It has been a very dry spring at Sycamore Ridge, so the 1.5 inches of rain overnight are very welcomed. When our only option for the turf is the irrigation system, we will always have dry spots and wet spots on the course. Unfortunately irrigation will always have an imperfect distribution uniformity. When it rains, the amounts in each area tend to be more uniform and we have an opportunity to do a reset when everything gets wetted. We were definitely getting to the point where we had many wet areas on the course due to over irrigation, because we always tend to water for the benefit of the dry areas. This kind of rain will have a beneficial impact on the course, but a negative impact on course maintenance. Cutting of the turf will be delayed until the water has a chance to run off or soak in. This delay will lead to taller areas of turf making play a little more difficult. Once we get back out to cut the grass, there will be more litter from the clippings, requiring blowers to be used to spread out the clippings.
On the flip side of not being able to do some daily maintenance, we do get an opportunity to do some projects around the shop that can get neglected when we don't get rains. This morning we are working in the shop, cleaning, organizing, and catching up on some deferred projects. One good example is that I am taking the time to write this blog post.
After several months of delays, we are closing in on getting our mats installed for the artificial tee-line on the driving range. These mats will generally be used for group outing warm-ups, when the range tee is very wet, and during the winter months. An installation date has not yet been set, but the mats are finally on-site and waiting for the installation crew.
There will be two additional fans installed on the course at number one green and number four green. You might notice some trenches around these holes. These trenches will be used to bury the wire for powering the fans.
Work was started yesterday to improve our area for overflow parking. This area will be attached to the north side of our parking lot. This area will have three inches of gravel installed and compacted, topped with three additional inches of asphalt millings installed and compacted. This will add over a quarter of an acre to our parking lot and provide parking for an additional 35-40 cars.
