Agronomy Department and Course Weekly Update

November 25, 2015

And just like that… It is Thanksgiving week; the holiday season and cold weather have arrived.  Did you know the course has had 12.5” of rain during the month of November?! As always, we have our eyes on the forecast in preparation for cover pulling; it is right around the corner. Once we see that the covers will be needed, the team will stage them near the greens.

Your Maintenance Team has been busy adding sand in the greenside bunkers, I am sure you have noticed the playability and aesthetics have been better in the completed bunkers (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 16 and 17). We just finished one of the greenside bunkers on #3 and should complete the remainder during the first week of December. Once all of the greensides have been completed, we will then attack the fairway bunkers. We will choose them on a combination of the most played and worst shape. If you see your Maintenance Team working in the bunkers, be sure to give them a “high five” for all their effort. These bunkers are 26 years old and it takes a lot of hard work to repair fabric, cut down faces and add sand into the bunkers.

Since it is that time of year, I wanted to say “Thank You” to the members at St Ives Country Club for allowing me to serve you each and every day. It is truly a blessing to be your Golf Course Superintendent. I am starting my 7^th year in this position and the club has gone through a lot of positive changes. I am thankful I have been a part of the process, which has allowed me to learn and grow along the way. Our Team works hard each day to get better and we are always self evaluating, so we can serve you better. We are looking forward to finishing the year and preparing for next years golfing season.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kmacdonald@valleycrest.com and for more information follow us on Twitter @stivescc_vcsup and the Blog: http://vcgmstivescountryclub.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving,

Kyle Macdonald, GCS, Class A