Is That Snow ?

We received our first accumulation of snow this morning. Flurries were already making their way to the ground as I drove into the course.

When it comes to snow and accumulation, I stay skeptical of the local meterologists. They always seem to predict 2-6 inches, yet we get a dusting. This time, however, they were almost on the spot. Currently the course has received close to an inch of snow.

Pictured below are some shots taken around hole # 5.

This snow will be a blessing for our greens, providing some insulation and shelter from the dry and damaging winds they battle most of winter.

The forecast calls for freezing rain tonight and rain tomorrow, with sun and warmer temperatures back for the weekend. So, for those of us planning to play in Sunday's Superbowl Extravaganza Tournament, the course will be ready.

Preparing for Spring

Today we fertilized our Greens with a product called Earthworks 5-4-5. This is an organic fertilizer containing 5 % Nitrogen as well as Calcium and several micronutrients.

We apply this product once a month, all year long, at varying rates based on % of desired Nitrogen. Regular applications of Earthworks also help us build our CEC's (Cation Exchange Capacity).

These winter or dormant applications are necessary to both build our CEC's and promote microbial activity in the Spring when soil temps rise again.

Pictured above is Tyler Day, fertilizing # 16. Tyler was recently accepted into Virginia Tech's Turfgrass Management Program. So in addition to preparing the greens for Spring, we are also preparing Tyler for the Spring, improving his training and education in fertilization and calibration.