De-silting Creeks

The past two weeks we have been working on de-silting the creeks on the golf course. Over the years they have become over-grown. Because they were over-grown, the level of the creek has risen as the channel for water flow was constricted. I was pretty convinced that there were some drain lines running into the creeks that were backed up or clogged, which was causing some of the areas on #8, #10, and #14 to not drain out properly and stay wet. My guess was accurate because we uncovered and unclogged at least 5 lines on the stretch from 10-14. This project should not only make the creeks look better, but it should help the areas on these holes, which have been wet all summer because of the excessive rainfall, start to dry out. Once again, our backhoe attachment that we purchased this year is being put to good use!

 Overgrown Creek

 

What a Month!

July 2013 is definitely one for the record books! We had 23.46 inches of rain for the month. That puts our yearly total thus far at 69.67 inches. Our yearly average is 58! Below are some pictures taken during the month long deluge.

 

 

Along with the rain we got some lightning as well. This tree was struck and made a sprinkler explode, causing a geyser on an already wet golf course.

The Totals Are In

We have had significant rainfall for the last 8 days, with more to come this week. From June 30 to July 7 we have had a total of 13.65 inches of rain. That puts us at 58.71 inches so far for the year. Our average ANNUAL rainfall, according to on-site records going back to 1987, is 58.2 inches! Needless to say, we are on our way to breaking some records.

Last night the rain washed out the cartpath on #10 greenside and has made it unusable. Along with the many other things we need to do to clean up from these storms, we will remove the path and repair the area ASAP. Here are a few pictures of the damage.

Time Flies

I guess time flies when you are having fun. I realized this morning that it has been over a month since I've updated the blog. Now that we are in full swing of the season we have had a lot going on.

One big issue that we tackled in the last month has been the large oak tree on #9. It has a large split right down the middle of it. The tree is not in great health. With advice from a certified arborist who consulted with the club about the tree, we decided to try to get as much weight off the tree as possible and utilize chains and cables to prolong its life. While there is no guarantee that the tree will be saved, it was worth the effort instead of immediately removing the tree. Below is a picture of the arborists and the installation of the chains and cables in the tree.

We have also been working on improving some areas on the course. The area in front of 7 green has been washing out due to the large amount of rain that we have been receiving. We have gone in and aerified the area and seeded it to try to get it to fill back in.

I have also had a few questions about the spots on #14 and #15 greens. The spots are moss. I believe the moss started growing under the covers when we rebuilt the greens a year ago. We had a small amount last year and it has really taken off this year with the cool wet weather. There is a chemical that can be used to get rid of moss. I will begin applications in late summer or early fall to try to eradicate this problem.

And finally, if anybody is curious we had 10.89 inches of rain in June and over 4 inches in the last 24 hours! We are less than 10 inches away from our average annual rainfall amount. By the looks of things, we will probably surpass that this month!