Any Given Monday

Have Frost, Will Travel

Certainly no one would have guessed this time last week that spring still had another frost left to go, but by Friday it was clear we had a decent chance at not one, but two! Grounds took this mornings delay in stride however, and used it to do some spring cleaning around the shop and barns. Organizing our out door storage and dump area were the primary goals, and I would say they were met. Hopefully as you all play the course this week you will notice the difference.

As of the end of last week all of the logs in the grounds parking lot are now gone; we also removed all of the remaining aerification sand. This frees up a great deal of space just in time for the return of the tennis season. We are still trying to find a home for the remaining mulch. We have a few areas on the course left to do, but if you or any of your neighbors are interested please feel free to take as much as you need!

Once the course had thawed, we did some work at the chipping green. Years of sand being added to the bunker berm had raised it's height considerably, and burned much of the turf there. Today we shaved that added height off and we will be sodding the bentgrass side of the berm in the days to come.  Quite a bit of sod went down around the rest of the course as well, with more on deck for tomorrow. Please keep your eyes out for ropes and stakes in these areas and respect their need to be left undisturbed.

Those are the high-lights from another Monday with the course all to ourselves. Hopefully everyone had a great weekend, and a happy Mother's Day.

All in a Monday's work!
Ryan A. Dunbar

Weekend Update: May 10-12

While this post will most likely be seen on a rainy Thursday evening, the weekend is forecast to be mild, but sunny. For all of you who will be at Cress Creek celebrating mothers and all they do, I wanted to share a couple notes on things you may notice.

I'm sure many of you have seen that our rough seems to range from "lush" in most areas to "man-eating" in a few, specific places. We are in a sweet spot right now for turf growth, especially turf maintained at rough height. Between spring fertilization, soil temperatures on the rise, and a few shots of rain the rough is growing like crazy! With many acres of rough to maintain and only three mowers and so many hours to mow, completing the entire course is not a single day process- but please rest assured we are doing our best to keep up.

I also wanted to call attention to the pond on 15 fairway. Installation of that ponds aerator (fountain) requires that the water level be low and we have been intentionally letting it run dry all week for this reason. Once we are able to install the aerator, the pond will be refilled. Please pardon it's appearance until then.

Lastly, there is no way to miss the collection of soil in our main parking lot.  This pile is made up of the spoils from the construction of our newly completed patio. The process of removing this pile has already been mostly completed. If all of you could please extend us just a little more patience, the rest will be removed before this weekend. 


Have a happy Mother's Day weekend!
Ryan A. Dunbar
Assistant Superintendent


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Any Given Monday

Before the sun was out Cress Creek Country Club's crew was hard at work. As many of you know, Monday's with no outings scheduled are often project days for grounds, today was no different.

We started the day on 18 fairway, and the practice tee. Both these areas, along with 8 approach were seeded to improved varieties of turf late last fall. For the most part these areas have established nicely but, just as with any large scale grow in, we were prepared for touch up work. An underwhelming spring ensured that our preparation would be put to use. With the weather shifting in our favor we took today's opportunity to seed. For the most part both areas remain undisturbed and play should not be disrupted.

We have also been mowing these areas with the same interval and equipment as the other features on the course. Mowing newly established turf encourages lateral growth- which in turn helps new turf to fill in any areas that may not have performed as well.

In other establishment news: This year we took a slightly different approach to aerification in an effort to improve efficiency. Cores harvested from the greens were taken to the nursery and planted, cores from the tees went to the rear of 9's left-hand tee a week later. Both areas are now showing new, healthy growth. Should the weather stand by us they will hopefully establish with only a small need for touch up work. Beyond the time and money it saves, renewing the nursery via this method also has one agronomic perk that seeding and sodding do not: Any sod taken from the nursery will have been established from our own unique greens, and cared for from inception using the same practices.

All in a Monday's work!
Ryan A. Dunbar
Assistant Superintendent

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Spring Reminders

With April coming to a close and three beautiful days forecast for this weekend I wanted to give the membership a few reminders for their time on the course.

Already there are a fair amount of ball marks that have not been repaired on the greens. I want to remind everyone that ball mark repair is important, even with the turf actively growing! All of the golf carts have now been stocked with divot mix, with last year's green dye back by popular demand. Divots should be filled with mix and stepped on or patted with a club until flush.

Lastly, some of you will notice that some of the ropes have returned to the course. While our goal is to keep their presence minimal, whether or not we achieve it is out of our hands. The more care taken with cart traffic and parking, the fewer ropes need to be put out. Anyone who remembers the rope placements from last year can use them as a guideline. Whether or not there are ropes in a specific place today, the presence of ropes there last year indicate that that is an area to be avoided.

Let us all remember that repairing ball marks, filling divots, and being mindful of where carts are driven and parked is more than course stewardship- it's good sportsmanship!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling


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Aerification Reminder

The forecast is clear, so for now aerification is still on schedule for Monday and Tuesday, April 22 and 23. Should rain become an issue, our backup dates are April 29 and 30, the following Monday and Tuesday.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling


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Weekend Update: April 5

Another weekend has come and the forecast tells us this one will be even more enjoyable then the last. As stated in our last update, the greens are now open.  As the scoring season has officially begun, tee markers are all in place.

You are invited to hit into the re-seeded areas of holes 8 and 18, but we ask that balls be picked up and moved to the rough instead of played where they lay. With all turf yet to begin growing again in earnest and these areas still in their infancy, these re-seeded areas are not yet equipped to recover from divots like the established fairways.We also ask that all ball marks are repaired. Beyond good sportsmanship, any marks left will remain indefinitely as the greens are not yet growing and cannot repair themselves.

I have received some questions about cart availability as last week was walking only. The weather looks good, and we are confident the course can sustain the traffic. There are limited carts available, but carts will be allowed this weekend, though 8 approach and 18 fairway must remain off limits to cart traffic. Ropes have yet to be placed around the course, we ask that you be mindful of where you drive and park your cart. 

Please come out and enjoy this beautiful weekend!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

*Are you receiving two emails of this blog post? Please click the "unsubscribe now" link at the bottom of this email. You will continue to receive blog posts from the new Cress Creek Country Club website. Thank you!* 

Greens Open Easter Weekend

Flags have now been placed, and the greens will open this weekend. The course is still in winter condition. Tee furniture will not be placed, bunkers have not been raked and will have no rakes present. All course bathrooms will be closed. Tee times will begin at 9:00am with walking groups only permitted, and we ask that all players watch their step as the ground is still too hard to replace the temporary cups cut into the approaches.

You are invited to hit into the re-seeded areas of holes 8 and 18, but we are asking that balls be picked up and moved to the rough instead of played where they lay. With all turf yet to begin growing again and these areas still in their infancy, they are not yet equipped to recover from divots like the established fairways.We also ask that all ball marks are repaired. Beyond good sportsmanship, any marks left will remain indefinitely as the greens are not growing and cannot repair themselves.

The forecast says this is shaping up to be a beautiful weekend, with next weekend looking good as well. Any one who can should join us on the course!

I would also like to mention that with our new club website up and running we will be emailing all of our blog posts through that site to ensure that they reach the entire membership.  For those of you who are also receiving this blog via email from the Blogger service, this means you will be getting each post twice: once from the club site and once from the blogger website.  To avoid this, simply click the unsubscribe link that is at the bottom of the Blogger.com email, and you will be removed from that list. You will still receive notifications via the Cress Creek website and mailing list.

Thank you!
Elliott Dowling

A Quick Update

April is just around the corner and I thought this a good time for a course update. With night time temperatures still averaging below freezing soil temperatures have yet to rise.  My last reading was 30 degrees. A few 40 or 50 degree days come as a huge relief to those of us above ground, but it will take a stretch of warm days to bring that relief below ground. Until the soil temperatures grow warm enough to bring the turf out of dormancy, I must remind everyone that foot traffic on the greens will be detrimental to turf health. The temporary pins are still in place and all players are asked to continue playing to these until further notice. 

Spring is coming!
Elliott Dowling

New Addition

Though belated, I wanted to share some news with all of you: On February 3rd, my wife Jennifer and I welcomed our son Elliott Dowling Jr. into the world. He was 8 lbs, and 21 inches long. Both are home, healthy and happy!

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

Winter Work 2013

January 23 and not an inch of snow on the ground. I don't know that any of us could of predicted it, but rest assured that even if you don't see us behind the wheel of a plow or the handle of a snow shovel, we are still hard at work.

The order of the season is maintenance, with or without snow. Every machine you've ever seen on the course (and even a few you may not have) must be torn apart, repaired, cleaned, and reassembled. Phil sees to this with confidence, determination, and no small amount of sweat! Meanwhile, all of the tee and green equipment (e.g. Pins, Ball washers and Benches) must be repainted or refinished, though not before receiving a dis-assembly of their own. And of course there's plenty of administrative work to be done, not the least of which being the ordering of all the products to be used on the course next year- which when done early can save Cress Creek a good deal of expense.

Outside, we all pitch in for winter tree maintenance. I'm sure many of you have noticed the trees marked with pink ribbon scattered about the course. These trees have been chosen by the board for removal, and will all be coming down at some point this winter or in the coming spring.  They were chosen due to poor placement for play, their impact on turf health, or their own waning health status. Which trees will be replaced with more suited varieties is a matter under discussion.

With another early start to the season seemingly on the horizon we've got our work cut out for us, but I have no doubt we'll be ready to welcome players back to Cress Creek for a celebration of it's fiftieth year!

Stay Warm out there!
Elliott Dowling