Finally Some Rain

Even though the rain hurts our revenue chances it sure has been nice to get a couple of pretty good storms these past couple of weeks. According to our rain gauge at the maintenance shop we have received just shy of 3" in the last couple of storms. We have had to hold off carts for a couple of days but the course has really taken the rain very well. Because of the lack of rain earlier in the year we were able to solid tine aerify our fairways. This has really helped to move the water into the soil these past couple of storms and helped us get carts off the paths and out on the course sooner. The worst area for holding water is the area between #15 & #16 fairways. I think in the future we will look to cut a bunch of drain lines throughout that area and fill them with sand. Here's a couple of pictures of our morning yesterday.

Finally Wet And Not Frozen

     Well it's been over a month since we've had any rain. In the last couple of days we've received over an 1 1/2" and it seems like the ground sucked it up pretty quick. The last couple of days we've spent most of our time picking up branches and debris from Friday nights storm.
     The rain this weekend allowed us to get the greens top dressed and a good application of gypsum on Friday. Hopefully this isn't the only rain we get this month!
      Below are a few pictures from this weekends storm. Fortunately we only lost one tree but plenty of debris was blown all over the course.

Debris on #9

Fairway bunker on #9



Tree down between #12 & #13



Wet area by the putting green



Rain Report (March 2011)

     Well, it looks as we made it through another wave of storms and the forecast for the next week looks pretty clear with some highs even reaching into the low 70's. Here at the course we received rain 10 out the last 11 days with a storm total of 4.5". The course has handled the rain pretty well with only a couple of the smaller trees and a few branches on the more mature trees falling down. We should have the course cleaned up for play today and possible have the course ready for carts on Monday or Tuesday. Please check with the pro shop for an update on cart availability @ 831-656-1087.
     As a side note to the rains this year, we typically start our rainy season at the beginning of October and go through April or May. Last year during the so called "El Nino" we received 15.32" from Oct. '09 through March '10. This year through the same time period we have received 18.67" which amounts to 3.35" more than last year. Hopefully this means that the aquifers in the ground are filling up so that our wells will produce more water throughout the year.

A Little Wet

   Well, after a beautiful week last week for the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach the tides have changed and we are getting dumped on here in Monterey. Usually the rain comes during the AT&T but this year they got lucky. So far this week we have received about 2.5 inches and there's still more to come. Here's a couple of pictures of our course during the downfall yesterday that brought on a littler thunder and lightening.



#9 Green



#18  Green



#1 Green





#1 Fairway





Rain, Rain, Rain now Frost, Frost, Frost

After a couple fabulous weeks of weather earlier this month, it now looks like we are finally getting to some winter weather. In the last five days we have received 1.34" of rain and now that the rain looks to have slowed down the cold weather is upon us. As I write this post it is 31 degrees and dropping. The chance for frost looks good through Friday morning.  Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

What to do when it rains???

What does the crew do when it's raining? When the rain comes we don't always go home. We spend the time going over training, planning future projects, but mostly cleaning.

The current maintenance shop is pretty old and seems to attract dust. So when we get the chance we try to keep it swept clean so that our employees have a clean environment to work in when at the shop.

In the pictures above is one of the projects I have been wanting to start for the past six months, but we just haven't had the time. As you see in the picture, we are prepping and painting a bed-liner onto the back of our John Deere Gators. These are the carts we use to get around the golf course on a daily basis. Hopefully this process will help to keep the carts in better shape and be able to handle our outdoor elements.