Firstly I would like to introduce myself, Ryan Carey, as Assistant Superintendent here at Willow Ridge and the new author of this blog. Some of you may have seen me through the past season and I hope my hard work has not gone unnoticed. Coming from the University of Connecticut Storrs with a bachelors degree in Turfgrass and Soil Science I spent my first two years at Burning Tree Country Club in Greenwich, CT on the grounds crew. I came to Willow Ridge Country Club in the Spring of 2014 in an effort to expand my knowledge base and advance my career towards my ultimate goal of becoming a superintendent. I have thoroughly enjoyed what Willow Ridge to offer including my fellow employees and the members. I look forward to providing the club with the best possible conditions and another great season.
With the past week of temperatures reaching the mid 50's it looked like spring was finally upon us. It is nice to get back out onto the course and begin to prep everything for this upcoming season. Always looking for ways to improve the course we have worked hard to get the course accessories in tip-top shape. Through the winter we have been busy refurbishing the tee markers, ball washers, benches, as well as creating new bird boxes.
The tee markers were hand sanded down and repainted with two fresh coats of paint to ensure that they are as vibrant and clean as they ever were. With over 100 tee markers out on the course, it was a lengthy process to ensure the quality we strive for.While the ball washers underwent a similar treatment, the benches were broken down into the frames and slats. From there the pieces were prepped for either painting or staining before being reassembled.
We also are replacing some of our older bird boxes with brand new, hand crafted bluebird boxes. Made out of cedar to ensure that they stay beautiful for years to come.
Assembling bluebird boxes
Throughout the last week we began to clear the snow and ice off of the greens. Prolonged periods under ice and snow become favorable for turfgrass pathogens and create a poor environment for the health of our greens. Our two main goals are to prevent crown hydration where the turf uptakes surface water which then freezes and ruptures the plant cells. And to prevent ice encasement where the air underneath the ice becomes toxic and depleted of oxygen. Both of these can result in plant death, so we do our best to thwart any upcoming problems.
Using shovels and the snow blower to carefully remove snow from the 6th green
Unfortunately, the forecast is calling for 2-5 inches of snow tonight into tomorrow. However the sunny skies Saturday should melt the snow quickly making it seem like the storm never happened by the end of the weekend.
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