Long Overdue Update

It's been a long time since I updated our site and the list of things to share is far too long for one post.  I'll hit the major topics briefly and get back into a steady pace of updates from this point forward.

• We had a very bumpy May with all the rain and then suffered a big blow with the loss of our Equipment Manager, Gene Thompson.  Gene, as I shared via email to the membership, passed away suddenly on June 9th.  He took great care of our valuable equipment fleet and was a pleasure to work with.  His absence has been very difficult both personally and professionally for all of us that work with him.  We've come to appreciate even more just how important he was to our operation.  

• Filling Gene's shoes will be difficult to say the least. After a month of searching and interviews we are excited to say that we found a great person to help us. Mike Campbell comes to us from Hidden Valley Country Club in Salem, VA. He moved his family (wife and young daughter) here to be part of our team.   Please join me in making Mike feel welcome.  Feel free to swing by the shop at some point to meet him.  

• As you may have noticed we are replacing irrigation heads around greens.  This is a slow process that we work on when we are not overwhelmed with hand watering.  Once complete, we will have the ability to water greens without watering approaches and bunkers.  We will also be able to provide more uniform coverage of water to the greens.  There are 84 heads around the greens and each one must be excavated, replaced, and then leveled back into place.  There will be multiple adjustments made to each one until we are satisfied that they are all level, smooth, and surrounded with firm soil.

• We are attacking unwanted weeds like goosegrass.  The product we are using is very effective, but it turns the goosegrass white, making it much more unsightly than if it were not treated.  This is a short term issue and will soon go away along with the weed.