End of the Rainbow

Well there has been another huge gap between this blog and the previous one. I have definitely dropped the ball trying to keep this blog updated, but I am planning on doing a better job from here on out. There have been quite a few changes since my last post on the K Country Turf Care Team. Our second Trent Luckhurst has headed back to Australia to focus on his jockey career; I didn’t have the heart to tell him his 6’1” 180 pound frame is not your normal build for a jockey, so good luck Trent. James Bryce has moved up to fill his position and has done a great job in doing so, and I am looking forward to working the winter with him and putting together another solid team for next season.


Our team is down to a solid 23 team members down from 39 in mid season, but we still have the capabilities to get everything done we need to on a daily basis. I am happy to hear that everyone, including Shane has made it back to their respective colleges and universities; I was worried Shane would have gotten lost in a pub somewhere on his way back to Elmwood College in Scotland.

Fall is in the air, but the temperatures are still staying above seasonal only resulting in three frost delays for golfers this season. As well the leaves in the area have just begun to turn, which will lead to starting our fall leaf cleanup program. This year I plan to use a new tool on the Kananaskis Country Golf Course, a turbine blower. I have used one in the past and they are worth their weight in gold. As well we will be using our Toro sweepers and good old hand raking.

This next week will prove to be a busy one for us as we must cut our new tarps to size, finish our tee core aeration, and deal with some compaction issues in a number of greens with an Aerragreen machine. Yesterday was the first time I have ever seen one of these machines, much less seen it operate. Basically what it does is send a probe down a minimum of six inches into the root zone and send an 80-100 psi blast of air to relieve compaction below the surface. When the blast of air is released the turf on the green raises then falls back down, and if you have some fresh plugs in the area of the blast it is not uncommon for them to shoot out of the green. I am interested to see what type of results we see from this practice, as I have never used it before.

The countdown is on for closing day, as the course is open for another three weeks followed by two to three weeks of work to prep the course for winter. The course is in great shape, and the Turf Care Team looks to finish out the season on a high note.

Hydraulic Leak on the Rough Mower

Aerragreen in action blowing the plug out of the green