Maintenance Memoirs
Maintenance
Memoirs
Phil Hopper G.C.S.
Davison Country Club: Entry #006
Now that we have had our first Men's and Women's Invitationals, as well as the Senior Club Championship, we are well into year 1 of the new ownership and management staff, and I couldn’t be more proud to be part of it. It was great to see everyone come together to achieve the same goal, and that was making you (the membership) proud of your club.
The heat and humidity do many things to a turf plant and the soil it's growing in. All of you have noticed the isolated dry spots on collars and tees. This weather will show you in a short time the problems with irrigation heads not turning or not coming on at all. It also tells you much about the amount of thatch there is between the plant and the soil and the ability of water to make it through the thatch and hydrate the soil. We have two problems at DCC that are being addressed. There is too much thatch, over one inch, this creates an issue of the roots of the plant residing in the thatch itself and not in the soil as it should. When the thatch dries out in this heat it doesn’t take long for both the plant and its roots to dry. This is what is causing the problems we have with the collars. Problem number two is the clay soils the course was built on. Clay compacts easy, is hard to keep adequate moisture in, and if baked by the sun turns into a brick.
Cultivation is the word that we will use to combat both problems. Thatch can be harvested with verticutting greens and collars. The grooves created by the harvest provide alley ways for topdress sand to settle in the thatch profile and dilute the thatch layer allowing for a firm, smooth surface. Aerification is the other mode of cultivation that does help with the reduction of thatch and open the soil for water, air, and nutrients. This provides an avenue for healthy roots to grow down through the thatch and into the soil where they belong. Chemically, we are using wetting agents to increase the viscosity of water to penetrate plant material and dry soils and allow moisture to do its job.
There's still much to do in the upcoming weeks. The irrigation upgrade has started. The club will have 13 new and updated field satellites, along with a new main computer system to operate it. This upgrade ensures DCC will have the latest irrigation technology for the foreseeable future. The pumphouse updates should begin near the end of the growing season when we won't need to rely on the pumpstation as much as we do now.
I also will be getting a plan together for landscaping at the clubhouse, 4 champ. Tee area, and behind 16 green. We will be looking at simple but elegant perennials and fescue grasses to enhance these areas throughout the growing season with a goal to keep landscape maintenance to a minimum.
Once again my door is always open.
Take care and talk soon,
Phil
Phil Hopper G.C.S.
Davison Country Club: Entry #005
As we move into our first holiday weekend at DCC, I would like to point out the American flags that will be on the flagsticks. I have placed event stakes near every pin placement. They are red in color and will have a small flag near them so everyone can see the location. Event stakes are flagstick holders meant to keep our nation's flag off the ground. I would ask all who golf to respect our flag and the 250th anniversary of our country as the flags will be out for all national holidays moving forward.
Now that the bridges are in the maintenance department, we'll go back to finish renovating the remaining bunkers needing work. We are also bringing in topsoil and sod to level and repair all of the damage done by heavy equipment this spring. Flowers and landscape materials will begin to be planted throughout the property, and all trees that are too low to both mow and maintain and hit from under will be raised, taken care of, and cleaned up. In the next 2 weeks the course will be fertilized wall to wall in preparation for events during our busy part of the season. There will be a lot going on.
Lastly I would like to speak about the dog walking on the course property. This is prohibited. I have had the chance to catch up to a few people and so far everyone has understood why it cannot be done. What we do not want are people walking through members playing golf and getting hurt. The course is liable for any injury, and membership to the club is for golf and dining purposes only. I will continue to catch up with those I see walking through the property. It will be a friendly and educational conversation.
Once again my door is always open. We are working hard to give you a property to be proud of and enjoy.
Take care and talk soon,
Phil
Phil Hopper G.C.S.
Davison Country Club: Entry #004
This month's entry, unfortunately, is going to be much shorter than I would like, and as I write this it’s raining or snowing again. First and foremost the course will be closed until the waters recede or it stops precipitating. The weather is not what any of us want or wished for, but there is plenty to keep us busy. These are the highlights along with some wishful thinking at the end.
All the mowers are sharp and ready. We have already cut and rolled greens three times. The next step will be to lower the mowing height after a spring verticut and topdress. I am also planning on a spring aerification of the greens. This is now ‘a must’ with the massive amount of flooding as 8 green is completely submerged. The creek carries silt and clay which will now rest on the turf surface. If allowed to stay in place and harden, silt and clay stop the acceptance of water and nutrients to the turf roots. Only through cultivation will the turf be at its healthiest when dealing with a golf property in a flood plain. I will do my best to limit its effect on course playability by scheduling these events on Mondays (as the course is closed), and only on those days.
The new tee blocks have been delivered, and we are now in the process of painting them. I believe you will like the updated look. Make sure to stop by and see your new cart barn. It is really taking shape! Trusses will be up by Wednesday. After that it will not take long to finish and the fleet of carts will have a home. If there is one thing a Michigan spring will teach us, it is patience. I’m fortunate that only the color of my hair has changed from red to white dealing with our state's weather.
We will do what we can to get you golfing as soon as the weather cooperates. My door is always open.
Take care and talk soon,
Phil
Phil Hopper G.C.S.
Davison Country Club: Entry #003
I had the pleasure of sitting in on the men's planning board meeting this month. It was a very constructive meeting with two outcomes I think the membership will find helpful going forward. One is the membership having more time to enjoy their membership as members. Filling divots, purchasing divot mix and seed are my responsibility. I want you as members to come golf, eat, and enjoy your club most of all. However, within that discussion the idea of keeping a clean up day amongst the membership was of interest. Therefore, I will keep you informed of the date as it is a great way to see what has been done to the course while making a final sweep in preparation. Updates will be on the website so keep an eye out for the date. The second topic involved more specific ways to use the planning board’s funds to beautify the property other than with items used for everyday turf maintenance. The sky is the limit here. I can't wait to see your options.
Bridge replacement season has started. The bridge on 11 has been removed. The bridge on 12 is being removed Thursday and both bridges will be replaced on Friday this week. These bridges are being made with Pure Metal Works in Vassar, Mi. Moving forward with course updates and renovations you will realize that using local businesses is important to us as a company. We have everything we need here at home.
The decking for the new bridges will be coming from the logs cut from the course this winter. Nelson Wood Products in Lapeer is currently running the logs through the sawmill to make the decking. Thanks to Greg Mischel for the idea and hauling the logs to the mill for processing. Weather permitting, both bridges will be done by day’s end on Friday.
I have included photos of what's been going on since we last spoke. There is also a photo of your new course flags for this season. I hope you like them. We are getting closer by the day to begin our golf season. We cannot wait either!
Take care and talk soon,
Phil
Phil Hopper G.C.S.
Davison Country Club: Entry #002
This month's focus has been on tree removal. Our first forestry crew dropped trees between number 3 and 5 fairway. This will add the sunlight needed to establish grass in that area. They also spent time in the area between 3 green and 4 tees. This area was thinned to increase sunlight to the championship tee on 4 and once again open areas up to the establishment of quality turf that no longer will compete with tree roots. All of these trees were shipped to a lumber mill for the creation of linear lumber and in some cases vanier.
A second tree crew begins this coming Monday and will be on campus for the week. The smaller trees will be dropped around the course to open areas and clean areas up. This crew will be mulching everything up and removing the logs. They will also be grinding any stumps remaining on the golf course. Once this is all completed, a plan will be put together to sod all stump areas and landscape materials will be ordered to add color and style to the hillside of 4 tees and the surrounding areas.
The grinding room is finished, and the grinders are on the way. The arrival of these implements will be just in time to have everything sharp and ready for spring. I have also secured new demo equipment from Toro for a spring aerification and topdress. This will be done as soon as the frost is out of the ground and before the course opens. Aerification will be done every spring and fall from here on out and is the first and last thing done to the greens annually to ensure a true, fast putting surface.
I will keep everyone informed as new decisions are made. As always, my door is always open.
Take care and talk soon,
Phil
