also repairs major issues that are discovered in the winter during our preventative maintenance. This is one of our fairway mowers getting some needed front axle repairs.

This is a photo of our bed knife machine sharpening a bed knife to precise measurements. The bed knife is mounted underneath each reel when it is put back together. The bed knifes are replaced yearly and the cutting reels last 3-4 seasons.

This is a fairway cutting unit ready to be sharpened on the grinder. The grinding wheel comes up from the bottom.

Short Lived

2012-01-24T10:11:00.000-05:00

The cross country trail opening was short lived. With the warm weather and rain over the weekend (and not having much of a base anyway) there isn't enough snow to groom the trail. I tried this morning and made it around but I saw more grass than snow. There was a lot of activity on it over the weekend though and thanks to one of our members for snapping this photo of the sunrise Saturday morning. When we get enough snow, I will get back on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule.

The Cross Country Trail is Open

2012-01-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

The Cross Country Trail is open for the season. We groom it Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 10:00 and 12:00. It's one mile in length and all on flat ground.

The cross country groomer is pulled behind our snow mobile.

The belt from the snowmobile packs down the trail then the groomer glides over the top.

Here is a close up of the groomer, it really sets a great track.

Finally Some Snow but Not Enough Yet

2012-01-02T10:36:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! The cross country ski trail will be open once we get at
least a 15 inch base to groom the trail. We normally groom the trail on
Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 10:00am and 12:00 noon. The
trail head begins in the parking lot next to the bag drop area. It follows the
right side of holes 10, 11, 12 and around the 13^th tee. It goes down 15 and
then turns right, down the second half of 17. It curves around the back of
17 green, behind 18 tee and ties back into the trail next to 10 green. This is
where you can catch the loop again if you wish.

The entire trail, one time around and back to the parking lot is 1 mile. I
will send out an announcement when we open the trail for the winter and I
will be posting trail conditions on my golf course blog which you can get
to from the club's home page.

Another One in the Books

2011-12-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

Good afternoon,

With temperates remaining below the freezing mark now and into the near future, the golf course is basically frozen 24 hours a day and is closing for the season today. Without the normal snow cover we have been able to complete nearly all of the fall cleanup, start on some tree trimming and removing a few damaged trees. Our focus now moves to the service, sharpening and repair of our golf course maintenance equipment. Thank you for your continued support of the club, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Steve Hammon

Late November Work

2011-11-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

This is a photo of a Silver Maple on 10 which shows a treated wound. If you have any damaged trees on your property you can use latex paint to help protect the tree from further rot, disease and insects.

Before winter sets in for good we apply sand to our weaker greens that have had crown hydration/ice damage in the past. The pin location has been cut on the approach.

Crown hydration is when a winter thaw occurs and the plants start taking up water. Then the temperature drops dramatically in a short period of time and the water freezes and ruptures the crown of the plant. The sand helps protect the crowns but is not a guarantee from mother natures forces.

Expanding 18 Fairway for 2012

2011-11-10T08:50:00.000-05:00

This fall the green committee approved enlarging the fairway on the left side of 18 fairway. This photo is looking towards the green from 200 yards.

This view is looking back down the fairway towards the tee. We mowed the new area down to fairway height. In the spring we will aerify and over seed with bentgrass.

Here is a photo from 10 tee. This new area already has irrigation coverage and I think by July 4th it will look and play very similar to the existing fairway.

Dave Ertl

2011-10-24T08:13:00.000-04:00

I would like to introduce to you the best equipment technician in the business, Mr. Dave Ertl. Dave has been with the club for over 12 years and is one of the main reasons our golf course plays and looks so good every week. Dave is OPEESA certified in five categories and has attended the Toro National Training Program for golf course technicians. He is an avid hunter and loves to fish on his boat. His preventative maintenance programs are amazing and there is nothing that he can not repair. I am very thankful Dave showed up in my world in September of 1999.

Pro-Super Recap

2011-10-16T10:11:00.001-04:00

Thank you to the 52 players who joined Roger and I last Thursday for the Pro-Super Classic! The weather was wonderful and everyone had a blast. For those who missed the event, below are a few examples of our unique day on the golf course. I think the talk of the day was the large holes on three of the greens and where some of the crazy pin locations were placed.

Three pins on 5 green.

Closest drive to the pumpkin on 9 fairway.

Four pins to choose from on 15 green.

Swing juice on 2 and 11 tee.

Pro-Super Classic

2011-10-10T09:51:00.000-04:00

The craziest event of the year is here! Don't forget to sign up for the Pro-Super this Thursday. We will have the course set up like you have never seen it before. Crazy pin locations, multiple holes, large holes and an assortment of other interesting set ups.

Byron Nelson at TCGCC circa 1946

2011-10-05T12:04:00.000-04:00

These are two of my my favorite old photos of the club. Byron Nelson came to the club to play an exhibition round in 1946. The top one is from a stretch of three holes that were located east of Cass Road and the other one is near the clubhouse.

Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor

2011-09-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to play at The Golf Club at Harbor Shores. The event was a fundraiser for the Michigan State Turfgrass Foundation which funds real world golf course research at Michigan State. The golf course was spectacular! They are hosting the 2012 PGA Senior Open and is now on my Michigan top ten list. It is open to the public and in amazing condition.

Two Videos

2011-09-19T12:08:00.000-04:00

This is our core harvester, one of the best pieces of equipment in the business. The top video is our greens and fairway aerifier. Both of these machines in the videos are very quick and efficient which helps us complete nine holes per day.

Greens Aerification Process

2011-09-12T12:31:00.002-04:00

Dan begins by aerifying the greens, collars and approaches.

The rear view.

Plugs ready to be picked up.

John uses our core harvester to pick up the plugs, this machine is priceless.

This is me spreading sand at our heavy rate.

Dave drags the sand into the holes.

August Member Guest Highlight Photos

2011-08-30T16:22:00.000-04:00

Thursday Shoot-out at the tent

Thursday night 7 hole putting contest

Double cut and double roll for the four hole Derby Friday evening

Thursday evening Derby on 2 green

Derby on 15 green

Dudley makes the par putt on 15 to advance to the last hole

Inside or Outside

2011-08-18T13:38:00.000-04:00

Inside or outside the bunker......that is the million dollar question. There is not a " USGA rule" on where to place the rakes but they do recommend placing them outside. The green committee likes them inside because it has a better look to it and the labor savings of moving them off the banks before we mow and putting them back after we mow is substantial.

Most of the time, when a golf ball would stop next to the rake on the slope and you picked up the rake...the ball would stay on the slope which is unfair and frustrating. Last year we started placing the rakes on the bottom of the bunker to help eliminate this issue.

Emerald Ash Borer at TCGCC

2011-08-11T12:37:00.000-04:00

This morning we cut down two Ash trees on hole #12, the large one behind the green was 45 years old. Both of these trees were 90% dead from the Emerald Ash Borer. These little creatures live just under the bark and create little channels which stop the flow of food and water to the tree. The green committee has decided to remove five more on the right of #8 this fall as they are in poor condition. We are currently treating the largest and most healthy specimen on #8. This treatment is not a guarantee and it will need to be treated twice a year for it's entire life.

Favorite Photos

2011-08-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

This week I just wanted to share a few of my favorite photos of the golf course, have a great week.

Steak Cook Out

2011-07-26T08:34:00.000-04:00

Every July the Green Committee and I host a steak cook out for my grounds employees. Monday was that annual day and I want to give a special thanks to my green committee chair, Eric Guttenberg, Darren Hinsenkamp board member and Casey Cowell for helping with this year's event. Thanks to everyone on my staff for all of their dedication to The Club.

Two More Legacy Trees

2011-07-18T14:36:00.001-04:00

Today we planted two more Legacy Trees. The top photo (right of 5 fairway) was the location Dr. Prust chose for a Red Beech. In the bottom photo the Dutmers Family selected a Sugar Maple and it was planted right of the middle tee on #8. Thank you to both families for participating in this new program! Be sure to check out the new Legacy Tree plaque located next to the ladies card room entrance.

HQ

2011-07-11T14:39:00.000-04:00

Here are a few photos of our grounds maintenance building or HQ. All members are invited to stop over and say hello and check out our operation anytime. You can get to us easily, just take the path to the left behind six green or pull into Country Club Woods off of Veterans Drive. See you soon.

Dave Ertl

2011-07-05T08:33:00.001-04:00

My equipment technician Dave Ertl has been with the club for over 11 years and does an amazing job working on all of our equipment. Last week he snapped a few great pictures of the larger fox that sleeps in the rough on 14 nearly every night, the smaller fox hangs out around holes 1 and 2. Dave also got a nice picture of our resident doe, she has a fawn with her some days and they hang out in the pines to the right of 12 tee.

26 Center Pieces

2011-06-25T09:36:00.001-04:00

This week we helped create a portion of the wedding center pieces for the Rogers/Jonkhoff wedding reception at the club this weekend. The bride and groom wanted to have an 8 inch round mini-putting green in the middle of the flower arrangements on each table. This is Dan or if you watch Ace of Cakes on T.V. he would be our version of Duff. Dan and I talked and planned a lot on how to make these putting greens look the best we could. We hand cut each of the 26 putting greens from the collar on our nursery green next to 15 fairway. Once we installed them into the holders, Dan cut a small hole in the center and trimmed the edge clean with scissors. The florist picked them up on Thursday and we are looking forward to seeing the photos of the finished product. Congratulation to the bride and groom, we were honored to help with your special day.

More Wildlife

2011-06-17T19:11:00.000-04:00

That video looked more like a Lochness Monster or Big Foot video... sorry about that. Here is a photo from my office of one of our deer on 6 green. This shot only has the flash reflection from the glass window.

Wildlife at the Club

2011-06-16T07:16:00.001-04:00

Even though we are basically right in the middle of town and surrounded by roads, businesses and homes we have quit a bit of wildlife on the course, kind of an in town sanctuary. Here is a video (a bit blurry) of the larger healthier fox. We see him almost every morning sleeping in the same spot in the rough on 14. The other fox is smaller and hangs around near the end of the range and 2 tee. We have three deer on the course at this time and on Tuesday some resident mallards gave birth to their new family of seven baby ducklings. We have the usual blue birds, cedar wax wings and many varieties of hawks hovering over our natural areas.

Prism Gizmo

2011-06-06T10:18:00.001-04:00

This is a picture of our prism gauge and the photo is from one of our greens. It helps us measure the actual cutting height of our mowers vs. the bench setting. It is a hand held device that has a mirror placed on an angle to view the grass at the ground level. Our greens mowers are bench set at .125. When we buy new equipment and the cutting unit design has changed we can use this gizmo to make sure the new mowers are the same as the old mowers.

2011-05-31T11:58:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago we planted our first Legacy Tree just to the right of 8 tee, it is a Prairie-fire Crab Apple. We lost a Mountain Ash at this location a few years ago and this spot was the Jonkhoff families first choice. Our next tree planting will be in a few weeks.

Thirlby Tree Blossoms

2011-05-23T11:53:00.000-04:00

The cherry trees on the golf course did not have a very good year for amazing blossoms because of the sustained cold weather this spring but the Thirlby tree next to 11 tee looked amazing this weekend. The blossoms on the Crab Apple trees on the course are also peak right now. We'll see you on the course.

Topdressing Process

2011-05-16T11:14:00.002-04:00

Every three weeks on a Monday morning we topdress the greens with sand. I took some action shots for you to see this process. The finished product looks great and is ready for golf.

1. First we mow the green

2. Second we spread the sand evenly with a topdresser

3. Third we drag the sand in with a brush in two directions

4. Fourth we use our vibratory rollers to vibrate and move the sand down

5. Finally we water the sand to work it into the turf even more

Tree Buds Finally

2011-05-09T14:33:00.000-04:00

With a few nights in the 50's and today's 75 degree daytime temperatures the tree buds on 17 are starting to develop. With most of the large tree limbs now cleaned up we are focusing on our scheduled mowing and maintenance. The phone on the 9th tee is now working for your food ordering convenience. Don't forget to sign up for the 12:30 Opening Stag this Thursday.

Week of May 2

2011-05-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

This week on the golf course (now that the rain has ended) we will be spraying all of our native fescue areas for weeds. We will also be spraying our greens and fairways with a special application that will prevent the little Poa Annua seed heads from flowering in late May and June. By preventing the seed head formation it will provide a superior and much smoother playing surface and will actual conserve much of the plants energy going into the summer months. Last week we cleaned up the storm damage on holes 1-7 and will continue with the clean up this week.

The restrooms on number 12 are still not open for the season because we are waiting for Consumers Energy to complete their tree trimming project from the recent storm. The power lines along hole #8 supply electricity to our pump station and that restroom. They are expected to complete their work by the end of the day on Tuesday. The restrooms on hole #6 are open.

We’ll see you on the course.

Week of April 25

2011-04-25T07:45:00.000-04:00

This week on the golf course we will continue our storm clean up. The White Pines on the golf course really took a beating from all of that heavy wet snow, especially on holes 3 and 13. Also this week we will bring out the ball washers and benches that we stained last week during our snow days. We will start mowing fairways collars and approaches and may start our preventative weed spray in our 19 acres of natural fescue areas.

Steve Hammon

947-0487

http://tcgccgrounds.blogspot.com/

Range and Golf Course Reopening

2011-04-22T12:21:00.000-04:00

After a record setting April snow storm and now that most of the snow has melted, the driving range is open for use this afternoon (Friday) and the golf course will re-open Saturday at 10:00 with carts. Besides the massive amount of tree limbs that came down everything is fine on the course.

Sanding, Painting and Staining

2011-04-18T10:51:00.001-04:00

This week in the grounds department we are refurbishing the golf course benches by sanding and staining them. They are really turning out quit nice. We are also working on the driving range bag racks, divider sticks and the golf course 150 markers. Once we get these projects ready for the season we will be back out on the course with our spring clean up. Our winter equipment maintenance is nearly completed; we are now working on three rough mowers and servicing the range and beverage carts. Have a great week.

Irrigation System Started

2011-04-13T12:36:00.000-04:00

This week we have the irrigation system up and running. Our pump station is underground and just north of the water on 16. We have two 75 hp pumps that can supply 1,500 gallons per minute. The small lake on 16 is fed by a well that is located just east of the ladies tee on 3 and it's 260 feet deep.

First Day and First Mowing

2011-04-07T10:57:00.000-04:00

We open in one hour, the range tee is set and nothing beats that first mowing of the season. The entire course came through the winter in great shape.

The Golf Course Opens Today for the 2011 Season

2011-04-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

Today we opened the dry nine, a mix of holes on the front and back. Golf carts are available and the practice facility is open and ready for you. Besides the normal hazards on the course, watch out for some of the white stuff still hanging around. Let the 2011 season begin!