Greens Committee Notes

It has been a quiet week at the shop, not a whole lot other then equipment work and the beginning to a couple weeks of painting. On Monday night the Green Committee held its first meeting of the year and got the ball rolling for 2008. Brad Solheim was elected Chairperson for the 2008 season and the committee decided on a member to present to the board for approval onto the committee. The board will decide on that at the next meeting and I will keep you all posted on that outcome. As for the rest of the meeting, bunkers, bunkers, bunkers.

It was brought up that playing a golf course that is under a long term renovation can be a bit disconcerting when during that round of golf you go from finished holes to unfinished holes and back to finished holes. It was that idea that brought about a unanimous consent to finish the front nine and continue on to the back nine. So for the 2008 season the plan is to complete #6, #7, #8, & #10. We are considering the front nine completed at that point since #2 & #5 are the most recent bunker renovations completed before this course wide plan started in 2007. We have $80,000 to work with and the estimates for this work from a 2007 analysis was just a bit above that. With the help of my staff and a few alterations to the plans we should be able to bring the 2008 phase in on budget. I will follow up in the next couple of days with a description of the work planned on these holes and what the thoughts are behind them. The one thing to keep in mind is that the basic plans and ideas are in place for each bunker/hole and then once the dirt is being shoveled the final decisions are made on-site.

Bunkers 2008

I thought I would remind everyone what to look forward to in '08. The picture is a merged set of photos from #1 during the beginning of the bunker project we started in '07. Bunker renovation was the number one topic among the membership when I arrived 2 years ago, besides some of the turf issues. It is great to see this issue being addressed and the results have been super so far. It has been and will continue to be a great improvement in the make up of Island View GC. To continue this endeavor we will be moving on to the back nine this season. At this moment we plan for the work to be around the same time as last year, sometime in early July. The green committee has gone with the idea that we complete an entire hole before moving on to the next bunkers so the process is not "piece-meal", Monday night (Feb. 25th) we will hold our first greens comm. meeting of the season where the main topic is the bunker project. If things continue on the same track I predict we should be able to complete #6 and 3-4 holes on the back nine. Obviously it all comes down to money and the hardest part of the decision comes down to making the most of it so we can complete as much as possible. Initially we looked at this being a three year plan to complete the entire course, I think a more realistic timeline is 4 years. To give you an idea of the costs, the 2007 estimate for the entire golf course was just over $300,000, and if we keep spending $80,000-$90,000 a year we end up on a 4 year track.

Make sure you pass on any thoughts to the greens committee or myself so they can get addressed at our meetings. Or if you have any questions email me and I can answer them straight away, or pass them on to those who have the answers for you.

In The Shop

With the temps hovering around 1 degree we are busy inside taking care of things. Most of the course supplies: ballwashers, tee markers, stands, cups, and clubwashers have been sanded and prepped for painting. In the next couple of weeks we will have the paint booth up and begin putting new coats of paint on all of it. This keeps things looking new year after year. Eventually, however, the paint layers get so thick that items start to look a bit shoddy. When that happens we choose what's best for the club, either purchasing new or having the items professionally stripped and powder coated. Often times the stripping/re-coating is the way to go since course supplies are so expensive. To give you an idea of some of the costs we face with outfitting the course here are some examples...

Tee markers = $17/ea. (approx. $2,500)
Ballwashers = $180 (approx. $4,500)
Ballwasher Stands = $85 (approx. $2,000)
Metal Garbage Cans = $50 (approx. $1,500)

Those are just a few examples of what we have out on the course, and if we were to purchase new tee signs or benches they would be in the $300-$400/ea. range. Needless to say we try and refurbish everything we can and for as long as we can to save money. However, we will always have high standards for the condition of our golf course supplies no matter what the cost.

New Air Exchange Unit

The weather might not have been the nicest today, single digit temps with minus double digit wind chills, but the guys from Statewide installed the new air exchange unit on the clubhouse.

Over the last five years one of the two motors had gone out a couple of times and at the end of last season there were some major problems with the motor units. It was determined at that time that replacing the whole unit was the best option for the club. The installers were able to reach the unit with a crane from the front entry drive and it didn't take them long to get the old one unhooked and off the roof. Shortly thereafter the new one was put in place and wired up.

The work on #6 began back in December on the 11th & 12th. With a hoe and dozer Nyen Construction completed the rough work by removing the bunkers and bringing the pond edge closer to the green complex. All of the excavated soil was incorporated into mounding on the left and back left corner of the green complex. The excess was graded out into the no-mow area behind the pond. In the spring Hartman Golf will be back out and finish up the final grading and sod install. Just so everyone is aware, the pond level will be kept at minimum until the project is completed. Because of that, the aerator/fountain will not be put in until the water level is brought back to normal. The pond project on #6 is only one project that needs to be completed this coming spring. Those of you who have visited the club this winter have seen the addition of evergreen trees along the County Road 30 side of the driving range tee. All the trees were transplanted from the golf course so there are 20+ tree spade plugs that need to be leveled and sodded. The forward tee on #2 is also still under construction and will be finished as soon as the soil can be worked. As with other the other tee projects, that one will be sodded and should be ready for play very quick. There will be plenty to keep us busy along with getting the course ready to open.

For a current update on the golf course: The snow cover has been good all winter and that is a good thing with the very cold temps & wind we have had on occasion. And now there is a chance for a few more inches which would nicely cover the exposed mounds and turf areas we do have.

Staying Busy

As I go forward with this journal I hope to keep the membership and public informed of what is going on around the golf course on a regular basis. I won't promise daily updates but a few each week should be enough, especially during the golfing season. There will be pictures, explanations of various maintenance practices, project updates, and anything else relevant to the golf course.

So what keeps us busy during the winter months? I am glad you asked. There are a lot of things to keep us busy during the few months that the course is closed. Just to list a few... All the course supplies, such as tee markers, garbage cans, flag sticks, cups, etc... are sanded and painted. Every piece of equipment is cleaned and serviced. Mowing units are sharpened. Plans are laid for the upcoming season after we review the previous season and determine what needs improvement and adjustment. But, I will be the first to say things are much more relaxed and save the occasional impact wrench or reel sharpening, there is a nice quiet that lingers around the shop. And so we prep for the coming season...

Here's to making 2008 another great golf season at IVGC.