End Of Season Quickly Approaching

Final Plant Protectant Application

 The most recent forecast calls for mild temperatures for the next two days followed by normal temperatures hovering just above freezing during the day time.  I hope everyone interested has time enjoy these last couple of warm days.  The golf course will remain open in its normal format.

NSCC maintenance staff has been busy these last few weeks preparing the course and facilities for the winter.  Susie Jushka, staff horticulturist, once again spent a considerable amount of time researching, ordering, and planting spring bulbs around the expansive clubhouse ornamental beds.  Much like a child waiting to unwrap a Christmas present, she too must wait until next spring to see the fruits of her labor realized.

Last Minute Irrigation Repair

 Other staff members have been busy preparing the course for winter.  Activities such as making our last application of plant protectants to guard against winter diseases, blowing out the irrigation system, winterizing the golf course bathrooms and pool building, and treating all ash trees against the Emerald Ash Borer are now complete.  Additionally, all golf course equipment has been stored inside as maintenance staff will begin the annual rite of winter service.


Irrigation System Winterization

 The golf course will remain open until frost enters the ground.  Once the ground becomes frozen, the greens and tees will be closed to all play.  The holes will be cut in the fairways and the tee markers will be moved to the rough in front of the tees.  Please check in with the pro shop for updates regarding course status.  I hope everyone enjoys a great Thanksgiving holiday.

The renovation to the first and eight holes are now complete.  The results are impressive and will serve to improve the playability, aesthetics, and maintenance.  Highlights include:

• New bunkers and drainage.  All bunkers will now drain properly and not require pumping following rain events.
• Consistent bunker sand.
• Putting green contour changes to the eight green.
• Expanded pond on the first hole.
• Additional fairway bunker on the left side of the first hole.
• Widened fairway landing area on the first hole.
• Fairway addition through the green on the eighth hole.
  
   




8 White Before






8 White After






1 White Before






1 White After

8 White Putting Surface Modifications

One of the most critical yet overlooked pieces of the renovation to 8 White is the contour changes to the putting surface.  Like most greens at NSCC, the putting surface on 8 White existed as a relatively flat green.  While the green featured a small decline to the rear right and left, the majority of the putting surface offered little interest.  In designing the plan for the eighth green, Ron Forse, golf course architect, looked to enhance the existing contours by building up and expanding the rear of the green.  This new contour allows for more interesting putting, a better view from the tee, and an improved ability for the green to hold lower trajectory golf shots.

Ron Forse was on hand to oversee the changes that would ultimately occur on green.  After a long conversation regarding playability and construction methods, Ron carefully painted the area which would be changed.

During the process, careful measurements were taken with a digital level to guarantee that the contour would seamlessly match.

Once the designated area was ready for the project all sod was removed and carefully stacked so that it could be returned to the same location.  A special mix of soil was added to the exposed surface.  The soil was tested to verify that it retained physical properties that very closely resemble our existing soil profile.  This will eliminate the chance for turf failure at a later date due to the icompatiblity of the two soils.

After compacting the soil mix, the sod was carefully replaced and compacted by using a vibratory plate compactor and roller.  Prior to opening next May, the grounds and greens staff will continuously aerify, verticut, and roll the surface to make sure the green rolls as true as the rest of the greens at NSCC.

Renovation On 8 White Underway

8 White Drainage Swale and Bunker Shaping

8 White Left Greenside Bunker Roughed In

The renovation project on 8 White is now underway.  The golf course construction contractor, Country Golf Inc., arrived on Tuesday.  They began preliminary shaping work on the greenside bunkers on #8.  Course architect, Ron Forse, had previously sent detailed drawing of the project.  Jim Deemer, shaper for Country Golf, began grading the drainage swale and roughing in the bunkers around the greens on the eighth hole.  On Wednesday, Ron Forse will arrive to finalize and approve the shaping work, define the bunker edges, lay out the new tee's elevation and shape, and begin preliminary work on 1 White.  With dry weather, I hope to have the green complex on 8 White complete by the end of next weekend.



Preliminary Work 8 While Left Greenside Bunker



Fall Aerification Schedule

Fall provides Wisconsinites some of the best weather to play golf, a fact that is not lost on the golf course maintenance department at NSCC. Autumns in Wisconsin are typically dry with cooler temperatures and lower humidity. We have tailored our golf course maintenance practices to afford NSCC’s membership with the best golf course conditions possible. While the White Nine will close following Labor Day in order to complete the renovation projects on holes one and eight, the Blue and Red Nines will remain open. As is evidenced below in the aerification schedule, you will be able to enjoy perfect putting surfaces until late October.


• White Nine Putting Greens Septemeber 10th (following course closure)

• Blue/Red Nine Putting Greens October 22nd

• Practice Putting Green October 22nd

• Tees October 4th

• South Practice Tee (grass surface) September 24th *



*(the artificial surface and north grass tee will remain open until course closure)

Fall Course Renovation Project Announcement



I am thrilled to report that the Board of Directors has approved moving forward with further improvements to the White Nine.  While we will not complete the White Nine project to its entirety in 2012 due to the current economic environment, we will move forward with improvements to both 1 and 8 White.   Highlights of the 1 White project include: new bunkering, fairway expansion, a green roll off area, and pond expansion.  Changes to 8 White include new bunkering, two new tees, and green expansion and contouring improvements.  Renderings of the project are shown below.  Click on either picture to view them in greater detail.

Start Date:                                 September 4th

Project Length:                 3-4 weeks

Architect Site Visits:         2

Golf Course Contractor:    Country Golf





1 White

 


8 White



Rain At Last!

After the extended period of extreme drought over the last few months the rain that we received seemed almost surreal.  Golf course maintenance staff members beamed with smiles as we received 1.3" of rain over the last twenty-four hours.  The first rain of the season created a sense of confusion for first year employees as they were unprepared lacking rain gear and a proper course exit strategy, returning to the maintenance facility completely drenched.  For veteran employees, the highly anticipated rain meant a reprieve from weeks of daily hose dragging and hand watering in temperatures that have been consistently above 90 degrees, including 5 days above 100 degrees.  The relief to the turfgrass was evidenced by its increasingly green color.  The most satisfactory factor of the rain was the fact that the rain event was followed by cloudy skies and two days that will struggle to reach 80 degrees for a high.  These cooler temperatures will allow for turf recovery with minimal risk for turf scalding, suffocation, and disease.  Happy rain day!