Winter in the Grounds Department

If it has wheels or reels, Phil is hard at work getting it ready for 2012!

Thursday December 22 marks the official start of winter. With the course put to bed and ponds already buried under multiple inches of ice (and now thawed again), the grounds crew has officially shifted gears. It occurred to me that many of you may not have any idea what it is we do during the coldest months of the year- so I thought I would give you all a brief overview.

Our highest priority is snow and ice removal. Anytime the club receives a fresh dusting (or a full bore arctic dousing for that matter) you can expect to see us hear plowing, shoveling, and salting. Back at the shop, Phil is hard at work getting all the machines prepped for another year of duty.  Carts, Mowers, and even our larger machines all need gaskets and gears replaced, hydraulic hoses repaired, reels ground etc.

Meanwhile, every piece of furniture that spends the summer season on the course must be repainted or oiled and touched up.  Ball washers are completely broken down, sanded and repainted, as are the tee markers and pins. Benches are oiled and any damage to them is repaired.

Everado Garcia, a 37-year veteran of Cress Creek grounds, restoring a trash basket.

Winter is also our time to restock all the products we exhaust over the course of the season. We inventory the entire department, from paint to pesticide, and decide what needs to be ordered. This can be an especially tedious project as that running out of certain products during the course of the season can throw a very large wrench into our exacting summer schedule.

For us, winter is really about preparing for the coming year.  Anything we can do to get ready for spring we do. Our goal is to hit the ground running when the sun comes out again, and the ice disappears.

Happy Holidays,
Elliott Dowling

Tree Removal on 10 Fairway

There have been many questions surrounding the tree we removed from the right side of ten fairway earlier this month. Let me begin by saying that this tree was not removed on a whim. Much discussion was had internally before the final decision was made to bring the tree down.

This particular Cotton Wood was nearing the end of it's life cycle. Statistically this species of tree will live to an average age of 60-70 years. This particular tree had already begun to show signs of it's age, as Phil had noticed branches being shed this time last year that were hollow or rotten inside. We also noticed areas of the tree that were lacking in blooms- another sign that a tree may be growing old.

At this stage in it's decline these things alone would have put it on our list for removal- albeit down the line, however, it was the trees proximity to the pump house that made the matter urgent. The downed branches I mentioned earlier hit the pump house when they fell. Our measurements of the distance and the angle at which the tree was already leaning showed that even in conservative predictions not just the branches but the main body of the tree would have hit the pump house roof- a blow the roof could not have withstood.

Were the tree to have fallen on the pump house, we would have lost more than just the thousands of dollars worth of essential equipment that it shelters. We would also have lost any number various pieces of maintenance equipment that are stored inside the building at any given time. I should also mention the immeasurable damage losing the pump house would cause to the entire course should the Cotton Wood have fallen during the golf season.

Weighing all the information we decided that removing the tree was in the best interest of everyone.

The plan for next year is to landscape the area around the pump house, as well as select a smaller variety of tree that can thrive in wet conditions to screen the pump house from the tenth tee. We are currently considering the same plan for the area behind seven green along the pond.

Respectfully submitted,
Elliott Dowling

Temporary Pins

With the average night time low having dropped well below freezing and a forecast that says it will not be rising anytime soon, the time has come to close the greens.  Winter pins have been placed in the temporary cups and the tee markers have been removed from the course. With the greens closed we ask that any members and guests please keep all traffic and play off of the putting surface.

Temperatures will be dropping even lower next week.  Believe it or not this is probably the end.

Stay Warm,
Elliott Dowling