Mild Winter

  The above picture was taken two weeks ago (Feb 4th) in Dothan. These are azaleas that are already blooming. Naturally, Dothan is consistently 1-2 weeks ahead of Birmingham in terms of blooming trees and shrubs, but this is out of the ordinary.
 Azaleas normally bloom in late March to first week of April in Birmingham. Are we on track for extra early blooms in Birmingham this year? Time will tell.

Frost-Bitten

   The picture above is of the two Saucer Magnolias that you otherwise may not have noticed on your drive into VCC grounds. For 11 1/2 months out of the year, they are virtually unnoticeable as you drive in, either ready hit the golf course, play some tennis, enjoy Sunday lunch after church, or get a work-out in. This is the first tree to bloom in the calendar year and always gives everyone the sense of "spring is near, and with it, warmer temperatures". This particular species of Magnolia has an upside and a downside. The upside being that it is very unique to the Magnolia family in the traditional sense of the word, covering itself in white and pink blooms every February, however being a deciduous tree, dropping its leaves in the winter.
 The downside to this species is this:

Disclaimer: I couldn't figure out how to rotate the image right-side up. Just tilt your head, sorry.

 As you can see, this is the exact same tree as above, photo taken 3 days later, after a night of 23 degree temperatures and a hard-freeze. Every single bloom on this tree is now brown and now looks like someone unleashed a flame-thrower on it. This happens to this species of tree every single year, and it is very unfortunate. I wish I could tell you that there is some sort of special fertilizer or spray that you could treat it with to prevent this, but there isn't. Mother nature runs its course on this tree, year in and year out. Take a look everywhere else around Birmingham, and you'll see the same thing.

  Many Horticulture professionals I talk to seem to think that this species of tree will eventually learn to evolve and adapt to these conditions and eventually become immune to the hard winter freezes that ravage this tree at its most impressive moment. I, on the other hand, tend to disagree. While botanists and genetic scientists can try to come up with hybrid  and resistant species until they are blue in the face, I still refuse to think that certain species, Saucer Magnolia included, can adapt and maintain during the hectic (that's putting it mildly) weather patterns we experience in Birmingham, especially during the winter. Consider it collateral damage. However, during the one or two weeks that it is in its prime, next time you see one, take the time to slow the car down and enjoy this winter spectacle. It won't last long.

Cart Path Only?!?!?!?!?!

Why are we on the cart path?!?!?!  We do have a big advantage over most of the courses around in that we usually are able to get off of the path earlier than they do because most of the water sheets off due to all of the rock underneath.  Because most of you do not get to see what it looks like when it's pouring rain on the golf course here are some photos from a recent rain at the club.

#9

#13

Upper Practice Putting Green

#16 Green

#16 Green

#16 Green

#10 Fairway

Superintendent's Best Friend

Every year TurfNet and BASF construct a calendar with photos submitted from around the world of "golf course dogs".  For the first time ever, I sent in a photo of Molly that I snapped last year during one of the heavy snow days.  I had gone into the golf shop (probably to let them know that we were cart path only that day) and left Molly sitting out in the cart.  When i came back out she was sitting at attention waiting on me.  Seemed like a pretty good photo op.  I later sent the picture in and she was selected from several hundred entries to be Ms December. (if you're interested in seeing all of the entries click here(http://www.turfnet.com/best_friends/) for a slide show of all the photos)

The calendar cover (this is not Molly)

Here she is. Ms December.

Coyote

Last year, we had several places around the golf course that had ropes to deter golf cart traffic.  Every morning we would come in to work there would be several sections that had been cut during the night.  I just knew that we had a kid (or even disgruntled golfer) coming out at night and using scissors to cut the ropes.  I stayed out on the course several evenings late into the night trying to get a glimpse of the culprit, but never had any luck.  Each morning brought the same result.  Almost perfectly centered between each stake the rope would be cut cleanly like a razor blade had been used.  Finally, we purchased a deer camera and set it up behind #1 green.  The first night, the only rope cut was the one behind the camera.  We decided that he had seen our camera and was now simply toying with us.  However, the next night the camera snaps this picture and we have our bandit.  Mr. Wile E.

Here are more coyote pics as well as some other critters we caught on camera last year.

New Year's Resolution

My (Golf Course) Resolution for 2012, was to start and regularly update this blog.  For several years I have sent out an update throughout the season of what is going on in golf maintenance but have found one crucial limiting factor with emails.  That is that I could only attach 2-3 pictures to each one and really that's what everyone wants to see.  So with the new blog you can look on your own time as well as go back and see previous posts and all will be full of pictures.

Irrigation system woes

As our system continues to age (currently about 21years old), it conitunes to drain exponitianlly on dollars and personel.  We currently have drained the water from our entire system in order to repair two seperate leaks (#13 fairway and #4 tee box).  Draining all of the water in an irrigation system in our part of the world is an option reserved for only a last resort.  We also, have had some reapirs to #1 and #2 fairways.

 #1 Fairway

#13 Fairway

#2 Fairway