Drought conditions persist at Victoria Park. We have not had significant rainfall in over a month and the golf course and water reservoirs (ponds) are showing it. Both Victoria Park East and Valley get their irrigation water from a deep well that fills our irrigation pond. During dry conditions we draw more water to irrigate the golf course then our permit allows to refill the reservoir. Under normal conditions the timely rainfall will allow us to stop watering the golf course and to fill up the ponds. This has not happened and we are still in June.
Water restrictions will most likely be happening very soon for people and businesses with a Permit to Take Water
Water restrictions will mean we will have to cut back on the amount of water we can use and we will have to start prioritizing parts of the golf course we irrigate. Since we do not water the rough anyway we would have to cut back on fairways and tees. This would leave enought water for greens.
Even without water restrictions our irrigation system will never be as good as natural rainfall. Certain areas have gone dormant. The turf is not dead and it will come back when ever significant rainfall occurs. The golf course is stlll very playable and we should be happy with the extra roll our ball is getting. We must keep up with the times and realize that having the golf courses in lush green conditions during a drought is not sustainable. Thank you for understanding.
Until next time...
David
David's Blog
Thursday, 30 June 2016
Monday, 4 April 2016
What happened to the Early Spring!
Yesterday's snowfall has certainly slowed down the early spring we were all talking about a couple of weeks ago. We did manage to get 18 holes open at both courses. We mowed the greens at least once and had power carts out for a couple of days. With the golf course closed for a few more days we are keeping busy with spring jobs such as painting and spring cleaning. Annette looks like a professional rolling paint at the Valley. The weather does not look good for the next week or so. Some of you may be wondering if this will have any effect on the greens. I am not worried this is just Mother Nature letting us know who is boss. The greens will be fine.
Until next time... David
Until next time... David
Saturday, 12 March 2016
Early Spring has Arrived
The weather is sunny and mild and the golf course overwintered well. The greens did not suffer any winter kill this year. That is great news for Victoria Park East since the course experienced some issues the past two seasons. The driving range and temporary layout opened today - March 12. This may be the earliest we have opened the range. We will have the entire golf course open by Easter Weekend maybe before depending on the weather.
Chris Schuurmans (Assistant Superintendent) and crew were replacing sod this morning on some of the greens that have experienced winter kill/ ice damage in the past. A small strip of sod was cut out in any low areas to allow for water to drain quickly of the greens during thaw and snow melt.
There is some minor snow mould disease on some fairways. This is minor and will grow out soon. I will try to keep my posts more frequent this year, See everyone soon.
Until next time...
David
Chris Schuurmans (Assistant Superintendent) and crew were replacing sod this morning on some of the greens that have experienced winter kill/ ice damage in the past. A small strip of sod was cut out in any low areas to allow for water to drain quickly of the greens during thaw and snow melt.
There is some minor snow mould disease on some fairways. This is minor and will grow out soon. I will try to keep my posts more frequent this year, See everyone soon.
Until next time...
David
Friday, 7 August 2015
Irrigation Woes
Sorting out irrigation wire issues at the East course |
Until next time.....
David
Friday, 3 July 2015
What's new at Victoria Park?
Rolling Fairways at Victoria Park East
Some of you may of noticed a different type of mower on the fairways at East course. It is actually an old rough mower converted into a roller. Yes we are actually rolling fairways! I'm sure you are wondering why we would w be rolling fairways. Research in the golf industry has shown that rolling turf has decreased stress and decreased the incidents of certain diseases. One disease in particular is called dollar spot which is very common all summer long and very expensive to control. Reducing the amount of fungicides is very important to us for both environmental and economic reasons. Hopefully we see a difference. The added benefits are tighter lies and extra ball roll.
Big cups at Victoria Park Valley
We have installed big cups on the Valley nine at Victoria Park Valley. Larger cups were introduced in the golf industry a few years ago to make the game a little easier for high handicappers and beginner golfers. We hope that "traditional" golfers don't scoff at the idea. They should not interfere with your game. Who knows if you try it, you may like it.
Until next time...David
Some of you may of noticed a different type of mower on the fairways at East course. It is actually an old rough mower converted into a roller. Yes we are actually rolling fairways! I'm sure you are wondering why we would w be rolling fairways. Research in the golf industry has shown that rolling turf has decreased stress and decreased the incidents of certain diseases. One disease in particular is called dollar spot which is very common all summer long and very expensive to control. Reducing the amount of fungicides is very important to us for both environmental and economic reasons. Hopefully we see a difference. The added benefits are tighter lies and extra ball roll.
Big cups at Victoria Park Valley
We have installed big cups on the Valley nine at Victoria Park Valley. Larger cups were introduced in the golf industry a few years ago to make the game a little easier for high handicappers and beginner golfers. We hope that "traditional" golfers don't scoff at the idea. They should not interfere with your game. Who knows if you try it, you may like it.
Until next time...David
Thursday, 28 May 2015
Wildlife Update from Victoria Park Staff
Green Heron |
Course Wildlife
Golf courses are very dynamic ecosystems with a wide variety of resident wildlife. Over the course of the season we will be featuring some of the wildlife that can be seen on the golf course, how to identify them and a bit about their behaviour. If there are any animals that you see on the course and would like to know, let me know and I'll do my best to help. I'm new to this sort of thing, so bare with me, it's a learning experience.
To start things off, we'll look at Butorides virescens, or more commonly, the Green Heron. Green Herons are beautiful birds with a deep-green back, rich chestnut-brown neck, dark grey wings and yellow legs (juveniles are browner with pale streaking on the neck and spots on the wings). They are shorter and stockier than most herons, with short legs and thick necks that are often drawn in against their body. Green Herons hunt by standing motionless at the waters edge or in the shallows, and ambush fish or amphibians with their heavy dagger-like bill. Interestingly, they are one of the world's few tool-using bird species. They actually create lures from insects, worms feathers, twigs and other objects to entice fish to them. During the breeding season, Green Herons perform courtship displays that include stretching their necks, snapping their bills, flying with exaggerated flaps, and calling loudly. The male will find a secluded are in his territory and begin building a nest before pairing up to breed, but afterwards passes most of the construction off to his mate. The pair will have a clutch of 3-5 eggs that they will incubate for 19-21 days. Chicks will leave the nest 16-17 days after hatching, but may stay with the parents for over a month after leaving the nest as they learn to hunt.
Green Herons are rather common, but can be very difficult to spot, so keep your eyes pealed when you're around the ponds and creeks, and you may catch a glimpse of this gorgeous bird.
Chris
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Changes to the Rough at Victoria Park East
Rough is thick and long! |
Hole # 18 Fairway is now where first cut was |
new Lastec rough mower |
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