Your Grounds Crew

  I would like to take a moment to share a picture that was taken this morning with you. This is your 2011 Cress Creek Grounds Crew. Most are veterans though we have brought on a few new comers.  The gentleman over my shoulder to the right, and the gentleman two men to his right have between them more than 75 years of loyal service to Cress Creek Country Club. All of our crewmen have been and will be working hard for you all season long. Please don't hesitate to give them a wave when you see them out on the course.

I would also like to recognize three men in particular: Phil Kassinger, Jose Duran, and Lance Agne for their great work on the new restroom at number seven tee. This facility was envisioned by these three gentlemen and built via their sweat and elbow grease.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

A Few Observations on Our Expansions

As some of you may have noticed, there is a separation in development between the main body of our greens and the expansions installed during the renovation 3 years ago.  The above image captures this contrast perfectly.  The core pulled from the main stand of bentgrass shows almost 4 inches of root structure, while the core pulled from the expansion has just under 2 inches.  This lack of roots can result in excessive water loss, increased stress and slowed plant recovery.

We are and have been paying these areas special attention in an effort to combat these issues and keep your playing surfaces rolling true while restoring plant health. Both are important ingredients in great golf course.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

A Few Things of Interest

With the sun out (at least for today) and the course buzzing, we wanted to take a moment and call your attention to a few notes for the course. The first is the rough between holes number Two and Eight.. The nice weather today, while certainly helping us dry out, cannot erase the inches of rain we have been receiving for the last month. April showers may bring May flowers, but in the mean time they have left this area rather soaked.  But, the show -and the rounds- must go on, so with carts available today and presumably this weekend we ask that you stay strictly on the cart path between these two holes.

Also, as you play you may notice green stakes in isolated areas of the rough throughout the course. Some will stand alone, others will form a line. These stakes mark small areas of bare ground that have been seeded and mulched and require a tender hand while the seedlings establish themselves.  Please be careful to avoid driving through these areas as this would damage the sensitive new turf. Treat them as ground under repair should your ball find it's way into them. We loath using stakes (and rope) as a means to mark such features, however, the repair of these areas is of the utmost importance. Please do not expect to see either stakes or ropes often- or even rarely.

It feels good to have players on the course. Please take advantage of what is forecast to be a beautiful weekend.

See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling

The roof is up!

We have a roof!  As you can see, the bathroom is taking shape.  Even though the crew was rained out three of the five days last week, we were still able to make progress.  The next steps will be to shingle the roof and begin work on the inside.  Once we get a consistent break in the weather, I have no doubt the building will be done quickly. 

 See you on the course!

-Elliott

Good example of aerification

I took this picture last week while changing cups on number three green.  I took this picture to illustrate the benefits of aerification.  Notice in the middle of this plug the roots coming through an old aerification hole.  This is exactly the point of this practice.  Creating channels in the soil and replacing the medium with sand allows the roots to burrow deeper into the soil.  Deep roots are extremely important to plant health.  As the heat of summer comes, roots will naturally die off as the plant wants to go dormant.  Promoting deep roots now will give the turf more food reserves to feed on as summer nears. 

A reminder to everybody, we will be aerifying the greens April 25th and 26th.  The weather this time of year is good for turf growth, warm days and cool nights.  The greens will be healed from aerification in 10 days to two weeks.  Thank you for your understanding of this necessary practice.  Aerification if one of the many maintenance practices I plan to use to keep your greens in the best shape possible all year. 

See you on the course!

-Elliott

Finally a new restroom!

As many of you know or have heard by now, we are underway with the restoration of the restroom on number seven.  The old restroom had been an eyesore for some time, in much need of improvement.  The new restroom will stand on the same footprint.  The interior size will not change.  What will change are the fixtures.  New sink, mirrors, and toilets will be added.  On top of that, what may be the most shocking change will be the addition of a wrap around deck with overhang.  This will serve as a rain shelter if the need arises.  The exterior will mimic the look of our clubhouse, complete with white pillars and trimming. 

The picture you see is the new deck.  The posts in the foreground are the supports for the pillars.  Because we have standing water issues where the current floor is, we will bring the floor up 10 inches to alleviate this problem.  

I will continue to send pictures as progress reports as we move along.  Our goal at this point is to be completed and in by the first of May.  In the meantime, there are two temporary restrooms located between four and seven fairway.  Thank you for your patience during the construction phase, I know when this is all said and done we will all be happier with our new restroom. 

See you on the course!

Elliott 

Ball Mark Repair

As the season begins to gear up, there are a few issues that will continue to be discussed as we go through the season. One that I feel is of the utmost importance is ball mark repair on greens. Ball marks, if left unrepaired can lead to scars on greens that could take a few weeks to repair themselves. The void in turf can also create gaps for poa to germinate. If the pitch mark is repaired properly, the area should be healed in a day or two, keeping the greens smooth for everybody to enjoy. I have attached a video and articleput out by the USGA. The animation is funny but the message is clear and to the point. Repairing your marks is part of the game of golf. I hope as members, you all take pride in your course and keep on your fellows golfers to help out and repair their mark before they putt.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=79f4umdab&et=1105078188082&s=19932&e=001D2c6trbKn6HVr7tUytxuHEO6X1vhdQbHMONEvoHo4GM8UzTlqKdo0mf4wjnxoI1hkF-T_LaZIqaQivaQkDNScaZPy8dGIfZAUlJw12h0cTYpm36ZRHa3BiPMIJbdhS8NZLDWKYD7qcTAvtU_2P93eUiHGyDm8ZfkHYDDFSAowhx3eVyP_JmxUw==

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=79f4umdab&et=1105078188082&s=19932&e=001D2c6trbKn6FjqGqDcyFMF-srVEZkog4Sx2SRt1_3Km70awIRB-4rUSDMIdMat3DEXVNuFcR_mtwxwOQOxXgUxtamHGkh6oTwwm9TT0exkVPFoguX6djS06EvsxI9Vu-U7OZ0WaubqVyP_SRl5f5SJg==