Swan Song

Well this is going to be my last blog post before I hand the K Country Turf Care blog over to James my counterpart. The weather this winter has been quite unusual and that has caused some problems on the course. There has been a bit of ice build up on greens and fairways, but the tees are in good shape. A lot of the ice on the greens has started to disappear on the untarped greens which is nice, but we still have a few areas of ice to deal with. We are currently using an industrial heating blanket, powered by a gas generator to melt the ice off the surface of the greens. This has proven to be a slow process, but we are getting some good results.

2 Lorette pretty much ice free

Heating blanket in action under tarp

On a positive note there has been limited elk activity on the course which will make the spring clean up a little easier I would think. We are currently in full swing in our staff hiring process and are quickly assembling a great team for the upcoming season, with many returning faces, coupled by some good golf course experience. It’s definitely bittersweet for me as I am excited to see to the great team we are assembling, but I will not be able to see the end result.

I am excited for my new position, and believe it was an opportunity I could not pass up. On the other hand, I have unfinished business in Kananaskis and the goals I wanted our Turf Care Team to achieve. The team is in good hands though, as I know James will be a great leader for the team as he was able to prove at the end of the 2011 season. I have no doubt he will continue to make the Turf Care Team stronger in 2012. Thanks to everyone that followed the blog in 2011, and will continue to follow the blog this season. I will have a new blog at Dinosaur Trail, so watch for that.

Finally thanks to every individual that has been a member of the Turf Care Team while I was the Assistant Superintendent. My goal has always been and always will be to create a team mentality built on respect, personal pride, and accountability. I hope you enjoyed your time under my leadership, and felt like you took something from your time in Kananaskis. I know I am definitely a better person for having the opportunity to learn from each one of you.