Hazardous Trees

With every hole here at The Gauntlet encompassed by trees, Tree Maintenance is a never-ending project. Included in our tree maintenance program is; 1) trimming annual growth along our woodlines and throughout the course to maintain playability and reduce interference with mowers, 2) removal of dead and specific decaying trees that pose a danger if they were to fall.

Here is a perfect example of why tree maintenance is an important part of our maintenance program.

This is a picture of damage to one of our tee complexes on #14. During a night of significant winds, a large branch that hung over the cart path adjacent to the tee fell causing damage to the turf surface.

Fortunately, the branch fell overnight and posed no threat to injuring anyone. While most of the branch fell to the ground, a section remains nestled in branches of another tree, a potential hazard if not removed.

Looking for branches like these are important to keeping our course safe.

Winter Equipment Maintenance

We are currently in the midst of servicing our equipment fleet. Each off-season we take the time to thoroughly inspect each unit and perform the necessary services to ensure the entire fleet will be ready for the Spring.

Here is a look at our "Lastec" pull-behind rough mowing unit. It is easy to notice the wear and tear this unit receives annually.

In addition to the usual winter services of replacing worn bolts, bearings and belts, we have begun removing each mowing deck unit to breakdown and refurbish.

To start, we completely cleaned the deck surface, stripping and removing the old paint. Once all the old paint was removed, we applied a primer layer to the deck, followed by fresh paint.

While this service is not peformed on a regular basis, perodically painting equipment will provide the unit with an enhanced look that will be noticed by Members and Employees alike. Members will appreciate a course and maintenance staff that respects equipment and employees tend to exhibit an enhanced sense of pride when operating a well-maintained mower, which enhances the overall quality of work.

Audubon Committee Meeting

We held our First Audubon Committee Meeting tonight. In addition to outlining the vision and mission of Audubon International and the Cooperative Sanctuary Program, we also briefly defined the Five Major Environmental Components that make up the ACSP.

I. Wildlife Habitat and Management:
- Understanding that all wildlife species require four basic things to survive; food to eat, water to drink, cover or shelter for protection and space to carry on the basic requirements of life. We can then develop habitat enhancement plans to create and sustain a healthy wildlife population throughout the golf course.

II. Chemical Use Safety and Reduction:
- Our purpose is to ensure safe storage, application and handling of chemicals and reduce actual and potential environmental contamination associated with chemical use.

III. Water Conservation:
- To ensure adequate water supplies not only for irrigation, but also for the healthy ecological functioning of water bodies such as rivers, streams, wetlands, lakes and ponds.

IV. Water Quality Management:
- To ensure that our course maintenance practices do not jeopardize water quality in water sources such as ponds, lakes, wetlands and streams.

V. Outreach and Education:
- To ensure ongoing support for stewardship initiatives, strenghten local community connections and extend participation in environmental conservation activities.


In preparation for our next meeting, we are going to be contacting several outside agencies seeking help and support with our efforts.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Friday January 16th @ 5:00 pm. If you are interested in helping with a project or joining the group, please email me at pwhaley@golfgauntlet.com.

DGIF Boundaries

Curtis Lake is the 90 acre water feature that sits in the middle of The Gauntlet, providing excellent views including this one as you tee it up on #4.

Curtis Lake serves as our main irrigation source. It is also a haven for many different species of wildlife. Several holes throughout the course border Curtis. The lake itself and the land extending 50 feet from the water's edge is not Gauntlet property, however.

It is important to understand this as employees and patrons. The water and 50 foot buffer zone is operated and controlled by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF). Together, we work with DGIF to ensure the buffer zone is kept undisturbed and protected for the wildlife that call it home.

Located on every hole that borders Curtis Lake, we have installed signs that signify the DGIF boundary line. These signs are spaced 100 feet apart.

We are currently prepping new signs and posts to replace ones that have been damaged throughout the year. We will also be re-painting all the signs and posts to improve their look for Spring.

Remember, these signs let us know where our property ends. It is important that we do our part to respect our property boundaries. Our Gauntlet wildlife will appreciate it.

Resource Advisory Group

I am looking to gather more people (Employees, Members and other volunteers) who are interested in helping with our efforts toward earning Certification in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.

This group volunteers time and energy to develop and implement our Audubon projects or provide technical advice along the way. Currently our Resource Advisory Group consists of the following people;

Mike Byrd - General Manager

Bryan Kerr - Assistant Superintendent

Brian Shiflett - Assistant Professional

Chris Vander Goot - Assistant Professional

Dave Jackson - Association Member

Ben Stutler - Association Member


This group will meet on a monthly basis to organize and plan projects for each month. Members may also be simply available via telephone to answer questions along the way and serve as a technical reference.


Our first meeting will be Friday, December 12th from 5:00 - 6:00 pm at the clubhouse.
At this first meeting I will;

- Define our goals as a golf course in earning Certification in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program
- Define the 6 Environmental Components of the ACSP.
- Define our goals and projects for the months of December and January
- Gather volunteers to help with projects
- Set our next meeting date in January to check progress and set new projects.


If you are interested in joining this group, let me know.

pwhaley@golfgauntlet.com

Thanks for your help and support.

Winter Turf

Our major turf areas at The Gauntlet are the same as any course; Greens, Tees, Fairways and Rough. These four turf areas gather the most attention from both golfers and maintenance practices. Some of the most common questions asked this time of year are; "What is going on with your tees and fairways ? Why are they discolored ? Is your grass dead ?"



To answer these questions and more, let's first start with identifying each of our four turf areas:



Greens - L93 Creeping Bentgrass - Agrostis stolonifera

Tees - Vamont Bermudagrass - Cynodon dactylon

Fairways - Meyer Zoysiagrass - Zoysia japonica

Rough - Tall Fescue - Festuca arundinacea



Secondly, we have to understand that Fredericksburg is in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic Region, a region that is part of The Transition Zone. The Transition Zone is an area that experiences not only very inconsistent precipitation, but also temperature extremes in both Summer and Winter, making it the most difficult area in the country to grow and maintain quality turfgrass.

Creeping Bentgrass and Tall Fescue are Cool-Season turfgrasses, while Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass are Warm-Season turfgrasses. Each turf type can excel in the Transition Zone, but can also suffer when temperatures are at extremes.

Once Late Fall and overnight frosts arrive, Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass begin to go Dormant. As these grasses are going dormant for the winter, they lose their lush green color and turn a straw-brown or yellow color. The grasses do not "die-off" during the winter months, but simply remain in a stage of dormancy until Late Spring soil temperatures are warm enough to encourage "green-up" and shoot-growth again.

In an attempt to provide Winter Color as well as a better playing surface throughout the winter, we overseed our tees with a Transitional Ryegrass. We overseeded the tees the first week of October and thus expecting a much slower transition to winter in hopes the Ryegrass would have plenty of time to germinate and establish well. Although most of the tees did experience good germination, we will be overseeding the first week of September next year to ensure full-germination on all tees.


We do not overseed our Fairways. Zoysiagrass is a very dense turf, which makes it difficult to penetrate to overseed. Zoysiagrass is also a very dominant turf species and will compete with weeds for its own space. However, dormant Zoysiagrass is just as fine a playing surface as Summertime Zoysia.

Extended dry and windy conditions in Winter can cause dessication to any turfgrass species, even when dormant. In order to prevent winter dessication, it is sometimes necessary to irrigate tees or fairways to provide an adequate soil moisture level.

Welcome To The Gauntlet

The purpose of this blog is to shine light onto our Course Maintenance Practices and Management Programs here at The Gauntlet Golf Club. In the coming days I will be adding posts that highlight the various projects my staff are currently working on and plans for the off-season, as well as 2009.

I hope you enjoy the information found on this blog. If you have a specific topic you would like me to cover or suggestions of any kind, please email me @ pwhaley@golfgauntlet.com.

Thanks.