Recent Events Update

The first half of May has been busy at EPGCC as I'm sure it has at many Edmonton and area courses. After opening, our regular maintenance schedules have been in full swing.

Walk boom on 2 green

You may have seen our walk boom sprayer out on the greens if you play early in the morning. We use the walk boom to distribute liquid products on the greens without the weight of a full sprayer tank. The tank is parked off the green and a hose is stretched across the green to feed the boom and nozzles. In this picture, we are applying a foliar fertilizer application designed to provide the plant with nutrients directly to the leaf. This method is often useful early in the season when the roots of the plant are not fully functional.

The newly sodded greens are all progressing well. This picture is from 11 green which was sodded from our own greens sod nursery. The sod has  developed roots that extend past the original thickness of the sod and into the root zone on 11. This plug has large, healthy, white roots that are in excess of 8 cm long. A healthy root system is an integral part of having healthy turf and seeing these long healthy roots from the new sod is definitely encouraging.

Spring means new growth in the turf and also in the wildlife on the golf course. A few of our nesting pairs of Canada Geese have had goslings. There are six goslings in the centre of this picture and the Maintenance Team has seen as many as twelve more in other areas of the course. Please remember that Canada Geese can be extremely aggressive when protecting their goslings. If you encounter a pair with goslings, please exercise extreme caution and try not to disturb them. For the most part, they will make their way into a pond and avoid conflict but if they are startled or feel threatened by you they can hiss, snap and in some cases, aggressively pursue you. To avoid injury and stress to you and to the geese, the best solution is usually to avoid any confrontations with them and allow them adequate space to herd the goslings into the pond.

Early season is also a time when mornings are cold and often clear and frost delays are common. The Maintenance Team is in constant communication with the golf shop team during frost delays and they golf shop is usually able to answer any questions you may have. We also use our Twitter  account to give updates regarding frost delays as early as we can. If you use Twitter , you can check for information on frost delays before you head to the course if you are concerned about a delay. Occasionally, frost is not visible at the first tee or at the practice green but is present in the fairway or green surround. If you have questions about frost or about a specific delay that the golf shop is unable to answer, please ask to speak with the maintenance team or contact us directly at the shop.

6 Green: Cold but sunny

Questions concerning any of the information here can be directed to the EPGCC Maintenance Department through our Twitter account, our Facebook page, or contact us directly at the shop.

Meet the Maintenance Department: Part One

This is the first in a series of blog posts introducing our team members. These are the individuals that exhibit the "Pete Club Pride" that EPGCC promotes. These Maintenance Team members have agreed to introduce themselves to the membership and all followers of our blog. Our team is a tight-knit group that all have great senses of humour and it shows in their autobiographical blog contributions. These submissions are compiled from the team member's own answers to some general questions about their time at EPGCC.

Kelsey Ferguson is in her fifth season with the EPGCC Maintenance Department. Her favourite jobs include mowing fairways and greens. Kelsey explains that her most memorable moment at EPGCC is of the one-ton tank watering truck in low gear driving down Winterburn Road to the gate at the south end of the property. When Paul wildly motioned for Kelsey to change gears, she struggled but when she did find 2nd gear, the truck took off down the road with water splashing out the top of the tank, Kelsey along for the ride and Paul trailing behind, in a fit of laughter. Kelsey is finished university and will be teaching in the fall.

Matt Duncan is back with the Maintenance Department after a year hiatus, making this his second complete season. Matt is proud of the hard work that went into the new maintenance building and all the work that is completed on the golf course. His most memorable golf course moment involves the creation of a geyser beside 18 green, not on purpose. Matt is in university.

Craig Ferguson has been with EPGCC for six seasons. His favourite task on the golf course is rolling greens. Craig is most proud of the new lunchroom and staff facility at the shop. He is also proud of all of the tasks he completes. On Wednesdays, you can often see Craig sporting a pair of overalls.

Wesley DeWit has been with the Maintenance Department for five seasons and he also enjoys rolling greens. He has numerous memorable moments but he also shares Matt's memory of the impromptu geyser beside 18 green. Wes is in university and is nearly finished his Bachelor of Science in Nursing. While away from the course he enjoys sailing and has hiked the West Coast Trail.

Matt, Craig, Kelsey, Wes



Open with an abundance of ball marks

The golf course opened on May 1st and has been busy ever since. It is good to see golfers on the course again and to see familiar faces among the first tee times.

In the maintenance department, our routines are in full swing. We are already on our regular mowing schedules and we have also already started our aeration program on the tees. On May 7th and 8th we completed a tee aeration and topdressing. These processes are necessary to maintain healthy turf and encourage root growth in the spring. In general, topdressing provides a number of major benefits to the turf. Topdressing smooths the surface of the turf. Both foot traffic as well as equipment traffic can leave indentations in the turf surface and topdressing helps to smooth those imperfections out. Topdressing also provides a cushion that helps the turf to withstand high traffic and remain firm. A firm surface also encourages proper drainage from the turf and promotes a healthier stand of turf.

During early season play, often the greens are not as firm as they are mid summer. This often results in a high incidence of ball marks on the putting surface. Both Keith and I, as well as many of the greens mowers have commented on the high number of ball marks that are not being repaired. A shot that wouldn't normally leave a ball mark is likely going to mark the green during the early season. At this time of the season, almost every shot that lands on the green will leave a ball mark. Please repair your ball mark and others that you see. A ball mark that is not repaired can take more than two weeks and regular topdressing to heal properly. While the unrepaired ball mark heals it leaves an uneven putting surface and an unsightly mark on the turf. Repairing a ball mark takes less than a minute and can usually be putted over immediately. These marks take significantly less time to heal and do not leave an uneven surface for players behind you. Proper ball mark repair technique is illustrated here as outlined by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

Questions concerning any of the information here can be directed to the EPGCC Maintenance Department through our Twitter account, our Facebook page, or contact us directly at the shop.

 

Team Orientation

New and returning team memeber orientations are both complete and were successful.
Returning team members attend a review of the employee manual that includes any changes and the completion of any employment forms; they receive their uniform for the season; we express any changes we would like to see and; they have the chance to express any questions or concerns they may have. This orientation was on April 14th and saw more than twenty returning team members in attendance.

New team members attended orientation on April 21st and participate in an in-depth explanation of the employee manual and completion of any employment forms; they watch and discuss a number of training and safety videos and; it is an opportunity for them to meet each other. New team member orientation was attended by twelve team members and we are excited to get each of them out on the golf course.