From Freeze to Thaw: A Busy Winter for the Grounds Crew

 It has been a busy winter season so far on the WHCC grounds. Wild temperature swings have occurred over the past few months, with snow followed by warm spells and a return to freezing conditions. During this time, several projects were completed, including the following:

Drainage

Golf Preservations began installing drainage on #4 hillside, #6 valley, #7 valley, #11, and #15 valley. The project was moving along at a steady pace during the end of November into the first days of December. Then this happened...

The December snows put a halt on this project and by the time it melted their H2-B workers were unavailable. Luckily, they were able to get 75% of the drainage installed completing all of #4 valley, #6 valley, and #7 valley. Golf Preservations started on #11 then the snow hit. We are hoping to have them back out in March to finish the drainage on the remaining holes, but it all depends on weather and when their workers are able to begin. 

There were a couple of rain events after completion on some holes, and drainage performed well. However, hole #11 experienced a washout due to excessive moisture flowing in from hole 10, combined with dormant Bermuda grass that was unable to establish roots this time of year to secure the sod. We patched up this area and added straw bales to slow down the flow of water. We are hopeful that these areas will perform much better this summer season because of the new drainage.

Installing drainage on #4.

Compacting the trenches.

Digging trenches.

Fixing bad areas on #4 fairway after the drainage installation.

#11 trench wash out after a 1.5" rain storm.

Trench fixed with straw bales used to divert water away from the trench.

Verticuting Fairways

Around Christmas the weather pattern flipped and temperatures soared into the 50s and 60s for over a week. This allowed us to get a head start on some of the important cultural practices that we typically perform in early spring. One of these projects was verticutting fairways.

Verticutting fairways helps clean out excess thatch and organic buildup, which keeps turf healthier and playing better. It also encourages the grass to grow more upright by opening up the canopy and letting in more air, light, and nutrients. In the long run, it helps create firmer, more consistent playing surfaces golfers notice and appreciate.

Because of the warm temperatures we were able to complete half of the fairways which will help us get an early jump on this important practice. We were also able to get down some important winter sprays on the greens before old man winter showed up again.

Wiedenmann Triple V verticutter

Verticutting #18 fairway at 1/2" depth.

Picking up debris with J.D. TC-125

Dumping out the thatch.

Electric Installation

This fall, the Green Committee approved adding electricity to the driving range to support a larger fleet of robotic mowers. It was a 750 foot run from the grounds building to the driving range. A single-phase 208V, 40A feeder was installed to supply two outlets that will run 4 additional mowers to mow the driving range floor, tee surrounds, and eventually the tee tops. The ultimate goal is to not only mow the range with robotic mowers, but also eventually add in a robotic picker making the entire range system autonomous. With the first step of installing electric completed, step two will be to have the robotic technicians on property to map out the area. Then we will install reference stations, update software, and hopefully be mowing with robots by the spring. Stay tuned as we embrace the future with the introduction of these advanced robotic mowers. 

Electric run from grounds building to this area.

Running conduit from the building

Out to the driving range landscaped area above the chipping green.

Installing outlets

Finished product. This is where the charging stations will be located.

Tree Work

Cold weather signals the grounds department’s switch to full arboriculture mode. This winter, we plan to remove 15 trees in-house and have 11 additional trees handled by a professional tree service. We are working on the USGA agronomist's tree report (CLICK HERE FOR THE REPORT). The tree removals recommended for holes 1–4 were completed this season, along with several trees affected by disease or decline. After the trees are removed, all stumps will be ground, the resulting holes filled with topsoil, and the areas either seeded or sodded. As of this writing, nine trees have been removed by the tree company, with the remaining two expected to be taken down before any further winter weather arrives. In addition, 13 of the 15 in-house trees have been removed and the rest will be completed in the next couple weeks.

Cutting down a white pine by #2 fairway.

Cutting down a white pin with pine wilt disease. Notice the blue stain fungi located in the xylem layer. This is a tell-tale sign of this disease.

Removing an ash tree by the south tee that was rotting out at the base.

Splitting the wood of a honey locust tree.

Chipping  debris at #2 dump.

Taking down a sweet gum tree with nutrient deficiencies and significant canopy dieback.

Removing pin oaks right side of #2.

Removing pin oak debris.

View of #2 from the tees before removing the three pin oaks next to the right side of the fairway.

View after removals. Really opens up the fairway!

Removing the three pin oaks right of #4 fairway.

In the short term, a major winter storm will keep the grounds department busy with snow removal. Once that’s behind us, the next projects on the horizon include installing steps on the #4 tee box and completing the remaining tree removals. This roller-coaster winter hasn’t slowed us down—if anything, it’s given us even more opportunities to improve the course for members to enjoy next season!

Brad Piecuch

Grounds Superintendent