Vail Golf Club Maintenance

First snow of the season

2011-10-07T08:45:00.000-06:00

Successful Day of aerating

2011-10-03T20:49:00.001-06:00

Today we aerated all 20 greens. I think that is a first in the five years I’ve been here. Everyone on the staff really worked hard to accomplish it and Mother Nature helped out too. Hopefully she is kind to us again tomorrow so that we can finish topdressing the last 11 holes. The aeration process is a necessary evil for a green. We start with a deep tine aerator which has a solid tine and goes up to 10 inches into the soil. It fractures and loosens the soil deep in the profile. Then we pull cores which helps to further reduce compaction, release gases from the soil, allow oxygen to reach the roots, and break up soil layering. After the plugs are removed we top dress with a heavy layer of sand. Some of the sand that you see on the green will work it’s way into the holes, the rest will settle into the turf canopy protecting the crown of the plant during the winter months. As detrimental as this process seems it is very important to the health of the green throughout the growing months.

2011-09-30T15:12:00.000-06:00

Looks like another beautiful weekend at the Vail Golf Club. Fairway aerification was a success. Everything went smooth and they came out great. The Course will be closed on Monday for deep tine and core aerification. We hope to have the front nine open on Tuesday and all 18 opened by Wednesday morning. Once the greens are finished we will aerify tees which will have little to no impact on play. The driving range will remain open during any course closures.

Fall Aerification

2011-09-21T10:00:00.001-06:00

Monday we started the fall aerification process. Aerification has many benefits for the turf. It lessens compaction, allows air and water to penetrate into the soil profile and helps thatch to break down. All of this is very important to the health of the turf and help to provide great playing conditions year after year. We start with fairways during the last two weeks of September. The first week of October we hope to get greens and tees completed. Aerification is a weather dependent practice that we are not able to accomplish when it rains, or dare I say the ‘s’ word, snows. This week looks good and has started out a very productive week. By the weeks end we should have 1,9 and the back 9 fairways completed. The schedule for the rest of the season is shown below. On October 3rd we will be closing the course to deep tine and core aerify all greens. The back 9 will remain closed to finish the aerification process. During course closures the driving range will remain open.

Tuesday – Fairways 10, 17, 18

Wednesday – Fairways 12 & 16

Thursday – Fairways 13 & 14

Friday – Fairway 11

Monday 26th – Fairways 2, 7, 8

Tuesday 27th – Fairways 4 & 5

Wednesday 28th – Fairway 6

29th and 30th – These two days will be used to make up any rain day cancellations we may have.

Intern's View

2011-09-19T09:17:00.003-06:00

As an intern you are pulled in many directions. Finding your niche can be difficult. At the Vail Golf Club I was given the opportunity to be in charge for the week. I must say, it was an unbelievable experience. As well as a humbling experience.

With the club championship two days away the weather decided that it did not want to cooperate. Almost an inch of rain fell in the day leading up to the championship, including the first day of the tournament. To watch the crew work in pouring rain for hours was inspiring. They came together as a team and I there leader for that brief time. It is an experience i'll never forget. "Attitude reflects leadership", and for that short time I was the captain of the team. I am proud to say the course was in fantastic condition. Not only for the club championship, but also for the 18 hole shotgun the Friday of that week. I am thankful that the crew respected and worked extremely hard for me. I am greatful for the opportunity that was allotted to me. Hopefully one day I can do the same for my intern.

Mike Martic

Steve's last day

2011-09-09T07:16:00.003-06:00

Today is Steve’s last day as superintendent at the Vail Golf Club. He has helped the golf course accomplish a lot during the last six years. There have been many improvement projects completed including the installation of a new irrigation system, new bridges and the rebuild of #3 and #7 tee. He has also helped raise the standard of expectations. The staff and I would like to wish him all the best in his new venture at Pinehurst Country Club in Denver.

From all of us thank you, farewell and good luck.

2011-09-03T11:54:00.002-06:00

On Friday we spiked most of our greens and finished the remaining on Saturday morning. The picture shows the piece of equipment that we use. It has two spiked rollers and is weighted by water to help the spikes penetrate two to three inches into the soil. In the fall when we get into a wet weather cycle it's easy for the soil to become anaerobic and the health of the turf can decline rapidly. Slicing greens is an important practice that helps to relieve compaction and open up the soil to allow oxygen in. Another benefit that occurs from slicing is stimulated root and shoot growth. Slicing is a good alternative to aerification since it is less disruptive and allows the greens to smooth out more quickly.

Leading The Pack

2011-08-31T05:55:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was officially the beginning of the end. The most important part of maintaining this golf course is properly preparing it for the long winter's nap. Vail Golf Club will be one of the first golf courses in the country to arrive at winter, so here is what we are doing.
We applied our greens and approaches with Iprodione and Cholorthalonil fungicides to prepare for the winter stress. They are both contact fungicides which will assist keeping the plant clean as we approach periods of moisture in the fall. Over time, we have seen the best results with early applications.
Our second application in approximately 30 days, will consist of a systemic and contact fungicide. The systemic brand will help protect the plant from the inside before the plant shuts down for the winter. After aerification, about the middle of October, a final application will be made per usual for greens and approaches to prepare for the long winter.
Different products will be used on the fairways and tees. Those applications will come in October.

Golf For Rivers

2011-08-29T11:52:00.000-06:00

Monday, September 26, the Eagle River Watershed Council will be hosting their first ever benefit golf tournament. Join us for a great day at Adam's Mountain Country Club in Eagle for an 11am shotgun start. The Cocktails as well as fishing and golf contests follow the round. Many prizes will be given out to participants as well as a hole in one contest for a chance at $10,000.
The cost for the event is $275 per person or $1100 per foursome. The day promises to be a fun event at one of Colorado's top private facilities.
To sign up call 970-827-5406 or click here to sign up online.

The Eagle River Watershed Council advocates for the health and conservation of the Upper Colorado and Eagle River basins through research, education, and projects. We provide a forum where everyone can gain a greater understanding of the Eagle River environment. Said another way, our mission is "Preserving our quality of life by protecting the Eagle and Colorado Rivers in Eagle County."

Golf Course Industry : The cold facts about snow mold

2011-08-27T08:02:00.002-06:00

It is always hard to think of the winter for any golfer or superintendent in August, but in the mountains you always have to be prepared. I came across this article the other day and we believe that there is a lot of truth to what they find in this article. This might be more of an article for turf managers, but highly important for golfers to understand.
Click here for Golf Course Industry article.

US Pro Cycling - Vail Time Trial

2011-08-26T06:50:00.000-06:00

Not every day do you have the best cyclists in the world racing by your golf course. Vail certainly embraced the time trials yesterday and proved to be an excellent host. This stage was a 10 mile individual race up hill. The winner finished just under 26 minutes. Here are a couple of videos.

Intern's View: Sand Trap Improvements

2011-08-26T03:15:00.000-06:00

As some of you may have noticed, we have begun the process of improving the bunkers. We begin by taking deep pockets of sand in the bunker and transferring it to the shallow portions of the bunker. We then go through the process of wetting it down, compacting it, adding new sand, and finally raking it out so it is aesthetically pleasing and fully playable. If you come across the staff working in a bunker it may be treated as ground under repair.

I would like to take a moment and explain that this is only a temporary fix. The master plan outlines new sand traps throughout the course. Many factors play a part in this decision. Some of those factors being the size of the bunker, the location, and the drainage of the bunker for example. Bunkers are much more than holes in the ground filled with sand. When constructed properly they can be a work of art designed to enhance playability. Hit em' straight and enjoy the new bunkers.

Mike Martic - 2011 Vail Golf Club Intern
Rutgers University

The Balancing Act

2011-08-23T22:03:00.000-06:00

What you are seeing here are earthworm castings in the 5th fairway. You probably have noticed these tiny patches of soil on fairways, 2,4,5 & 6.
If you remember your biology classes in school, you remember that earthworms are good for the soil and plant growth.They benefit the soil by providing simple aeration as they feed on organic matter. Organic matter is typically found close to the surface in the thatch or mat layer. When the worm processes the soil, it leaves behind these castings of soil. This is where they can be detrimental to a golf course.
These castings can impede ball roll and playability. They can also create problems to mowers when the soil cakes on and disrupts their operation.
Managing these holes is certainly a balancing act. There is so much rock beneath these fairways that the root structure is limited in depth. These fairways require light and frequent irrigation as well as carefully timed fertilizer applications. We also use growth regulator chemistry to promote lateral growth and increase density.

When conditions become dry on the course these castings can become more noticeable. Balancing irrigation is certainly a challenge. Often times these areas require hand watering to efficiently irrigate where it is absolutely necessary. Pictured here are two staff members watering drier areas on the course. When hand watering, the staff will probe the soil to determine if the soil needs moisture or not. The new irrigation system has certainly helped decrease hand watering, but if you are not hand watering, you are over watering.

How do you prevent earthworm castings and why don't you see them on the greens? Studies have shown that earthworms are very sensitive to sandy soils. The soil profile in greens mostly consist of sand and some organic matter. The sand is abrasive and is uncomfortable as they move through the profile. Greens typically have less organic matter to feed on compared to a fairway.

Sunday Morning

2011-08-19T14:05:00.000-06:00

For those of you playing Sunday morning, please give yourself some extra time to get to the course. Vail is hosting a women's half marathon that goes past the golf course. For more details click here.

Fixing Ballmarks

2011-08-18T08:13:00.000-06:00

Truman says, "Fix your ballmarks to help keep the greens rolling at their best."
A ballmark tool should include long prongs to get into the soil profile. Push in or turn slightly to help smooth out the area. DO NOT lift up the roots as it can cause damage and death to the plant.
Finally use your putter or foot to smooth out the blemish.
Thank you!

Assistant's View: Noxious Weeds

2011-08-14T05:32:00.000-06:00

I’m not sure what looks better, the Gore Range in the background or the Canada Thistle curling over dead! Noxious weeds are non-native plants disturbing the native ecosystem. It’s more obvious that some are weeds while others disguise themselves as flowers. These non-native plants have made their way here by many different modes of transportation traveling as far away as other continents.

Noxious weeds thrive because they have no natural controls in their new habitat. They also produce an abundance of seeds that can last as long 50 years or more in the soil. Grass seed, when stored properly, only last for a few years. Some noxious weeds create shade and can make it difficult for the native plants to survive others can consume massive amounts of water depleting a water supply. You may have noticed in the last few weeks the native areas on the course have been getting sprayed with a three way herbicide to help control these weeds such as thistles, oxeye daisies, common mullein, bindweeds and more. We will continue to spray as much as we can to help control the weeds. Click here for a great website to help you with noxious weeds in Colorado.

Justin Gompf, Vail GC Assistant Superintendent

Frosty

2011-08-11T11:41:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we had our first frost of the late season. I always laugh each year when people are surprised to see the frost during the second week of August, but this happens every year.
The days are getting shorter and the night time temperatures are beginning to get cooler and into the 30's. The day time temperatures are still great and can reach into the high 70's. We still have two more great months of golf weather in Vail.

The early morning tee times begin to go away with frost and it is important that traffic is kept off the turf. Especially this time of year, frost damage can be lethal to the plant and there is no more time for recovery before winter. Please allow time for the day to develop and allow plants to thaw before maintenance and golfing to occur. We adjust tee times through the season to reflect frost delays, however it is not a an exact science where extra time should be allowed if necessary.

Live from the PGA Championship

2011-08-03T12:22:00.001-06:00

I asked Kasey Kauff, a good friend and current Superintendent of the Highlands Course at the Atlanta Athletic Club, to put something together for the blog as he is preparing for the PGA Championship next week. He submitted a short video about the golf course. It is excellent. Enjoy.

Vail Athletic Field Repairs

2011-08-01T17:19:00.000-06:00

The Vail Athletic Field is getting plenty of attention for maintenance these days. The rainy days mixed with lacrosse in July was the recipe for disaster for turf. Today we began preparing for sod through the middle of the field. Three areas were cut and the old turf and thatch was removed.

The grades were measured to pitch the field for proper surface drainage.

Kramer is back, you may recognize this man and machine. He leveled out the new tees on 3,4 and 8. First these areas are being tilled up to mix in the remaining organic matter and sand. The mixture will provide a better medium for root growth. Here you see the box blade that is used to bring the area to the proper grade and prepare for sod.

Preparing Another Major

2011-07-29T17:42:00.000-06:00

It has been a good year for my former interns. Three of them are hosting major golf championships this year. Two of them being at The Broadmoor this year and the third is preparing for the PGA Championship in a few weeks at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

Kasey Kauff is the Superintendent at the Highlands Course at AAC. I was privileged to have Kasey working for me during the summer of 2003. That season, I realized that Kasey was going to be a star someday in this profession. Follow this link for a neat video on preparing the course for a major championship in the south, in August! http://turfnet.com/tv/latest.php

For all of you that are green about turfgrass management; ultra dwarf bermudagrass won't survive in Vail.

Soil Conditioning

2011-07-29T05:04:00.000-06:00

Since our customers would have a real big problem if we tilled our fairways each year, we spike them instead. Getting oxygen into the root zone is highly important for root growth. Spiking also allows water to penetrate into soil profile. We began on holes 7,8,9, and 18 on Wednesday. Today we will continue on the back nine, starting on the 10th hole.

Using an irrigation pin flag I can measure how deep the spiking goes into fairways. This leatherman tool is 4 inches long. We are getting about 6 inches of depth, the fairway root zone is about 5 inches in depth.

The Road To Recovery

2011-07-27T05:33:00.000-06:00

The golf course couldn't be playing better right now. We are in the process of recovering from the flooding areas. Many of them, (like this picture of the 9th fairway) will rebound with fertilizer and time. Other areas are being replaced with sod.
Yesterday we cut out a number of areas on holes 1,2,7,8 & 9. Today we will begin to sod these areas. It is much nicer to hit off grass!

Setting The Course

2011-07-21T10:40:00.000-06:00

Back when this course was originally constructed, the tees were not built square with the landing areas.
Sometimes it creates a challenge for mowers and even golfers to aim correctly on some tees. Our master plan and the tees that have been constructed over the past three seasons correct this issue.

You wouldn't believe how many people do not take the time to aim properly when they approach their tee shot.

This tool is something any superintendent can construct to help line tee markers correctly. Most supers have the PVC parts laying around the shop. I picked up the idea while setting the course at the Broadmoor East Course a few weeks back for the Women's Open.

It is fool proof and this tool is used each morning to get players off in the right direction. We just can't hit the ball for them.

What We Are All About

2011-07-19T19:02:00.000-06:00

Today was the first time I witnessed the range tee completely full. The weather was perfect as we topped out at 75 degrees. Days following a heavy rain in the mountains always seems to be cooler. It is hard to publish these weather conditions considering every other Superintendent across the country is dealing with extreme heat. I can not complain about the weather even the moisture, but now is the time to visit Vail Golf Club and get out of the heat.

The course is finally beginning to dry up. We'll spend the next couple of weeks recovering from minor flood and water damage. Most areas will rebound nicely, but some sod and seeding will be required. Today we hosted the CJGA with the 14-18 year olds. The event went smooth and the course was a nice test for this group. They just need to work on their pace of play. A five and a half hour round for this course is not exactly the greatest way for the younger players to develop their game. But today is over and tomorrow we'll be back to our normal four hours and seven minute pace.

When The Best Irrigation System Goes Wrong

2011-07-14T11:31:00.000-06:00

First of all, the best irrigation system is rainfall. We have four points of collecting rainfall at Vail Golf Club. Each rain event they record within one hundredth of an inch. That is as consistent as you are going to find and far better than any man made irrigation system. Vail Golf Club does have one of the best man made irrigation systems around, but it just can't top Mother Nature.

However, in this climate when she decides to dump 2 inches of moisture on the Vail Valley within 6 days, it is not exactly the best for one's golf game. I heard a lot of comments about how long the course was playing today. Honestly, the course looks great, fantastic as a matter of fact. The course is green, the turf is lush, but the ball isn't rolling far under these conditions.

Fortunately, we live in Colorado at 8,000 ft above sea level and when she wants to dry things out, she can rather quickly. So give us a couple days of drier weather to get this place rolling again.

The creek is dropping and the water is beginning to subside. We will have all hands on deck with mowing, seeding, topdressing and doing whatever possible to have the course to normal conditions as soon as possible.

Thanks for all of your patience and let's play golf.

Details

2011-07-12T16:31:00.005-06:00

Catching up on some details today with edging irrigation heads on fairways, approaches and greens. Keeping the irrigation heads clean and neat allows for efficient irrigation applications. Most heads on the course have distance markers to the middle of the green. Keeping the heads clean allows players to read distances clearly.

Filling fairway divots throughout the course. It is important to fill a divot with sand to encourage new growth and keep the surface flat. When filling a divot, do not mound up the sand. Use your foot to smooth out the surface. Doing this allows for better ball roll and prevent damage to mowers.

The Practice Rounds

2011-07-09T13:20:00.000-06:00

There is something magical about major golf tournaments. Maybe it is because I just love the game, but putting on a show for thousands of people around the world is special.

I began my week back on my old stomping ground, The Broadmoor East Course. You can catch coverage on NBC this weekend as the best women golfers in the world try their luck on the old Donal Ross design.

Here is 14 West green being mowed at dawn. This green is used as a practice green for back nine starts on the East Course.

Tuesday I helped with setting the course. Pictured above are USGA officials using a measuring instrument to square tee markers correctly. This is a neat idea I picked up and will incorporate something similar into our tee set up daily in Vail.

Pictured here are the same USGA officials and a couple of Broadmoor employees setting the cup and researching future pin locations for the tournament. They check speeds all over the green and find the right challenge for each round.

Christie Kerr teeing off the 3rd tee on Tuesday.

When Will The Water Recede?

2011-07-08T14:37:00.000-06:00

Honestly? With the weather patterns we have been experiencing, we will most likely see water on the golf course into August. The creek is running at an average of 1000 cfs which is almost 200% of normal. When the creek is full it can only take on so much water. Even pumping water to the creek is not a sure thing because there is more ground water behind what is being pumped.

On top of the large run-off we have seen .8" of moisture in the last 20 hours at the golf course. Even under dry conditions the golf course struggles to maintain playable conditions after a rain event such as that one.

So bare with us, we are doing everything we can do to make the round as pleasant as possible.

One final note: Yes, the master plan does address some of the drainage issues we are experiencing. However, we are finding some more areas that need attention. We have begun looking at solving drainage problems for the future. Even though this is the worst flooding the course has seen, I am a believer that it will happen again some day.

Exposed

2011-07-01T05:30:00.000-06:00

Tuesday evening, quite a storm rolled through the valley. There was a lot of rain further down valley but mostly wind attacked the golf course. By 5 pm, we lost two trees on the course. Shortly after that a second wave came back through and knocked down eight more trees. Our weather stations clocked winds at 80 mph.

When a golf course sustains those kinds of winds it is normal to lose that many trees, especially in a golf course setting. Open areas such as fairways can leave trees exposed to become victims of powerful winds.

Cutting up and cleaning tree debris was not exactly what we had in mind doing Thursday morning, but the staff responded very well. Most of the debris was cut and cleaned before golfers had a chance to view the mess.

2011 US Women's Open Preview

2011-06-30T10:05:00.000-06:00

Guest Blogger: Zach Bauer, Broadmoor West Golf Course Superintendent.
Zach was an intern of mine on the East Course at the Broadmoor a number of years ago. He was one of my best interns and has certainly deserved the position he now holds. I asked him to tell us a little about what is about to happen in the golf world in Colorado Springs next week:

Greetings fellow golf enthusiasts of Vail Golf Club. Steve has asked me to write a guest blog for Vail Golf Club and what better topic could I write about but our own US Women’s Open that’s coming up in 6 days, yes 6 days! The preparation for this year’s US Women’s Open has been a three year process that started the day after the US Senior Open we held at The Broadmoor in 2008, literally! The Monday following the final round of the US Senior Open the USGA’s US Women’s Open Committee was present to make sure it was the type of facility they wanted hosting the US Women’s Open Championship. Fortunately the East Course had finished major renovation work before the Senior Open and the amount of work required was minimal. One of the projects the East Course has worked on in the last few years was selective tree removal around greens to reduce shade stress during the winter months. Both East and West courses have begun allowing access for sunlight to putting surfaces during the winter to reduce ice damage.

Since 2008 it has pretty much been a waiting game up until the last few months when we started to really get things looking good for this year’s championship. There has been a lot of seeding, sodding and fertilizing going on to help fill in the our roughest areas on the golf course for the championship, but everything has come together nicely and the course is looking great. The final setup for a major championship takes more time than most people realize. Our grandstands starting going up around May 31st and with only a few days left until the Open we are still putting up scoreboards and the finishing touches on our tents. One of the key components to the grandstands, tents and T.V. towers construction is managing the irrigation around all these. For one thing the stakes used during this process are about three feet long and our irrigation manager has to ensure that our irrigation lines are not hit with one of these. Another is managing the irrigation heads around all the tents and grandstands. A lot of fully rotational irrigation heads need to be adjusted to part circle heads and this is utilized by removing parts from the West or Mountain courses and replace these with the ones on the East course throughout the championship. With all this preparation that goes into making a championship, there is always an end to it all. After the championship is over all three courses at The Broadmoor are fully open the very next day for guest and member play, no days off! The tear down of all the grandstands takes about another 4 weeks to complete while the entire time we are dealing with daily play and tournaments, such as our club championship.

With all this work associated with hosting a major championship I must not forget the help of volunteers. During championship week we will have another 60-80 volunteers helping out our Broadmoor staff of 55 each work shift. Yes that’s over 100 golf maintenance workers on 18 holes at one time. It always humors me when I hear the golfers say they want their respective courses to play like a US Open course every day. Now you know how many people it would take to provide those conditions. For example, we will have 12 greens mowers, 6 tee mowers, 15-20 crew handwatering and 8 fairway mowers just to give everyone a glimpse of our crew numbers on one shift. Here at The Broadmoor we are definitely looking forward to hosting another USGA Championship and also returning a great golf event back to the state of Colorado. Come on down and check out the tournament!

The Beginning of the End

2011-06-26T15:26:00.000-06:00

After almost 4 years of research, various plans, one engineer firm, one golf architect firm, hundreds of survey stakes, numerous compaction tests, soil testing, board meetings and town council meetings we are now days away from a finished product at the 7th tee.
The greatest safety issue on the golf course has been solved and we are almost ready to show it off to golfers. Yesterday sod was installed on the tee surface. Large sod rolls were used to reduce the amount of seams on the tee. The tee should be ready for play in the next ten days.

Surrounding the tee, there still is some work to complete. Justin has been working extremely hard getting the irrigation completed in the area. It hasn't been easy working around Landscapes Unlimited while they finish the tee. He has designed and installed irrigation for the tee surface as well as the native areas that will include new pine and fir trees as well as rose and serviceberry bushes.
Around the woody material, native seed will be used and a straw seed mat will prevent erosion and enhance seed growth.
There are a few more trees that need to be removed in front of the tee boxes from the site. A plan is in action to remove them as soon as possible according to town specifications.

Sod Day

2011-06-26T15:00:00.000-06:00

A crew from Emerald Sod Farm near Denver was here early on Saturday morning to get sod down in various places of the course. Finally we can begin putting these projects behind us and get on with the golf season.
Pictured here are large rolls of sod being rolled out along 11 cart path. Areas that were sodded were around 11 bridge, 17 bridge, the lightning shelter near 11 green and the 7th tee surface.
Prior to sod, all areas received an application of starter fertilizer which supplies nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to the root zone for adequate uptake and quick recovery. Also, we apply a granular wetting agent (Reservoir) which keeps moisture in the root zone longer than normal.We used this formula during the irrigation install after the mainline was re-sodded and had huge success.

USGS Real-Time GORE CREEK at RED SANDSTONE CREEK AT VAIL, CO

2011-06-25T06:03:00.000-06:00

Here we go again. Last night the Gore Creek reached as high as it has all season. The wet weather followed by higher temps has filled the banks of the creek. Click the following link for the graph that details how the creek has reacted to the weather over the last week.

USGS Real-Time Water Data for USGS 09066325 GORE CREEK ABV RED SANDSTONE CREEK AT VAIL, CO: "Discharge, cubic feet per second
Most recent instantaneous value: 1,350 06-25-2011 04:45 MDT"

The biggest reason why there is much less water on the course especially around the 1st and 10th tee, is due to the fact that a lot of Vail Mountain has melted off. Most of the water on the course is related to the Gore Creek and run off from the Gore Range.

Assistant's View: Fusion

2011-06-20T05:47:00.000-06:00

The electro-fusion machine is our newest irrigation tool. This machine will allow us to repair our HDPE pipe. The way this machine works is there are two electrodes that stick out of the repair coupling that are connected to wires that run around the inside of the coupling. This machine heats the electrodes and wires to a temperature that will melt the HDPE and weld the coupler and pipe together. Each coupler has a bar code that the machine reads to determine how hot and how long it needs to heat the coupler to get a perfect weld. It’s very important that the pipe and couple are clean and free of debris to get a good weld. The first step in fusion is to scrape the HDPE pipe to get a fresh layer of material visible. Then I clean it with isopropyl alcohol to remove any oil that may have been left behind from handling it. Once the pipe is clean I can then slide the couple on and make sure everything is lined up properly. I then use the optical pen to read the bar code that tells the machine what size and density the pipe is. The last step is to hook up the electrodes and hit the start button. For two inch pipe it takes about 45 seconds and it’s done. The first project that I have used this machine on is repairing irrigation lines around the new bridge construction on 11 and 17. We will be using it next on 7 tee to install irrigation on the newly built tee. With all the construction going on here this will be a very useful tool to be able to repair pipe or add new irrigation when needed.

Get Mobile

2011-06-20T05:34:00.000-06:00

The blog is now user friendly for smart phones. Make the blog an app on your home screen. The blog is has been formatted for easy reading on your iPhone and other smart phones.

One Down

2011-06-14T16:09:00.000-06:00

One of the first projects of the season is complete. The 5th tee has a new net and it looks great. The contractors finished up on Friday and now we can pay attention to turfgrass details in the area.

Often people ask me why we use some much plywood during our projects. The picture below is proof of why plywood is so important. Without it, these irrigation heads would have been destroyed. Now that the area is getting more sunlight and water, they will bounce back quickly.

US Open Week

2011-06-13T06:28:00.003-06:00

I found the information below in my inbox this morning as all golf eyes begin to focus on Maryland this week. After reading this information it still "wows me" to think how many people don't understand the amount of work that goes into a major golf championship.

In a few weeks, I will be taking part in similar activities to prepare for the US Women's Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. When I think of Congressional however, I will never forget how they walk mowed all of the fairways for the Open in 1997! I heard it took up to 27 people to mow one fairway. It could have have been the pinnacle of how ridiculous maintenance can be for a major golf tournament.

Click here for the USGA Course Fact Sheet at Congressional Country Club by the USGA Green Section staff

Assistant's View: It Must Be The Start Of Summer In Vail

2011-06-10T21:02:00.000-06:00

Well the water table is rising and we have high water on various areas of the course, it must be the start of summer in Vail. Now that we’ve had about 10 days of good weather we are trying to get in to a rhythm of course maintenance.

Due to the weather we are about two weeks behind schedule on fertilizing. I began this week with a liquid application on greens. I will continue the rest of the summer every two weeks with this application. We do this “spoon feed” of liquid fertilizer to help keep the greens consistent. Each application has small amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium key nutrients for healthy turf. The tank mix also includes micronutrients and biostimulants which is also highly important in finely groomed turf. We add about five different products to each tank to help create the healthiest greens we can. The combination of these products help increase stress tolerance, build stronger deeper roots, aid in cell division, and aid with plant recovery from stress.

Justin Gompf

Assistant Superintendent

Rolling Greens

2011-06-10T12:59:00.000-06:00

If you were paying attention to the blog this spring, you know how soft the greens were while clearing them of snow. For those of you who are new or can't remember last week, such as myself, here is the story.
Due to the early snow fall, the greens did not harden off and turn completely dormant for the winter. While the snow continued to pile up, temperatures stayed warm enough in the root zone for disease activity and even shoot growth!
Once we began clearing, we immediately notice how soft the soils were and the snowblower would occasionally cause depressions into the surface and create ruts. We clear the greens to prevent or lessen snow mold and ice damage (winter damage).
So now we are left dealing with the lesser of two evils; smoothing out the surface.
The 13th and 1st greens were the worst overall. This week we rented a 3,000 lbs. vibrating roller and it seems to be working great. This could be an annual tradition, in fact. I won't tell you the ruts are gone, but they are much better. Spiking and aerification over time will completely heal them. Next week we will be doing just that.
We liked this roller so much, it ended up on all of the greens. Yesterday, our intern Mike (Rutgers) stimped the 2nd green before, during and after the rolling. Before the rolling, they read 7.2. After the first roll the green measured at 8.5. After the second and final roll we measured it at 9.
Also, the greens heights were lowered for the final time in preparation for the season today.

Waking Up The Sleeping Giant

2011-06-08T21:58:00.001-06:00

Well the Boston Bruins have woken up to make it a series in the Stanley Cup. But in relation to the golf course, groundwater has also woken up and is saturating some areas of the course. The main difference between this season and last, was the amount of snow along Vail Mountain. There is a significant amount of snow up top and it is going to take some time to run off.
We are managing areas with sandbags, pumps, digging ditches, and providing temporary bridges for access.
Currently we have the front nine closed but will have 18 open shortly. Cooler weather has moved into the valley and the river has dropped a bit from the other night. The temperatures have dropped recently and it will help with high water.

The 5th tee is nearing completion with the new netting. All of the posts are in the ground and the cables are in place. Thursday we will be removing the rest of the dirt from the posts and place mulch under the netting. The net is en route to Vail and will be installed ASAP. A little more clean up is needed in the area, but we are targeting to have the tee box open Friday.

Casual Water

2011-06-04T15:37:00.000-06:00

Here we go again. Nothing unusual actually, another typical spring. With over 500 inches of snow this year, the water will probaly stick around just a little longer this year. A few early morning golfers were amazed to see the amount of water near the first tee. We are managing golf just fine and there are no alterations to the course due to high water so far. Carts can slowly creep through the paths with water on them safely. Small access bridges have been provided to access dry land for walkers.

Have you noticed all that water coming through the parking lot? More run off above the 18th hole is getting onto the utility path and running into the parking lot. No this is not a water break from the homes nearby.

The 10th Annual Teva Mountain Games began this week. Each year on Saturday, kayakers and paddle boarders take to the Gore for time trials. This is a sport I need to try, paddle boarding. It looks like a lot of fun, but I probably won't make my first run on the Gore, I would need calmer waters.

Here is a competitor kneeling down on his paddle board to clear the new bridge on 17. The new bridge has slightly more clearance for recreation on the creek. There are a number of bridges these paddlers need to maneuver through during the race.

7 tee update

2011-06-04T15:12:00.000-06:00

Things are really beginning to move along on the 7th tee. The spectacular weather has been welcomed for construction. If you have walked or driven by the tee, you will notice that walls 3 & 4 are complete. The 1st wall is close to 50% complete. The concrete cart path and the new fence are also complete. Due to the lack of space at the bottom, only cart traffic is allowed through the area. No mowers or large equipment are allowed, however it does not hinder our operation. A few years ago, I almost had a mower in the creek. It lost control coming down the steep incline and broke through the fence.
I am sure the new fence will see many replacements in the future from golf carts running into it. The fence is very stable and a cart will not be able to break through. It is also easy to replace if needed in the future.

Today we caught a snag in the plan by revealing this boulder. Pictured here is Chris Martin, the superintendent on the project from Landscapes Unlimited. He has been a great addition to the project. The boulder is estimated to be more than 10 tons! It is in the way of wall construction and must be moved. We have a plan to move it on Monday, wish us luck!

In Bloom

2011-06-02T20:41:00.000-06:00

Usually by this time of year, most plants are in bloom. This is a good shot of some lilacs, turf and aspen trees in the background near the pumphouse.

May was difficult, with the average high temperature at 53 with an average low at 28 degrees.

We received just over 2.5 inches of moisture with only 6 inches of snow, but the moisture was spread out over many days.

Tuesday we recorded soil temperatures and greens averaged out to 49 degrees. Rooting depth was 4-6 inches which isn't all that bad for poa coming out of dormancy. All disease activity from the winter is now inactive and plants are beginning to bloom. You can see the hillsides filling in with aspen buds. The willows around the course are showing signs of life, as well as the lilacs and dogwoods.

Even at 5 tee things are starting to pop. Today Judge Netting installed two of the seven posts to go into the ground for a new net. These are 12 inch diameter steel poles. This will be a polished enhancement to the old net that was installed in the past. The posts are buried 10 feet deep and will max out at 40 feet in the air. The first two holes we an easy dig, now they are getting into rock, which of course is no surprise. The project should be completed by the end of next week.

Stumbling Into Spring

2011-06-01T21:26:00.000-06:00

Thank God May is over. We have done more today than most of May. Lots going on now that decent weather has arrived, call it crazy, but we are making improvements to the course everyday.
Areas are drying out, soil temperatures are increasing and most areas of turf have broken dormancy.
We are just getting around to mowing everything on the course and most areas are recovering well. The irrigation system has been fully pressurized and will certainly be a boost for turf conditions.
Plenty of projects going on outside of the basic day to day maintenance: re-surfacing of 3 cart path, new net installation at 5 tee, 7 tee re-build, Vail Valley Drive water mainline (water district), new bridges on 11 & 17. The only project completed is the lightning shelter near 11 green. There is some landscaping to complete in that area, which we plan to get to once the bridges are complete.

Today through Friday, we will be preparing the cart path tie-ins on 17. We are taking the opportunity to correct a few issues. By replacing all of the path from the bridge back to the tee we will be able to lower the path slightly, improve drainage aesthetics and turf conditions. Our asphalt contractor began this afternoon removing the old path. I found 6 plus inches of asphalt with some road base underneath. The old path was overlaid once and created some drainage issues on the sides of the paths. You can see how the path has failed over time with the large crack through the middle of the path.
Finally we had overnight temperatures in the low 40's last night which is rare for these parts in early June. Cloud cover tonight will lead to another warm night in the valley which will certainly help with turf conditions, yet speed up melting up in the hills. Only in Vail can you say 40 degree overnight temps are warm!

Watching the flow

2011-05-21T07:12:00.001-06:00

With the cooler weather this week, stream flows have dropped. Currently, Vail Mountain has close to 30 inches of snow water equivalent still sitting up top. The average this time of year since 1979 is close to 20 inches. We are just hoping it takes its time melting off.
Streams and rivers are measured in cubic feet per second. All bodies of moving water vary in size and flow. CFS readings are different for each body of water, for example, when the Gore is running at 1000 cfs, that is considered high. However, downstream in the Eagle River, 1000 cfs is a much calmer flow because the river is larger and can handle more water.
The USGS has a few detailed web pages on how rivers and streams are measured. It is an interesting process that interpretes data for all creek managers and those who use the creek for recreation.
This week the Gore almost reached 270 cfs and we noticed a rafting company taking a trial run. Unfortunately they did not make it too far. Today we are at 176 cfs and when the sun comes out, plan on that number jumping up significantly.
When the Gore reaches 350 cfs you will certainly start to notice more activity on the Gore. Mountainbuzz.com is a good website for kayakers and the local gauge from the USGS.

USGA Green Section Report

2011-05-20T12:35:00.000-06:00

Derf Soller is a Northwest Agronomist for the USGA. Formerly the Superintendent at Breckenridge Golf Club, Derf is quite familiar with mountain golf course maintenance. He has been on the prowl checking out courses as they emerge from the white stuff. Click here to read his latest update on courses that have been affected by the amount of snow this winter and critical tips on preparing the course for the summer.
Vail Golf Club has been able to aerify greens already, however aerifying tees and spiking fairways remain. We are looking forward to drier weather to accomplish these practices. We will most likely have to balance play and cultural practices.

Assistant's View: The New Kid

2011-05-19T16:06:00.000-06:00

It has been nearly a month since I have started my new position as an assistant superintendent to Mr. Steve Sarro at Vail Golf Club. Moving from Iowa in April, I was told that I would have two springs this year but had no idea that I would be watching snow fall towards the end of May. I think it is pretty cool but I am as excited to get this season in “full swing” as everyone else.

A few things I have experienced here include: training new staff, clearing greens of snow, sand bagging the Gore Creek, and how quickly the weather changes in a moment’s notice. Having most of my work experience in the Midwest, mountain golf course maintenance will be a new concept I am excited to learn. I am interested in the different types of plants and animals, climatic changes, agronomic principles, and the lack of turf pests and disease pressures.

So far, everyone I have met that works for Vail Recreation District (VRD) is very nice, supportive and up-holds a team player attitude. The VRD provides an excellent working environment and I look forward to becoming more involved in all aspects of the organization.

Hope to see you on the course soon,

Andy Unrau

Questions

2011-05-18T08:08:00.000-06:00

As a golf course superintendent I am used to questions. They come in every shape and form and from everyone, I mean everyone. Some questions are good, others not so much, but I deal with them. A large part of my job is education, I get it, you want to play and I need you to play, so I am glad to help whenever I can.

So what is going on out there?

Good Question! Lots actually. Let me preface this by saying that all of these projects are way overdue and are products of deferred maintenance. We are not only correcting safety issues on all of these projects and but we are setting a new standard for Vail Golf Club.

So let's start with the bridges. The bridges themselves are pretty close to being done. Some final tests need approval before allowing vehicular traffic. However getting on to them is another story. We are in high demand for dry weather for finish work and tying in the cart paths to the bridges. A few spots remain wet and soggy and the short term forecast is not looking favorable for workable conditions. Since you can't shape mud, we are making efforts to turn the soil to dry it out as much as possible. Let's touch base next week for more information.

To no surprise there is nothing easy with the 7th tee project. Squeezed in between homes and the Gore Creek, managing a large hill side for a patch of grass has been a challenge from the beginning. Engineered walls like no other on the property take a little time to have completed correctly. Here you see Ground Engineering performing a compaction test on the soil. Passing these tests are a must to build walls so we are not back here in a few years replacing them again. The weather has certainly set us back a bit. New moisture will prevent us from setting in stones for new walls. We have been working closely with Landscapes Unlimited to get these done as quick and as safe as possible. Now that we are making some good progress on these walls, I will begin to post more about them.
We also have finishing touches on a new lightning shelter near the 11th green, new cart path to replace on 11, a new potential net going up at the 5th tee, plenty of clean up and of course more sand bagging on the course.

When will these areas be open for play?

Bad Question! Time lines on all of these areas depend on weather right now and we are doing everything possible to speed up the process. We will however have some golf available real soon. Keep it here, our facebook page and http://www.vailgolfclub.net/ for the latest on course openings. Get busy with the sun dance!

Preparations

2011-05-18T06:28:00.000-06:00

Each spring, before the golf season begins, we prepare the greens for a grueling summer of more than 24,000 rounds of golf and all of the other environmental stresses of a golf season. If you have been paying any attention to this blog, you know how much thatch in the putting greens can be a problem. During the shoulder seasons we take advantage of the down time to get aggressive on removing thatch.
A few years ago I purchased some scarifying reels. They are deep vertical blades that help remove some of that organic matter in the soil profile. It is less invasive than pulling aerification cores and is easier with less labor to accomplish. In no way does scarifying replace core aerification, but it helps.
After pulling out some material, we run the aerifiers out on all the greens with solid tines to spike and vent the greens. Every 2 inches there is a 5/8" hole that allows the soil the breathe from a long cold hard winter.
We finally add sand topdressing and drag them into the holes. The sand has multiple benefits such as diluting thatch, creating a firmer surface, smoothing out the surface, helping ball marks and promoting growth. Once a part of the soil profile, the sand eases compaction rates from traffic, allows for better air, water and nutrient movement.
The recent weather has slowed us down with accomplishing all of these tasks, but we hope to finish this all be the end of the week. Keep your fingers crossed.

River Restoration

2011-05-15T07:48:00.001-06:00

As a member of the Eagle River Watershed Council I make a point to volunteer for many of their projects each year. More importantly I learn something new each time and meet some great people in this valley.

Yesterday a team of seven planted willow cuttings along the Eagle River in Edwards. Over the past couple of years, The Council has taken the lead with numerous sponsors and donors to restore eroded banks of the Eagle River.

Improvements include restoring river banks, creating boat ramps, assisting with the speed of flows in the creek and overall providing a better habitat for fish and riparian wildlife.

The banks in this area looked more like cliffs and the creek was getting wider from erosion. That type of destruction does not allow plants to thrive or create healthy waters for fish and boating. Plants help stabilize banks, shades water to prevent temperatures from getting to high and can also provide food and shelter for riparian critters.

Today, Thanks to B&B Excavating the banks are graded out and seeded. The Watershed Council has gathered willow cuttings and over the past few weeks have been propagating them into the river bank. Thousands of cuttings have been planted. Willows are excellent species for creek banks, they are very hardy plants that thrive on wet soils. The success rate of all these cuttings is about 70%.

The project is nearing completion. You can get a better look at everything that has been done or yet to be done in Edwards this coming week. Visit http://www.erwc.org/ to sign up for out River Float this Friday afternoon. River guides are from the US Women's and Men's White Water Rafting Teams!

As we develop our river restoration plan on the Gore through Vail Golf Club, I see us doing some of the same practices. It is a cheap and very effective way of restoring a natural habitat.

Pouring Concrete

2011-05-10T22:36:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, today was a productive day. Concrete was finally poured onto the new bridges on #11 and #17.

It will take a few days for the concrete to cure and be ready to access. This week we will be organizing cart path work to be completed to tie in the new bridges to the existing cart paths.

Before the end of the day, the concrete crew was putting on the finishing touches.

Springtime Rituals

2011-05-10T22:09:00.000-06:00

Springtime. The Masters, the crack of the bat, freshly cut grass, mint juleps and sand bagging. Today was a very productive day. Many projects on hand which included sand bagging along some older bridges, moving around some greens covers and plenty of clean up. The greens covers are to help increase soil temperatures and promote growth. The greens covered are 1,5,8,10,12 and 15. They are being covered for various issues such as shade, snow mold recovery or colder micro climates.
Sand bagging will continue in a few areas along the creek to prevent further scour.

Seve Ballesteros dies at age 54

2011-05-07T14:43:00.001-06:00

Seve Ballesteros dies at age 54 - Golf News - Golf News & Articles | Golf Channel

Rest in Peace and thanks for the memories.

Sand Bags for Snow

2011-05-07T08:12:00.001-06:00

It is sand bag season. After the winter we just had they will be used in various areas of the course.
The sand bags will be used to help protect older bridges, greens and player access. The Gore Creek can only handle so much and proved last year that it needs the golf course to take on supplemental water. This is another reason why golf courses benefit our local environments.
It is best for those in Vail (or any flood prone area)for the golf course to take on more water than risking further damage at other properties.

I have been asked what are the potential damages of flooding on the golf course. The turf can typically handle a few days submerged under water. Probably after week at this elevation the grass starts thinking of checking out. Fortunately most areas would dry out to a degree throughout the day when the creek would lower. However the most damaging parts of flooding are the silts and fines that are carried with these waters. They can plug up pores spaces in the soil that provide plants with oxygen. Silts and fines are difficult to clean and usually have to be washed and removed from the surface. Extreme amounts will require significant aerification and topdressing to help dilute the silt.
I have recently been viewing SNOTEL (USDA's division of Natural Resources Conservation Service) to forecast runoffs and snow depths in the areas.
Here are today's numbers in comparison of last year.
2011 holds about 10 more inches of snow water equivalent than 2010; 2011 has about 8 more inches of precipitation accumulation to date from last year; The average temperature is slightly higher this year (but this fluctuates the most). The snow depth is the largest difference and currently Vail Mountain has 22 more inches sitting on it than last year. Most of the mountain is still skiable.
All in all we could have all the sand bags in the county and we will not be able to keep up with this amount of moisture. The water table throughout the course gets so high that it will find a way to the surface. Unfortunately those surfaces tend to be around the 1st hole and the front nine. Overall, the back nine should be OK. But don't be surprised if the starter building is an island at some point this year.

Flow Fill

2011-05-05T11:49:00.001-06:00

Culvert repairs continued yesterday as we had flow fill installed. This slow form of concrete will help stabilize the eroding bank. It also keeps the pipe and the rock wall in place at the gate. We'll allow this to set for about a week and then bring in fill to to allow for plantings.

The next step in irrigation technologies

2011-05-05T06:29:00.000-06:00

Rain Bird has finally released a product to match up against their main competitor. Toro has had a lot of success with their soil sensors over the past few years and I know a few superintendents that really like them. Buried anywhere you irrigate on the golf course you can monitor soil moisture, temperature and salinity. Vail Golf Club is not the easiest site for wireless technology (see AT&T). But the research and comparisons will begin! The nice option with the new Rain Bird ISS is that it can "speak" with the Rain Bird Central Control System. There is a neat little video with the link that describes the "nuts and bolts" of the product.

Rain Bird ISS Integrated Sensor System

Culvert Repairs

2011-05-04T13:08:00.000-06:00

Over the past couple of seasons, the pond behind the first green has degraded in many ways. Currently we are researching ways to make improvements to the pond, but we are attacking the bigger issues before heavy run-off. There is a 24" culvert that transfers water underneath Vail Valley Dr. to the ponds on the 2nd & 8th holes. Last year with the flooding, the pipe was damaged and we are now making some much needed improvements.

Thanks to some help from the TOV Public Works department, we are in the process of repairing the culvert and restoring the bank. Water and silt management is a challenge; sand bags, heavy machinery and trash pumps are used to keep the area dry and exposed. The damaged pipe is removed and a new extension is added.

Finally the slide gate was attached to adjust the flow of water through the ponds. Today we are adding rock and flow fill to seal the area. Once completed, we will begin to back fill and commence bank stabilization efforts. Planting grass and willow shrubs will help with maintaining the bank, prevent further erosion, possible undercutting of the road and improve water quality by filtering road waste and preventing contaminants into the ponds.

Highway Clean Up

2011-05-04T07:41:00.000-06:00

Twelfth Annual Community Pride Highway Cleanup

Presented by Vail Resorts Echo

■Saturday, May 7th, 2011, from 9 AM- 12 PM
■Volunteer Thank You BBQ will be at the Broken Arrow at the base of Arrowhead Mountain
■Largest highway clean up in Colorado with over 121 miles cleaned
■Over 650 people volunteer
■Don't forget to attend the great, free, Volunteer Thank You BBQ
*** To sign up or take part in any Watershed Council Events call 970-827-5406 or visit http://www.erwc.org/***

The Eagle River Watershed Council and Vail Resorts Echo will host the 12th Annual Community Pride Highway Clean Up on Saturday, May 7, 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Volunteers are needed to remove trash in teams from the 121 miles of the valley’s main roads. In 2010, nearly 800 individuals collected more than 44,000 pounds of waste.

“There is a strong sense of camaraderie and accomplishment when everyone sees those orange bags along the road,” said Joe Macy, ERWC Board Emeritus. “It sounds corny, but it’s fun to be part of something so big and so badly needed.”

Volunteers will bag trash from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and join an after-party hosted by Vail Resorts Echo and the Arrowhead Alpine Club at Broken Arrow Restaurant. The after-party will include live music, beer and BBQ.

Volunteers are needed to assemble or join teams from Vail Pass and Red Cliff to Dotsero. Teams can request an assignment in a general area, but many teams “own” their section of the highway, having cleaned it for ten or more years. To receive a section of a highway, team leaders must sign up in advance.

“Volunteer teams are the heart of our success,” explains Sue Mott, the event’s volunteer coordinator. “They enlist friends, family and co-workers for their groups.”

The Community Pride Highway Clean Up is supported by presenting sponsor Vail Resorts Echo, as well as the El Pomar Foundation, The Eagle River Foundation, Slifer, Smith & Frampton, FirstBank, Loaded Joe’s Coffeehouse, Moe’s Original BBQ, Vail Rotary, Vail Honeywagon, Waste Management, CDOT, Eagle County, the towns of Vail, Eagle and Gypsum and our local media partners, the Vail Daily, TV 8, KZYR and NRC Broadcasting.

Assistant's View: Bringing on Staff

2011-05-02T08:45:00.001-06:00

It’s the first of the May and I have returned from Moab with more snow on the ground then when I left! After some great mountain biking and camping I’m ready to get the season started. The staff is hired and ready to work. Over the past month or two I’ve spent a fair amount of time going over applications and interviewing possible employees. Unfortunately, we only have three returning employees from the past season so I had many positions to fill. The new hires range from long time Vail residents to first year newbies to the valley looking to see how amazing this area can be in the summer. Our new and returning employees will start on Monday morning with training and retraining and getting acquainted with the shop. It’s our goal to create a team atmosphere and have everyone cross trained on several pieces of equipment. This all starts on the first day. We’ll spend some time getting to know one another. We will also go over every job assignment and piece of equipment in the shop. With the weather being uncooperative there will be plenty of time for in shop training. Looking ahead to later in the week the weather starts to look better and should be able to begin clean up after the long winter.

Justin Gompf
Assistant Superintendent

The Big Melt

2011-04-29T10:01:00.000-06:00

It has been about 2 months since we have cleared our first greens out here and the recovery and growth has been some of the best I have seen. The added moisture and few days of sun we have had in that amount of time has been very beneficial to the grass.
Posted here is a picture of the 12th green making a recovery of on pink snow mold that was discovered when cleared last month. Oxygen, sunlight and water are all the correct ingredients for growing grass.
Some greens have some bumpy spots due to the snow blower. Once the course is clear and accessible we will aerify, topdress and fertilize to get them into playing condition.
I would say we are approximately 40% clear, with more snow in the forecast for this weekend.
Next week's weather is looking very favorable with plenty of sunshine. I was just on the 5th fairway and recorded 3 feet of snow up there. The big melt is on.

Patience

2011-04-20T10:11:00.000-06:00

By this time next week I will have four rounds of golf on the year. You probably have had the sticks out yourself and maybe had a chance to play a round or two. If you are like me, I am sure you are ready to get out to Vail and play some golf in the coming weeks.
Well we all need a little more patience when it comes to golf around these parts. We have maintained a foot of snow over the last week on the course and there are no signs of that total dropping anytime soon. More snow in the forecast and the high temperatures are not looking to get out of the 40's over the next 5 days.
Throughout the area we are above averages in both snow pack and snow water equivalent. This is a good thing, you will never hear me complain about moisture in Vail.
We are riding a double edged sword as we approach spring. We are in need of the warm dry days to get on with summer and begin "growing in" this golf course again. However, as we experienced last year, too many of those warm days could bring a large run off again. No one wants to seeing flooding, destruction and golf course closures again.
As the mountain comes to a close this Sunday and the chairs stop moving, the pressure is on to get outside and onto summer events. Those who have been around here long enough are fortunate enough to get out of town for a bit and steal away a few summer days elsewhere.
Due to the early snows we had to shut down some projects prematurely and are anxious to getting back to them as soon as possible. A little patience is needed to allow conditions to improve so that we may begin getting the season in full swing.

Eagle River Watershed Council | Blog - What's Bugging Gore Creek?

2011-04-14T08:27:00.000-06:00

Eagle River Watershed Council Blog - What's Bugging Gore Creek?:
What's Bugging Gore Creek? Scientists are telling us that something is bugging Gore Creek. But actually, it's what is not bugging the creek that's the problem. Join ERWC to learn about problems in Gore Creek - signaled by the lack of a robust colony of bugs (macroinvertebrates) starting in the East Vail area. These bugs are food for the creek's fish. Do missing bugs mean missing fish? Do missing bugs mean that the creek is unhealthy?
Chris Maines from the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District will talk about what studies are telling us. Kirby Wynn, head of ERWC's Water Quality Program, will join Chris as they discuss possible causes for the problem - and the community partnership that's taking shape to help solve this mystery. A healthy Gore Creek is essential to the economy of Vail and of Eagle County. Public input is invited as we work together to develop a Water Quality Improvement Plan to cure Gore Creek.
When: Wednesday, April 20th, 5:30 p.m.
Where: The Bearfish Bar and Grill in Vail
So bug-out after work to the Bearfish for refreshments, cocktails, and some quality brain food!

Starting Up

2011-04-10T13:09:00.000-06:00

This past week we continued to clear greens 14,7 and 12. As usual, they look good and continue to be very soft. There has been some minor scaring on almost every green from the tractor this spring. It has certainly been an abnormal year with extremely soft conditions under the snow. None of it will cause significant damage. After spring aerification we will have some extra rolling before allowing play.
Also, this week, we have carefully been clearing snow from the #7 tee site as well as getting done with final inspections on the bridges. #11 north abutment had to be excavated again to check the welding plates from the base to the abutment. All is well and now we can focus on timing the concrete portion of the bridges.

This week's weather is looking favorable for melting. This past week we saw part of 11 fairway. Greens 8,9 & 10 will probably melt off by the end of this coming week. If not, we do plan to have all of the greens clear before tax day.
The lightning shelter behind 11 green is scheduled to begin finishing touches this coming week as. It will be nice to cross of projects as soon as possible.

A Great Season

2011-04-03T13:53:00.000-06:00

The nordic season comes to a close today. It was a good year. Lots of early snow and the track stayed great through out the year. Now as the days are getting longer and the melting increases areas of the golf course are starting to appear. Over the past few springs, local dust storms in the valley have carried dust to the course have helped increase the melting process by attracting more heat. For getting out on the golf course this can be a good thing, however when dust accelerates snow melt from the peaks, high run-off can happen earlier than normal and become treacherous to creek banks and floodplain areas.

Over the next few days we will be plowing paths and removing signage from the track. Contractors will be on-site next week to start the 7th tee project and finish the lightning shelter near the 11th green. Next we will be cleaning up around the bridges and putting the finishing touches on them as well.

As for the month of March, we nearly matched the snowfall for February with 50 inches. March beat January by 5 inches. We received a total of 2.61 inches of moisture. However, much of that is beginning to melt or evaporate into the atmosphere. The average high temperature for March was 40 degrees and the average low was 16.5 degrees. We received three days in the middle of March of 55 degree days and we bottomed out at 1 degree towards the beginning of the month.

Opening Day

2011-04-01T05:39:00.000-06:00

Opening Day is upon us. Certainly the start of baseball is another reminder that the golf season is around the corner in the Vail Valley. Denver is certainly a much different environment for baseball these days than Vail. The Front Range has experienced some abnormally dry days recently as the ski season in the high country is coming to an end (plenty of spring days left though).

The Rockies are looking good again, the Red Sox (yeah!) seem to be the favorite by many MLB experts. But the Phillies certainly made some nice acquisitions in the off season. Visit the blog and vote for your pick to win the World Series this year! How many baseball fans do we have out there.

Blah

2011-03-30T08:04:00.000-06:00

The weather is turning cold and gray again. We received 17 inches of snow over the past two days and made for some great skiing. The weather this week has put a halt to greens clearing. We are hoping for some more sun on Friday.

Meanwhile we are continuing to groom the nordic track for the last week of the season. Yesterday we began plowing some of the paths on the course so we could get to the greens easier. We will also be plowing to the 7th tee area to pick up where we left off in the fall.

Pictured here is the latest total snowfall. With all of the sun yesterday, the new snow began melting right away. When the snow melts during the early spring, the snow tends to settle quickly. 17 inches can turn into only a couple of inches fast.

The second picture is our weather monitoring station for the National Weather Service. On the left is the measuring stick for total snowfall. In the middle, between the two stakes is a plate that measures each snowfall. It is similar to a cafeteria tray that we measure each snow fall from. One we take the measurement, we wipe it clean. On the right is the measuring can. This is used to measure the moisture from each snowfall. We swap out the can each day and let the snow melt to measure the moisture. In the summer it collects rain.

These items are checked each day at 7am, 365 days a year.

Preview Homestake Creek project

2011-03-22T22:00:00.000-06:00

The April Water Wise Wednesday is put on by the US Forest Service and the Eagle River Watershed Council. This is more of a "hands-on" seminar as we'll take a hike up along Homestake Creek to preview sites for new campgrounds that are less invasive on the creek. Plan on a one hour hike. Click the link for more details.
Preview Homestake Creek project VailDaily.com

Preparation

2011-03-18T07:02:00.000-06:00

While the weather turns to more snowfall, it is a great time to continue preventative maintenance on turf equipment. Here is one of our greensmowers a Toro 3250D. This triplex mower is 11 years old, but you wouldn't know it. Gutting the machine, replacing hydraulic lines, bearings and tires to increase the performance of the unit are important.
Kirk, our equipment manager does a fantastic job keeping this equipment prepared for the golf season. The cutting reels are sharp and set up at conservative height to begin the season.

As for course conditions, last night we had several inches fall, covering the cleared greens once again. At this point of the year, one full day of sunshine and any new snow will be gone by day's end. The greens that have been cleared are 2,3,4,15,16,17 & 18. Greens 5,6 & 14 are next, with the 1st green and the practice greens to follow. All of the greens along the frontage road, (aka "the sun belt") are melting away quicker and will be much easier to clear in the coming days. We can usually clear 3 or 4 of them a day by the end of the month.

Seeing More Of The Green

2011-03-17T07:57:00.000-06:00

So far we have 7 of 20 greens cleared for the season. Things are looking great overall, some snowmold has developed with the early snowfall, but no ice damage. The weather has been warm lately and over the past week we have lost almost a foot of snow depth. More snow and cooler weather is in the forecast. Most likely we will continue clearing next week when the weather turns better.

Happy St. Patricks Day to you all.

5 Years Ago

2011-03-14T07:14:00.000-06:00

Five years ago today, 26 turfgrass professionals and students joined me from the Rocky Mountain region in New Orleans to help local golf courses and superintendents rebound from the devastating hurricanes of Katrina and Rita.

Upon our arrival to the Crescent City, it was hard to imagine what life was like for the people of this area.

Lives were turned upside down.

Peter Carew, Superintendent for the City of New Orleans braved the storm that his home city witnessed. He was determined to bring the two city golf courses back to life. Today, Carew is still in New Orleans. He recently opened the Joe Bartholomew Golf Course that had been shut down from the storms. The course was buried by almost 10 feet of water.

Providing the residents of New Orleans a place to forget about life for a while was the greatest feeling and the most eye-opening experience of my career.

Today, I can only hope the people of Japan and all those affected by the horrific events can find their "golf course" sooner than later.

Text Book

2011-03-11T13:45:00.001-07:00

The past two days have certainly been favorable to clear greens. The 15th and 16th are now clear and they look really good. However, we have found a couple of text book examples of snow mold. Looking at the mycelium in this picture is one for all turf geeks. There were a handful of them on the 16th green.

The forms of snowmold we are finding are not lethal to the plant. They may slow the development of the plant in spring, but with the snow removed, the healing process will begin. A light fungicide application is made to the greens to prevent the spread of the disease from future snow falls.

Rules of Golf - Seminars - Colorado Golf Association

2011-03-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

For all you rules geeks out there, here is a seminar just for you. This highly educational program is perfect for competitive golfers. Click on the link for more information and to register.

Rules of Golf - Seminars - Colorado Golf Association

Keeping It Local

2011-03-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

While we are still in tax season I wanted to mention a couple of organizations that I have been involved with professionally that benefit Vail Golf Club and the local community.

The first organization is the Eagle River Watershed Council. I have been active with this group for over a year now and have really enjoyed learning everything they do for the local watershed. Local golf courses have started to become more involved in this group lately with a Water Wise Wednesday presentation last year and currently we are looking at starting a golf/fish challenge fundraising event slated to happen this fall.
The mission of the Eagle River Watershed Council advocates for the health and conservation of the Upper Colorado and Eagle River basins through research, education, and projects. They provide a forum where everyone can gain a greater understanding of the Eagle River environment. Said another way, the mission is "Preserving our quality of life by protecting the Eagle and Colorado Rivers in Eagle County." Visit http://www.erwc.org/ to learn more about the educational outlets, yearly projects, fundraising events and opportunities.

The second group I am involved with is more focused on golf in particular. The Golf Foundation of Colorado is a philanthropic arm of the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association.

Started by Colorado golf course superintendents, the foundation unities people to support golf and enhance the environment where the game is played. Its purpose is to raise monies for the support of education and research in turfgrass and related golf course amenities, scholarships for individuals pursuing or interested in a career in golf course management or other academic fields, for charitable and philanthropic activities that support golf course management professionals and their families, and for other non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations. Click here to learn more about the Golf Foundation of Colorado.

4 Green

2011-03-02T18:30:00.001-07:00

We were a bit skeptical about the weather this morning but it remained clear and sunny enough to clear another green. Today we attacked the 4th green. Again, lots of snow, no disease activity and no ice damage. Here is a short video on the process of clearing a green.

3 Green

2011-03-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today we continued with clearing the 3rd green. Another beautiful day in Vail with no clouds and lots of sun.
This green had slightly more snow and of course is larger than the 2nd green. Pictured here is Stephanie Bibbens, our new second assistant. Her first day on the new job, welcome aboard.

Kirk, our equipment manager helped out especially when the blower went down just before lunch. After some minor repairs the blower was back in order and we had the green completely clear by 1.30pm.

The green looks great, pretty clean and little to no disease activity and no ice damage.

2 Green

2011-02-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a long winter, but as Tony mentioned this morning, "Today is the first day of summer". As the calendar begins to turn to March, it has been a ritual to begin clearing the greens at Vail Golf Club. People all over ask when we begin to see the poa putting surfaces.
Well today was the day. We were a little skeptical on what we would find, but to no real surprise, all is well.

To back up for a minute, about two weeks ago we began packing in trails to a few greens with our snow cat. This firms up the trail enough to drive the John Deere tractor to the green safely. The plow of the cat is used to push snow and get down to grass level. This way the snow blower can begin to blaze a trail through the green. After about four hours of chopping, blowing and shoveling we are left with this.

Pretty good for 160 total inches that have fallen on the golf course this winter. You are seeing some left over sand from fall topdressing and a few patches of some early stages of snow mold. The problem in turf with early snow falls, especially with poa annua greens, is that they don't have a chance to harden off for the winter.

When the plant does not have the opportunity to harden off and "prepare" for winter, the disease pressure is greater. This is just dealing with Mother Nature. However, we have 2 1/2 months before the golf season starts. A little sun and oxygen and these greens will be right back to their old self.

February By The Numbers

2011-02-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

February was a cold month where the average high was 26 degrees Fahrenheit and the average low was 7 degrees. We began the month with lows of -22 and -23 respectfully. I heard somewhere that temperatures that low for three consecutive days could wipe out pine beetles. I would think two days would be troublesome enough.

Today we began clearing greens and the picture above gives you a good idea of exactly how much snow has fallen in Vail for the season. For the month of February, we have received 52 inches which amounted to 1.95 inches of moisture.

Flogton

2011-02-24T12:23:00.006-07:00

What? Ever hear of it? Flogton (Not Golf, spelled backwards). It's a new sort of "grass roots" way of making the game of golf more attractive to newbies. I applaud the fact that people are trying to keep the game of golf alive. Sure people will object to the idea of it, but if more people are having fun being on a golf course and tee sheets are filling up, does it make sense?

More and more golf courses are closing (even in Colorado) these days and it is more of a challenge than ever for golf managers to come up with ideas to bring in revenue just to stay in the game.

Like it or not, in reality, most of this has already been done, it just isn't accepted in most circles.

Click here to view the Wall St. Journal article about this slightly new way of playing golf.

5 Days

2011-02-23T07:17:00.002-07:00

5 Days until we clear greens, we hope. We need a clear sunny day like the past few days. The sun and warmer temperature helps soften the snow and make it easier to clear. Any cloudy or cooler day increases the potential for us to create ice, which in our case would be a bad thing.

Yesterday we received a little help from the town. We started to get a little tight here at the shop. They were able to help us clear out some space for more snow storage.

Imagine using a machine like this to clear our greens?

In Good Company

2011-02-22T20:22:00.007-07:00

According to Colorado Avid Golfer Magazine's recent readers poll, Vail Golf Club finished tied for third place as the best public course on the Western Slope. Vail Golf Club now sits as the top public spot in the Vail Valley. It is the highest ranking Vail Golf Club has ever received in this category from Colorado Avid Golfer.

Thanks to all of those who voted for us.

Each course deserves their ranking this year. Click here to check out where your other favorite courses ranked in 2010 in the Spring issue of Avid Golfer. The best private course rankings may surprise you this year, but not me!

The Burning Question...

2011-02-15T07:20:00.004-07:00

... around here is when do we start clearing greens. Well let's just say we are not really excited to start clearing this year. But it's the drill, we like to think of it as our "groundhog day".

With almost three feet of snow blanketing the course, it is hard to imagine that we will be playing golf soon (as in a few months).

Clearing greens helps prevent ice damage on poa annua putting surfaces. It also helps with lessening snow mold pressure. We only clear on bright sunny days to help us remove an ice layer if one is found.

Maybe not so hard to believe, but those greens have been under cover for 90 days now and we are getting close to find out what is going on under there.

So we will begin clearing off snow beginning Monday, February 28th.

Trade Show

2011-02-12T05:55:00.002-07:00

The Golf Industry Show (GIS) Trade Show has certainly gotten smaller over the years but there is still plenty out there to see. It is neat to see new products such as the Rainbird 751 rotor which can rotate part to full circle.
Present are the equipment manufacturers and distributors for both new and used. This large rough mower is a four year old unit and still costs more than most vehicles on the road.
The next picture is from a sprayer supply company that offers covered booms to prevent drift from winds while spraying.
These days they have iPhone applications for almost anything to help golfers through their rounds, from distance finders to order food at the turn. Vendors at the show have pink cups, skin cancer screenings, GPS units for golf carts, netting companies, erosion control suppliers, the latest technology in organic fertilizer and even fertilizer derived from seaweed.
Pictured last is a synthetic turf that I have been dreaming of for the back of the Vail Golf Course Driving range.

GIS: Orlando

2011-02-10T08:08:00.005-07:00

The Golf Industry Show is in Orlando this year. Unlike the PGA show, this one travels each year. About every three years we are in Central Florida. The weather has been back and forth but no snow!

This GIS is comprised of golf superintendents, builders and architects.

I started the week visiting a couple of golf courses (with clubs) and checking out the local scenery. First was Falcon's Fire, a public facility which is managed by the Marriott. They took it over a couple of years ago and have made some nice changes to the course. The greens are fairly new Tiff-Eagle Bermuda and ryegrass covered the rest of the property. This course, like most in Florida, overseed during the fall to cool season grasses so the "snow-birds" have a lush playing surface. The winter months are usually where these courses do 90% of their business.

By the end of spring the dormant bermudagrass will begin to emerge and the ryegrass will die off since it just won't be able to prosper under the severe growing conditions by that time.
Playing golf with other superintendents and industry professionals can be just as educational as any class room setting. It is a great opportunity to share ideas and "bounce" things off one another and observe how other superintendents present the golf course.
Tuesday, we greeted the sunrise at Grande Lakes, Ritz Carlton. Beautiful property and managed meticulously. I found it funny that they did less rounds than Vail Golf Club did last year!
As you can see here, I had some troubles during the round, but I managed a bogey on the 18th here.

Some pretty neat touches around the course. As the sun broke I noticed this painted approach at the chipping green. The Ritz overseeds everything, even their greens. It is common for top courses to overseed greens with a variety of short-cut bluegrass, poa trivialis. They were very smooth and consistent. I was most glad to see this property place tee markers in the fairways for new or higher handicap golfers. It is nice to see more and more golf courses embrace the fact that they want happy customers at the end of the round.

Wednesday I spent all day walking the trade show. The show floor has gotten smaller over the years, but there were plenty of educational opportunities. I am just getting ready to head back to the floor right now and will post more information about the show.

The Nordic Series: The Staff

2011-02-03T21:49:00.004-07:00

Here is your nordic maintenance staff. From left to right, Kirk, Tony, Justin and Steve. We are here every day grooming the track and snowshoe course each day for guests and locals in Vail to enjoy. Mark from VRD Sports and Scott, VRD Facilities Manager helps out in times of need through the season.

The Nordic facility has come a long way over the years, combined we have 30 years of grooming and maintenance experience with cross country tracks. We'll put our track up against any in the state. Oh yeah, we grow grass too!

January By The Numbers

2011-02-01T10:56:00.002-07:00

January 2011 was a cold and wet month, with a few warm, spring-like days. The average high temperature was 24 degrees topping off at 36 degrees on the 18th and 30th of the month. The average low was 7 degrees, bottoming out at -15 on New Year's Day.
Plenty of snow with a total of 45inches equating to 2.22 inches of water, which isn't bad as long as Mother Nature takes her time melting this spring.
The other day the Vail Daily had a great article about what local water officials are saying about this year's snow fall. Click Here to read.

The Nordic Series: Classic Skiing

2011-01-29T08:04:00.002-07:00

Classic skiing is a great workout for the entire body. The bottom of the skis have diamond cut grooves to help grip the snow. It works best when you keep your skis in the grooves or pans provided and shown below.
Move your body in a running fashion and keep your balance in the pans. The past few days have been great for cross-country skiing with plenty of warm sunshine. The track remains to be in great shape with more snow on the way.

Don Donofrio

2011-01-28T08:39:00.005-07:00

Some sad news came across today. Long time employee of Vail Golf Club, Don Donofrio passed yesterday. Don lost the battle with ALS.
Don was not only a great employee, he was a good friend. He worked out of the pro shop cleaning clubs, marshaling the course and sometime starting groups at the first tee.
Don always had a smile and greeted guests and longtime locals at the golf course as great friends.
I always enjoyed talking baseball with Don, he was my favorite Yankee fan. He will be sincerely missed.

The Nordic Series: The Snowcat, Part 2

2011-01-12T07:53:00.006-07:00

This post I want to discuss the plows and the pans of the snowcat. They are both critical parts of grooming to provide a quality track. Let's start with the pans.

The pans (above) are set for classic cross country skiing. During classic skiing, the skis grip the snow as you move in a similar fashion to running. The grooves help keep the skier balanced. It is important to keep these pans as straight and smooth as possible. Due to the length of the skis, sharp turns especially on hills can be quite difficult to maneuver. Classic skiing is usually the place to start for cross country skiing. We see a lot of "first-timers" out there classic skiing.

The pans can also be used during races for any type skier. We usually set a number of pans for our events at the starting line.

The plow in the front of the snowcat certainly helps moving snow and leveling out the track. Often times when the wind is blowing, we use the plow to manage the drifts. The wings of the plow help carve out the snow required. The plow can used to move snow onto thin areas of the track. The plow can also be used to scratch up a hard/icy track so the snow can be processed through the tiller easier.

The wings of the plow can be helpful with the edges of the ski trail.

Nordic Update

2011-01-11T11:59:00.003-07:00

The Gas line is complete and the nordic track is back to normal. The supplemental line was installed back in the original trench. There is a little bit of cleanup that will be done after the snow melts away in the springtime.

On another note, It is hard to think about golf while the snow continues to pile up around here. However, it is always nice to be reminded of how the game of golf can be cool. I was forwarded this link to a cool video from the European Tour. Click here to view.

Gas Line Update

2011-01-05T07:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was an eventful one for the gas line install. As a reminder, this is a supplemental line that goes through the golf course. It feeds homes on Sunburst Dr from the Frontage Rd. The easement leads from the intersection of the 12th tee and the Frontage Rd, along the utility path between the 11th and 16th greens, under 17 bridge and off to the neighborhood.
They are replacing the entire line due to a failed valve and a pressure overload on the line before the new bridge on 17 was installed. Once the bridge with a new line was complete the gas company has been working on replacing the line from the bridge back to the Frontage Rd.
Here you see they have discovered the old 4" HDPE line after three days of thawing the ground. They removed the old line and installed a new identical line. The next picture, is a pressure test being performed on the new line. Let's say conditions are not ideal for these guys, but they are making way.
Due to another cold front coming our way this weekend the new plan is the install the entire line and have everything completed by Saturday afternoon. The gas company rented another thaw machine for the remainder of the line. Friday they plan to be here and install the rest of the line and be off site by the weekend.
As you might have guessed, yes this does interfere with the nordic track. The snow shoe course is unaffected.
For the safety of the skiers the nordic track has been routed closer to the 11th and 16th greens and over the easment that has already been replaced. This is a temporary fix and the normal track will re-open when the work is complete. The trail is clearly marked.

Interns

2011-01-04T12:56:00.004-07:00

Andrew Evans completed an internship for the 2010 season and he did a fantastic job. He graduated Iowa State University in December and has a bright future ahead of him in turf management.

I was forwarded this blog post from Dr. Nick Christians at the University about his experiences here in Vail. There are some gret pictures to... Click here to view the post.

2010 Review

2011-01-01T12:00:00.006-07:00

Another year gone by. Not a bad one at all. A warm year, lots of golf, very little weather delays and rounds were good. 2010 brought a decent amount of spring snow, sustained high temperatures, flooding, drought conditions and somewhat early snow.

This year we finished up the pumphpouse landscaping, new cart path in areas, new tees on 4 & 8 and we now have a final master plan. This year we also began perfecting the irrigation system, tore into the 7th tee, built two new bridges and a new weather shelter.

The weather numbers for the year are as follows:

warmest month: average high, July 74.9, highest temperature: July 18th at 85 degrees; coolest month: average low, January 6 degrees; lowest temperature: January 8th, -13 degrees. At the golf course we measured 26.43" of moisture with 197.75" of snowfall for the calendar year.

2011 is looking real good right now. We'll start the year with better knowledge of the new irrigation system, finishing touches on the bridges, #7 tee and the weather shelters. The master plan is beginning to open the door to possible new projects on the horizon.

Thanks to the great staff here in the Vail Golf Maintenance Department, especially to Equipment Manager, Kirk Hower; Assistant Superintendent, Justin Gompf; Second Assistant Superintendent, Tony Giroux and a special thanks to VRD Facilities Manager, Scott O'Connell for making us look better.

Happy New Year!

The Nordic Series: The Snowcat, Part 1

2010-12-29T13:15:00.006-07:00

The Vail Recreation District purchased a new Prinoth Husky Snowcat a couple of seasons ago to keep up with the growing sport of nordic skiing here at the Vail Golf Club. As a golf course superintendent in this town, I am always asked what I do in the winter. I reply with "only working 40 hours a week".

Let me explain a few things about how a nordic track is maintained. First off, there are four of us through the winter months that groom and maintain the track daily. We also maintain a packed snowshoe course and some plowing. Much like golf, there are no holidays for nordic skiing, so there is someone on hand everyday for the entire day.

Below is the tiller or the cutter bar. The cutter bar is in the rear of the snowcat just before the corduroy mat, that tills up any snow and evens out the surface. It is crucial that the operator knows the course and how to manage the tiller at all times. During low snow periods, there could be rock or cart path that needs to be avoided. If there have been a number of days with no snow, the tiller helps to soften the surface slightly to allow skiers to catch their edge. When the snow piles up, the tiller helps pack the snow down and keep it in place. If the tiller is not set correctly for each condition it can severely impact the life of the track.

Visibility can be difficult when trying to understand what the snow looks like after it has been processed through the tiller. Having the mirrors set correctly, quickly helps grooming for the day. They help you see how much snow is gathering in the tiller, how fast the tiller speed is, what condition the pans leave behind, and that one skier who is riding your tail.

The steering wheel is the "bread and butter" of the operation. Conveniently you can make all the necessary changes you need right in front of you. The four push buttons on the top left help direct the entire rear attachment. The positions are center, left, right and float. Float is most commonly used to react to turns. The four green and black buttons operate the tiller and the pans. From left to right; turns the tiller on/off, sets the depth of the cutter bar, raise/lower the left pan, raise/lower the right pan.

The two knobs on the bottom left of the wheel determine tiller turning speed and the speed of the entire unit. The bottom push button operates the windshield wipers and in the background above the wheel is the light console to inform you of what is happening and what might be wrong (ex. low oil, pressure, etc)

This is your main switch board. The joy stick operates the plow in front of the cat, there are pressure, fuel and rpm gauges. Finally, there are numerous switches to help with the cutter bar, defrost to keep windows clear, parking brakes, exterior lights, heat, wipers, and of course the radio.

In part 2, I will discuss more about the pans, plow and other features of the snow cat. The series will also discuss course markings, types of skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, safety and other maintenance equipment.

There is still time

2010-12-28T16:23:00.002-07:00

You have until January 5th to vote for your favorite golf courses in the state of Colorado. Click here for the link to vote Vail Golf Club as your favorite golfing destination.

Golf Heals

2010-12-23T14:03:00.003-07:00

This link was sent to me today. Click here to view a great story out of Tacoma, WA. You my have seen it before. It could be one of the Golden Bear's best piece of work. All the best to a safe and happy holiday season.

Winter

2010-12-22T08:45:00.006-07:00

Beginning today the days are getting longer! I always look forward to that. Makes for a longer ski day as well. Snow conditions haven't been better at the Nordic Center and we are off to our best start ever. Lots of early skiing and the entire track has been open for well over a month now.

Looking forward to some more storms over the holiday weeks.

To date our project are just about complete with only the gas line installation still on. After the new year we will work with XCel to continue with finishing their supplemental line through the course. I would guess they have 500 yards left to install, which would take about 2-3 weeks to install. Thawing the ground takes up most of that time.

Enjoy the holiday season, stay tuned for my "All Things Nordic" segment where I will begin to post the making of a Nordic track and snowshoe trails.

Joe B. Is Coming Back

2010-12-16T11:56:00.003-07:00

No, New Orleans is not known for its golf. However, just like you, there are many people in that great city that love the sport just as much as you do.

This picture was taken by yours truly almost 5 years ago. If my memory serves my right, this was the first tee. There were no signs at the time of this golf course ever being played again. Thanks to the dedicated people of New Orleans, there is one more golf course set to open.

Click on the title of this post for a great article in the Wall St. Journal on the Joe Bartholomew Golf Course in New Orleans.

Bridge and Gas Line Update

2010-12-15T14:20:00.004-07:00

The seventeenth bridge is coming along nicely and will be complete and ready for winter foot traffic for the weekend. You can see here, metal plates are being installed to keep the wood railings into place.

Excel energy started digging yesterday to install their new gas line. The goal is to replace the old line with the new line in the exact location.

The 4 inch line was fused onto the pipe from the bridge and about the first 50 feet was dug and installed yesterday. The trench was back filled by the end of the day so it would not freeze.

Thaw blankets have been installed for another 125 feet and the ground will be ready on Friday to continue the installation on the access road between 11 & 16 greens.

By the weekend, the 17th bridge will be safely accessible for all users. After the work on Friday is complete, the installation process will not pick up again until after the holidays. Which is fine with us, because the nordic activities are the busiest and there will be no interruptions through the season.

The Final Touches on 11 Bridge

2010-12-11T20:50:00.003-07:00

Today was the fun part. Plowing snow onto a perfectly good bridge. Mother Nature helped a bit, but we have spent the last few days moving snow with the front end loader from another site to the bridge. Due to the size of the bridge, we needed a lot of snow. The bridge is 15 feet wide and spans 44 feet in length.
Justin and Tony spent part of the morning getting the bridge into shape for skiers. By the end of the weekend it will be officially open.
Until the 17th bridge is operational, the 11th bridge will be used for skiers and foot traffic. Please obey signs. Keep it here for the completion of 17 bridge. Thanks to all of you for your patience and understanding.

2010-12-07T16:56:00.002-07:00

So we are now embarking on our largest utility improvement project on the golf course. There are many utilities throughout the property including a power, phone, cable, high pressure gas and domestic (low pressure) gas. This next project is in response to a failed valve that caused an minor explosion to the domestic line prior to the 17th bridge excavation. The 4 inch line will be replaced starting this week. The first step is to thaw the ground. Today Xcel has installed a heating machine so that they can begin to dig on Friday.

They are installing the HDPE pipe all the way from the bridge to the frontage road, where it meets the high pressure line. This is a supplemental line for homes and part of Vail Village mostly used in the winter when the demand is greater.

They can thaw about 100 feet at a time. So it will be a slow process, but once they are complete, we can begin to open the area for winter activities.

The 17th bridge final preparations can be mostly accomplished from the south side of the creek, so they would not interfere with the gas company.