What do you guys do in the Winter?

 What do you guys do in the winter? Do you play cards or take naps? It must be nice to have the whole winter off. You could not possibly have anything to do this time of year, after all, the grass isn't growing-I have not mowed my lawn in three months! If I had a dollar for every time asked this question, I would be spending my days with the rich "influencers" on some warm remote island, off the coast of some country I can't pronounce. However, contrary to popular belief we still do work throughout the winter months. One of my colleagues had the best answer when he said, "Winter is the best time of year, a time when we can actually get some work done!" No truer words have ever been spoken! During the golf season 85-95% of the crew's time is spent doing daily maintenance tasks- i.e., mowing, rolling, spraying, watering, changing cups, raking bunkers, etc... In the wintertime these maintenance tasks slow down enabling us to accomplish much needed projects that we just did not have enough time to complete during the golf season.

One project at WHCC that occurs every winter is tree work. With around 1,000 trees on the property, there is always arboriculture duties to carry out. Every October a tree evaluation report is discussed with the Green Committee about unhealthy/problematic trees that need to be removed. The bigger trees (mostly pin oaks) are removed by a tree company. The smaller problem trees are removed in house. Also, many trees are pruned to remove large "in play" branches and dead or diseased limbs that may pose a safety hazard. We work within a budget and prioritize the most at risk trees for removal.

Cutting down an ash tree infected with the emerald ash borer.

Tree company pruning a pin oak by the parking lot.

Black Locust tree removed.

Pin oak removed that had honey fungus disease.

Trunk area of a red oak tree that we noticed had a significant ganoderma infection. The tree would have eventually fell due to the remarkable amount of decay caused by the infection.

Winter mechanical work is another important undertaking the crew tackles in the off-season months. It is an annual occurrence that takes place after the mowing has ceased for the year. All the mowers have to be torn down and rebuilt to achieve good mowing results for next season. There is a different degree of maintenance required for different units depending upon their usage. Some of this maintenance includes:

• The grinding/sharpening of all the walking and riding reel mowers
• Rebuilding the bearings and seals on reel mowers.
• Grinding of bednives to aid in the reel-to-bednife relationship to achieve optimal mowing results.
• Pressure washing of all the grounds equipment.
• Greasing the mowers.
• Oil changes on the riding equipment.

All of this mechanical maintenance takes the majority of the winter months to accomplish and is a crucial part in maintaining a quality golf course. 

Grinding a greens mower.

Over the last two years the grounds department has been working on building maintenance, upgrading many areas of the grounds building. The old electric has been replaced and updated with LED lights, new ballasts and many new 120-volt receptacles added, a portion of the leaky roof replaced, a lift has been inserted, heaters installed on the old cart barn wing, broken garage doors replaced, and material storage bins have been created. These are much needed upgrades that will, hopefully, keep the oldest building on property functional for years to come.

Installing new electric Dayton heaters in the old cart barn wing.

Lift installation

Lift installed.

Your truly unloading 3,600 lbs concrete barrier blocks.

Installing concrete barrier blocks to create bins for material storage.

New material storage bins, used for topsoil, topdressing sand, bunker sand, mulch, and gravel.

Landscape construction projects are always fun and exciting assignments to undertake. Most of the landscaping around the clubhouse was completed in the early 1990s and is in need of an upgrade. Also, some plants on the course were planted much earlier and have outgrown their environment. Winter is the perfect time of year to accomplish these tasks which include construction of new landscape beds, hardscape installation, and demolition of unwanted vegetation.

Removing taxus bushes next to #7 tee.

Using the mini track loader to take out the taxus bushes.

Landscape design for new "honor" garden in the fountain area and an upgrade to the adjacent perennial garden.

New retaining wall installed. around the pro shop last winter season.

Garden steps installed between the cigar hut and outdoor bar.

Drainage work is something that almost every golf course can use more of and WHCC is no exception. There are many areas throughout the course that retain moisture either due to low lying areas, underground springs, or the heavy clay soil that constitutes much of the Western Hills soil structure. The crew has been hard at work trying to dry up some of these location during the shoulder months.

Drainage in #7 fairway

Installing a catch basin in #7 fairway valley

Fixing the area in front of #1 tee where water frequently pools.

Drainage work in #6 valley

One of the most important winter assignments is keeping up with agronomy education. Many crew members have certifications that require credits through education seminars. GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendent Association of America) points, ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) CEUs, and Ohio pesticide credits are all examples of education that must be meet in order to keep certifications and, in the case of pesticide licenses, must continuously be updated in order to spray plant protectants on the property. Most of the education is achieved through conferences and trade shows. This also gives us an opportunity to network with other Green Industry professionals and allows us to learn the new and ever-changing horticulture practices.

Tri-State Green Industry Expo trade show at the Sharonville Convention Center

Green industry professionals at the Tri-State Green Industry Expo

A seminar on rolling frequency at the Indiana Green Expo.

Snow removal in our area is usually feast or famine. There are long winter stretches where snow is scarce, followed by back-to-back-to-back snowstorms that need to be plowed in order to keep the club operational. Even smaller sleet and ice storms require salt applications to keep the parking lot from turning into a skating rink. This can be a big job requiring 4 or 5 employees needed at different times of the day or night to accomplish. During the winter, the crew is constantly keeping an eye on the incoming weather and trying to adjust the work schedule accordingly.

Chris Wheeler plowing the lot for a third time during a heavy snowstorm.

Snow blower clearing the parking lot.

Of course, mowing rarely completely stops during the winter months with greens typically being mowed at least two or three times before the final spring warm up and the leaf removal process continuing until March. Every windstorm still requires course clean-up work consisting of leaf, debris, and stick removal labor. Also, staff recruitment and training continues throughout the shoulder season. So, hopefully, everyone now understands the importance of winter work, and perhaps next year the question will be substituted with "What do you guys do during the summer months?"

Brad Piecuch

Grounds Superintendent