Covers Removed - Course Update

As of yesterday, all greens covers have been removed from the course and everything is healthy.  We cut #1 North green and will be putting first cuts on everything else over the next week.  The staff here have done an outstanding job already getting the course cleaned up and things are almost ready.  The weather, although wet, is starting to cooperate and the frost is coming out of the ground. Currently I'm targeting to have the courses open by April 10th. Please stay tuned for updates and follow @wcccgrounds on twitter for more course conditions related information.

#1 North green getting its first cut in 2015

Spring 2014 vs. Spring 2015

Our turf conditions this year are looking to be much healthier than last year coming out of winter. Last year's turf loss at golf courses in the Detroit area was due to solid ice formation that lasted over 75 days, essentially suffocating the turf. This winter we took a different approach for winter maintenance on greens by removing snow frequently to reduce ice formation during freeze/thaw cycles. Removing snow, even with its apparent benefits of reducing ice formation, is not a silver bullet. Turf grass can still be killed by other winter stresses.  

When removing snow in the winter, there can still be turf injury from extreme cold temperatures, desiccation of exposed turf to wind, or mechanical damage from equipment used to remove the snow. Removing snow through the winter is a hard decision and one that needs to be timed correctly for positive results.  With this said, our new program appears to have worked well for us this year. Below is a comparison photo taken 1 week apart from last year and this year.  We are continuing to clean the golf course up and are looking forward to welcoming members and guests back soon.

2 North on 3/25/2015

2 North on 4/3/2014

Golf Course Conditions - Spring Update

As we start to see the signs of spring  with weather changing and the Masters tournament being only a few weeks away, our staff is back at it and getting the golf course ready to open. Although the temperature is rising, the course is still a few weeks away from being ready to take traffic of golfers, not to mention that frost is still in the ground.  While it seams thawed at the surface, many areas are still frozen just a few inches down and some areas even have snow remaining.  

Our main staff returned yesterday and began the process of raking the course, picking up debris from the fall/winter, and finishing up remaining tree work. With weather being the final determining factor, I anticipate opening the courses in the first few weeks of April.  As you return to playing golf this spring we will still be finishing renovations on the South course. While we are finishing up those projects this spring, the South will be open with the exception of whatever hole we are working on. This is for the safety of our staff as well as efficiency of completing the work and we thank members ahead of time for your understanding.

1 North green after removing the cover on 3/24/15. Looks great!

I'm very happy to say that our turfgrass looks healthy coming out of winter this year and we should have a great season ahead.  Please check back frequently as I will post updates as we determine when the course is ready to open for the 2015 season.

Course Conditions Update

Warm afternoons are coming our way next week and our staff has been preparing the greens for a safe melt.

Heavy snow has been removed from the greens all winter with only an inch or two left on the surface for insulation from cold temperatures. As afternoon temps warm up, melting of this layer will occur.

Current turf conditions on greens look healthy. This picture was taken on 3/2/15 on 2 North green below the permeable cover

Channels are cut around the greens and off the green surface to facilitate water movement away from the green. If re-freezing occurs, it will be off the green surface.