It's Super at

The Progress for ZOIZ.

2012-01-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

We're getting pretty excited about 2012 or what I like to call ZOIZ - see how the Z'z look like 2's and you can say Zoiz instead of TwenTee TuhwelV. But I digress...

Here's how the winter is shaping up...

The Villa is going up fast and will be ready for opening. This building is a 12 unit condo of which 11 units will be for rent.

We're going to host the 1,000,000th round this season. That means some lucky golfer is going to tee off and then the fireworks are going to blast off and then the party will start - at least for a few moments as we shower the golfer with prizes and adultion. After 44 seasons we've played a lot of golf out here and that's how long it takes to get to a million - it's pretty special.

We're offering an awesome promotion for returning golfers to bring a friend(s). For the promotion there is a discount available in the form of in-house credit - phone the lodge for details.

The mild winter means the golf course is fairing well ans we'll be getting rid of the snow off the greens in early February to get a closer look - I will post photos then.

The bunker renovations will be completed this season and then we are going to concentrate on the paths so that the ride around the track is smoother and more enjoyable. We're also taking on a few other projects that will surely enhance the golfing experience.

Switching Gears

2011-11-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

We're going to take the same approach as always- provide great golf in a magnificent setting - but we're also going to offer something more - 5 star accommodations. The first 3 cottages were finished in 2011 and judging by the amount of business and the feedback we've received the cottages are nothing less than spectacular accommodations. Last season there was only a single cottage for rent but this season there will be two - both are two bedroom magnificently appointed dwelling located in the woods next to the 12th hole. Look at theses photos:
http://www.ownkokaneesprings.com/image-gallery.html

Keeping in line with the upgraded accommodations there is also going to be a 12 unit Villa building open in May and there will be at least 6 of those and probably all 12 units available for rent. The Villa units are as nicely finished as the cottages and are strategically located between the first tee and the clubhouse.

When you rent a cottage or a villa you will also get as part of your package a golf cart for the duration of you stay - whether it be for 2 nights (minimum stay required) or 2 weeks the cart will be yours to use as you golf and/or drive around the property. This brings another element to upgraded accommodations and helps our guests get around the big property.

Of course the cottages and villas are for sale and will be available for viewings should you happen to be in the area. The changes to the accommodations are part of the master planned community that also includes improvements to the golf course which have begun. In 2010 we initiated bunker renovations (see earlier posts for photos) and will be complete that project in 2012. Then we start with resurfacing the cart paths and building a new driving range and practice facility. Once the dust clears we will also have a new clubhouse complete with pools and spa facilities.

A New Ice Age

2011-08-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've never seen so much snow on the glacier at this time of year. The cool spring and the cooler than normal summer temperatures (30 instead of 35) mean that the snow pack is melting slower than normal. Only 2 years ago the glacier was only a little patch of snow at the top of the mountain and after two years of accumulation it is now quite a bit larger. For us down in the valley this means nothing, we certainly aren't freezing. The weather and the season's aren't constant and every year is different and variable. We are now experiencing hot and sunny weather that is conducive for great golf and great conditions.

The drying turf is playing better and the greens are faster and smoother than only a month ago. The weather scared some people off but now it is busy out here. Apres golf activities now include the lake which is warmer than it has been in years and the beach has been reclaimed as they lake has receded and after some driftwood clean up is ready for waders and swimmers and sunbathers.

It is finally summer and by the looks of things it will stick around well into September which is a bonus for us. Warm fall weather is awesome for golf and the course is generally in the best condition of the season by the labour day long weekend. Living here and working here is a bonus when the weather is great. It's also pretty good even when the weather is less than great.

Visiting Kokanee in fall offers a lot more than just golf. Hiking and biking is enhanced by chance encounters with bears, and elk and other wildlife that almost show up on schedule every year when the days cool down. The bugs are non-existent so a warm fall is like a bonus summer without mosquitoes and flies. Fishing in the lake picks up the later we get into fall with some of the best trout fishing happening after thanksgiving.

It's a wondrous place.

Bear with Us

2011-07-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

The locals are back. They come every year for some fun at Kokanee Springs and usually stay clear of those of us who would rather view them from a distance. Now that they are here - or at least out in the open - we try to give them a wide birth but it is difficult when they come into our space as the bear in the photo above has near my shop. It didn't take much to scare him or her up a tree but then that is no solution. Being in a natural location, and secluded away from people and cars, we are prone to visits from a number of native species that are the original titleholders to the land. Our plan is simple - stay clear of them and don't go looking for trouble - that is don't try to get to close no matter how cute they look.

Last season and probably again this season, a local female and her annual cub or cubs devour the fruit trees near the third green. There were many times when golfers would be playing through on the green and not even notice she was only ten feet above their carts eating plums. When she has food and her cubs are safe she has no reason to bother with people and there have been no serious encounters or potentially dangerous situations.

one thing we try to do to deter the bears and reduce the risk of encounters with golfers is to scare them with noise makers including horns and bangers. We do not relocate the animals - save for a couple of two year old grizzly cubs that were hanging around for a couple of weeks last fall. These two were trapped by consernation officers and relocated up the valley and they have not returned as of yet.

Other animals that are nicer to look at from a distance are the elk. During the fall, when they are in rut, the bulls can be somewhat dangerous but only a fool would try to approach a 800lb animal with 6' long antlers.

The summer has come on full blast now, finally and we're seeing a lot of people take advantage of the great golfing weather and conditions. The flowers are blooming and the birds are singing. Its a wonderful place to be.

Flora is her Name

2011-06-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

Flora is not person. The term refers to the "the plants of a particular region, habitat or geological period." At Kokanee we have a long list of native and non-native species of ornamental plants that are currently beautifying the landscape. The Lupins are blooming (late) - these are native plants with glorious tall flower clusters that grow everywhere in an around the property. The deer leave them alone due to the alkaloid compounds in them that make them poisonous. The Lupins are the purple flowers guarding the trail to the proshop in the photo below.

There are also many other flowering plants that are planted at Kokanee by the horticulture team. Our climate allows us to grow plants that are not common to most areas of the country. Our low elevation, heavy rainfall, and warm temperatures allow us to plant a large variety of plants including annuals and perennials. Perennials are plants that are viable from year to year and stay in the ground. Annuals are plants that are perennials in other parts of the world but die here when he temperatures get cold in the fall. Annuals need to be transplanted in the spring - after the last frost - and for the most part annuals give us the ability to add more colour to the landscape. The signature garden behind the sixth green is a good example of how we mix perennials with annuals to create a dramatic landscape. Ribbon grass and potentillas (perennials) and augmented with marigolds (annuals) that are organized into the signature "KOKANEE SPRINGS" in what we call the signature garden - and sometimes the horseshoe. This year the marigold are orange and the ribbon grass is tall and the potentillas are in bloom with yellow flowers. Set against the backdrop of the golf course and the still snow covered mountains, it's easy to overlook the hard work that goes into maintaining these gardens and I want to salute Denise and her crew for the very hard work. Oh you want a photo of the garden? You'll have to come and see for yourself.

Grain is for Making Beer not Putts

2011-06-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

According to the USGA Green Section Record - Grain is "the tendency for grass leaves and runners to make horizontal growth in one direction which interferes with the true natural roll of the ball. With today's low mowing heights and improved maintenance practices, the effect of grain is rarely observed on highly maintained putting greens." Grain is a myth that has been perpetrated by the TV broadcasters who played professional golf in the 60's and 70's and probably live in Florida.

Scientifically grain refers to the tendency of the blades of grass and the underground stolons and rhizomes (lateral stems) to grow in the same direction depending on the location of the sun or the direction of water runoff and drainage. Back in the day, grain was a problem on BERMUDAGRASS greens and BENTGRASS greens that were maintained according to Old school methodology - you know they used to mow bentgrass at 1/4" and they thought that was low. Technology and greenkeeping has changed in the last 40 years so grain rarely exists on courses that aren't growing old school Bermudgrass greens.

At Kokanee Springs we have no grain in the greens - because we grow annual bluegrass, a particularly straight-up growing grass and some bentgrass. We perform maintenance practices like verticutting, topdressing, grooming and of course short mowing, all of which would prevent the development of grain if it were even present - which it isn't.

Grain is a myth that if you believe it will get in your head and then your putts will do some funny things like break uphill - a physical phenomenon that suggests the grass is imparting a force against the ball, counteracting the force of gravity - balderdash. The golf ball is not some fantastic object that can disobey the laws of physics and we do not spray fairy dust on the greens in order to make them less affected by the pull of the earth.

In short when watching golf on television do not listen to Johnny Miller or Peter Kostas or Nick Faldo when they talk about the grain and reading the greens - unless you're going to play that particular golf course. Repeat after me: there is no grain, there is no grain, there is no grain!

Before and After Impressions

2011-06-02T10:33:00.001-07:00

The fruits of our labour - building new bunkers - are spectacular. The process has included some discovery and some enlightenment. We discovered the original bunker shapes and were enlightened by a sense of contentment after we completed this set of bunkers on 4. The before and after images are drastically different and the sunshine and green grass enhance the white sand and make it that much more enjoyable to look at. The responses from the golfers have all been positive and the changes are much overdue at Kokanee.

Maydays

2011-05-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

May is here and so it the great May weather. It was 25C the other day and it felt hot - although we know it really wasn't. It was certainly comfortable and great for golfing. The lodge was jammed full last weekend and May long weekend is looking great for business - there are still some spots open so phone us now.

Right now we're moving ahead with the bunkers - onto #5 now - and looking at improving the cart paths. The new golf carts look great and provide a better ride than the old machines.

Part of the challenge of my job is to manage the property while there is all this golf going on. I see the same people at least twice a day as most of them are playing 36 holes a day all week. The golf schoolers are getting their lessons and then all the golf they can do in a day, which for some of them is a lot. I haven't played yet myself but I am jealous of all the golf going on - the only downfall to my job.

Opening Day

2011-04-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Opening Day came and went. It was a bit cool and quite wet but many die-hard golfers went out to peruse the course and take in some early season golf. At the same time, Calgary and Southern Alberta was being hammered with 25 cm of snow and below 0 temperatures. So the ones that came here missed the quagmire and were in fact delighted to see the sun and warm weather to top of the weekend on Sunday. Now we're getting into the thick of the Spring golfing and the course is shaping up.

The sun is coming out for Easter weekend. It is going to be bright and shiny and up to 17C so there will be some great golfing weather ahead. The golf course is greening up quickly and we are going to be getting into MOW mode right away. The turf is striped and contoured and it's looking like mid-season conditions. The ground are also drying quickly so the soft conditions are improving significantly. I am happy about this as there will be less damage and it will be easier to mow and maintain the property.

The cottages are complete the first guests checked in last night and they are enjoying their stay tucked away next to the 12th fairway. The cottage includes an indoor/outdoor fireplace and a screened in porch - very quaint - see photo above.

I have to commend my crew for their dedication and hard work getting the course open - it was wet and cold and those guys and gals toughed it out with no complaints. I am a lucky Superintendent. Thanks people.

Ready...Set... Go...

2011-04-09T07:08:00.001-07:00

Well next Friday anyway. Opening day is less than a week away. We've done a good job after only five days with the crew to clean up the course and get the greens and the rest of the turf into shape and looking great for the for onslaught of golfers coming. The course is a little moist but drier than in previous years. The elk have made a few runs up and down the fairways but nothing serious and easy to repair. I think the golfers that do come early will be surprised at the colour of the grass - greener than most years. I attribute this to no frost and heavy snow cover to prevent cold temperature damage. We're looking forward to another great year. Hope to see you soon.

Okay, Okay - Sorry I've been Busy

2011-03-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

The middle of March zoomed by and the first day of Spring passed by without much notice - although the property is starting to show signs that winter has gone for good. The snow is melting nicely and the greens... well... look awesome, and I'm not just saying that. I think the conditions of our greens for the time of year are as good as anyone in my industry could hope for after a crazy winter. There is some mild discolouration in some areas but every single green is completely free of disease and damage. I anticipate that by opening day, after some timely topdressing, rolling, verticutting and mowing, the greens will be in mid-season condition.

Plans for 2011 include some more bunker renovation - the goal is to complete the first 9 holes by year's end. We will also be constructing a couple of new forward tee boxs at #1 and #5 which will shorten those bearish holes for the more recreational golfers. We will also, later in the fall, be planting some ornamental trees to create aesthetically pleasing barriers between holes #2 and #8 and #17 and #18.

My goal for the next four weeks is to get the staff hired and trained, get the course cleaned up and playable, and during it all, enjoy the weather and the surroundings Kokanee offers. I am going to be sending instant updates about the course conditions, frost delays, cart traffic, maintenance activities etc. via Twitter. Follow me @kokaneesuper

It Has Begun

2011-02-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the most difficult part of my job is knowing when to pull the trigger. Last season it was an easy decision with all the ice under the shallow snow and very warm temperatures. This year we've seen a lot of snow mixed with rain and the ground did not freeze so I am not as concerned about ice but the depth of the snow could cause a problem later on. So today we started clearing the greens with our brand new snow blower - not your average home model mind you - but a 74" Buhler mounted to the back of our 50 horse Kubota tractor. This baby can move a lot of snow in a little time.

The decision to move the snow can always be tough because snow insulates the grass from the cold air - which can kill it quickly. However, snow melts, and it can rain here anytime, and water in winter can damage turf in a number of ways so reducing the amount of water now - by removing the snow - is going to help limit the damage to the greens. I fully expect there to be more snow so the 60cm that is already accumulated could become 80, 100 or more.

This decision is also important because of the costs associated with the operation. It could take up to a week or more to remove the snow from all the greens and when you factor in fuel, salary, and other expenses it adds up quickly. Judging by the short term forecast which is for warm and rainy weather and the long term seasonal normal which is more of the same, I would say removing the snow now is the best we can do to make sure our greens are the best for opening day which is always a sound business decision.

Overall this winter is a bit cooler and there has been more snow than last winter. By this time last year the golf course was almost bare and on the 18th of February, 2010 we mowed the greens for the first time. I don't think we'll be mowing anything by next Friday...

I toured the new Big Bend Cabins last week and I must say that they look great. One of the Cabins will be available for accommodations during the season - call the Lodge for more information. The Cabins sleep up to 6 people - double up - and include 2 full bathrooms and spacious living and dining areas. They also have an indoor and an outdoor wood burning fireplace and screened deck/patio. You can't get any closer to the course - they're only 30 yards from the 12th fairway. The tradespeople are just finishing them off and once they have been cleaned and detailed I'll post a photo.

Limbo Time at Kokanee

2011-01-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

Besides dancing beach side in Jamaica; what does a superintendent do in the winter? At any given time, at any given property in the country, there is work to do. Certainly there is downtime; most people in my profession work long hours during the season and balance this with some less arduous work weeks during the off-season. I define arduous as sitting in front of a computer trying to make sense of last season's fertilizer budget and labour forecast spreadsheets.

Besides office work, there are some behind the scenes work that is done, depending on the size of the operation, by the maintenance staff. Ball washers and tee markers and other items can be cleaned, sandblasted and painted. Bunker rakes can be repaired and/or replaced. Trees can be pruned and/or removed - including dangerous snags. Irrigation components can be cleaned and repaired as required and of course there is always the equipment. Equipment is generally put away and winterized in the fall, but there is never enough time to sharpen reels and or assess each piece of equipment thoroughly enough prior to the onset of winter. At golf courses with full-time mechanics the burden on the superintendent is minimized when it comes to equipment but the bigger responsibility of equipment fleet management, i.e. replacement, falls squarely on the superintendent's shoulders. Determining which machines have life left and which don't is tricky business.

An update on winter... it's becoming mild again, which is good because we had the Club Car truck in yesterday hauling away 30 of the 60 carts that are being replaced. Getting around the lodge with such a big truck was difficult and it required hours of snow clearing and some deft sanding to make sure there was enough traction. It's funny, every time I meet a delivery driver who has just driven up the road from Creston they always say the same thing -that road would be a lot more fun on a motorcycle. But I digress, the truck made it up and over the hill at the south end of the lodge and we loaded him up in record time. He's coming back for another run in a couple of weeks and then the next trucks we see from them will be bringing our 60 all new Precedent Cars - think Cadillac of golf carts.

Projects

I was in Calgary on the weekend and met with the golf committee, which is comprised of myself and two of the shareholders. We discussed the renovations and they have upped the budget and set the goal to complete the bunkers on the front 9 this season. It's a tall order but we'll do our best . By this time next season we'll be talking about 2012 and the plan to finish all the bunkers ahead of schedule.

Kokanee Springs - Always in 3D

2011-01-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

January. It's the month after December and it's go time for us. We're winding up for another great season. The lodge is humming with activity and the phones are ringing off the hook with golfers booking the ultimate Kootenay golf holiday and inquiring about all the new packages available.

We're tweaking the program somewhat this season. We're still doing the crossovers for the first five weekends of the season but now the golf school will be teeing off the back 9 Friday mornings in a crossover that will run through the entire season. This means we'll have to be sharp to get ahead of play and get the back 9 ready for play earlier in the morning than we have in the past. Of course this is only on Friday which means it's business as usual for the rest of the week.

Right now it's raining. We saw heavy snow all week and the warm moist air coming across the region is going to help melt some of those layers of white powder. In the meantime I have a lot to do, besides clearing away the snow and slush around the lodge and the clubhouse. Winter isn't actually downtime for a golf course superintendent in Canada. Although you would think that most of 'us' are basking in the sun in Mexico or Barbados, this isn't the case. For most operations the superintendent is employed year round, partly to reduce turnover but mostly becase there is a lot of work to do. More on that later...

Happy New Year

2011-01-05T14:21:00.001-08:00

January 5th - 2011 - it is now the future.

Last year - on this very day - we started clearing snow and chipping away at the thick ice on the greens. I am very happy to say that so far we have no ice and the snow cover on the greens and the rest of the course is almost perfect - the Elk are even staying away.

I anticipate that the turf will come out of winter in great shape. Unless winter drags on into April, we should open the greens on April 15th in mid-summer condition - a little slower but certainly green and dense. This means I can concentrate on other areas of the golf course during the spring to spruce things up.

Of course we're still going to be attacking the bunkers renovations and forward tee box constructions. A funny thing happened last fall when we were trying to locate the new forward tee at number one - we cleared some bushes from below the rock wall and found three more rock walls and a perfect terrace for a tee box. After some quick earth moving we roughed in a tee that is about 10 yards closer to the fairway than the current forward tee. This means that the anyone playing the forward tee won't have to move to the bottom of the hill and lose the glory of hitting from the elevated deck.

The forward tee at number 1 will be the first thing we do once winter loosens its grip. We've also made progress on the development. The first three cabins are almost finished and will be occupied in February. They look great - the owners and guests staying there will have agreat veiw of the 12th green. At least one cabin will be available for rental - details are being worked out right now. One of the Villas is slated for construction this summer and although construction generally means inconvenience at a Resort - the Villas are located away from the golf course so that the golfing experience will be not negatively affected.

We are also making some upgrades to the interior of the clubhouse - Bunkers Grill will certainly look and feel more open as the low ceiling is being removed to add more atmosphere to the space.These are exciting time for Kokanee Springs.

The Four Seasons at Kokanee

2010-12-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

With only three weeks or so until 2011, I can reflect on the 2010 year. It was busy for me and my staff and everyone else at Kokanee. In point form:

January - started clearing thick ice off greens

February - attended GCSAA conference in San Diego and came back to a thawed golf course and mowed first green on February 18th (#6)

March - cleaned up a lot of dead fall

April - welcomed staff and got course ready for opening day (April 17th)

May - started with forward tee box construction

June - started with bunker renovations

July - finished forward tees on 9 holes

August - first dry patch of weather since April - course dried up a bit but then

September - wettest September ever - played in Men's open and watched two grizzly bears frolick on the golf course for over two weeks

October - closing day on the 11 - staff done for the year on the 15th - yes we got the course put away in four days

November - finished off the 15th bunker and then saw the most snow ever for a November and cold -18C

December - in the office and on the course setting XC Ski trail and chasing of snowmobiles

I bet you didn't know that Kokanee is becoming a true four season resort. The contractors are putting the finishing touches on the first three cabins and are starting on the first Villa in the new year. This means that there will be plenty of accommodations for everyone during the off season - including the 64 room lodge.

Although there is no ski hill on the Eastshore, Whitewater is only an hour away and most of that is on the Ferry. Red Mountain is only another hour past there. Here at Kokanee and all through the area we have miles and miles of back country trails for hiking, biking, XC skiing, snowshoeing, etc. And if you like snowmobiling, the Gray Creek Pass is an amazing ride. For the anglers out there the lake never freezes and the best time to fish for the big ones is in the winter.

This is all new and exciting for us here at Kokanee. We look forward to seeing more and more people in the off season making use of the property and taking advantage of the relaxing Eastshore lifestyle - and in the winter the scenery is better than the summer if you can believe it. More in 2011 - Season's Greetings

Another one bites the dust - Season that is

2010-11-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

Golf season ended on Thanksgiving day and we were able to shut things down without much interference from mother nature. The weather in October was better than it was in September which meant we could aerate the greens, put away all the course furnishings, and put up the protective fences around the greens - all in record time. It was a challenging year - with course renovations and regular maintenance on the go at the same time. All in all it was successful - but I am still happy to see the fall coming.

The final tally on course renovations for 2010 included new tees at 9 holes and 15 bunkers have been completed to date. We have also done some preliminary work on four more bunkers and this is where we will start in 2011. If all goes well we should have the bunkers finished from holes 1-4 by opening day.

Although I am sad to say goodbye to the staff - thanking them all for a job well done - the quiet around the shop and the lodge is refreshing. I am now left by myself for a few months with a little time for reflection. During the off season I am still busy, scheduling, budgeting, planning for 2011 and keeping an eye on the property and especially the greens. I will also be keeping some of the snow away from the lodge and the clubhouse and maybe the cart paths to facilitate walking around. I also plan to set a track for Nordic skiing once the snow is deep enough.

For 2011 we plan to continue with the bunker renovations in earnest to try to get as far as we can so that we can wrap up the project by 2012. Beyond that it will be business as usual. I plan to update this blog occasionally maybe with a few stories or vignettes for posterity.

Kokanee Open and Still Open

2010-09-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

The Men's Open was a huge success. The 100 or so golfers entered experienced a bonus weather day on Saturday: 25 degrees and sunny and then endured a moderately wet day on Sunday but by the mid afternoon the sun was shining and all were in good spirits. I entered the tournament this year and had the privilege and fun and of playing with my in-laws who came from Calgary. My brother in law was actually leading the tournament after nine holes on Sunday but couldn't keep it going against the eventual winner Dan Brown of Kelowna who shot a cool -1 for two days.

My driver let me down on Sunday and I made several poor putts from close in to shoot a 78 on Sunday which tempered my 73 the day before which was a result of 13 straight pars from 1-13 and some poor decisions which led to bogies on easy holes. In my honest and humble opinion my crew did an outstanding job getting the course into shape after several weeks of rain and cool weather. The weekend crew that worked split shifts in the morning and afternoon created some of the fastest greens we've ever seen around here -about 10.5 on the stimpmeter. Saturday morning there was almost a disaster when a large bull elk walked across the fifth green and left huge depressions on the putting surface. It took the careful hand of two people about and hour to make the damage almost invisible and unnoticeable. I especially want to thank my assistant Colin for putting in long hours setting up mowers and making sure everything went smoothly.

During the round on Saturday the 13th hole was invaded by two Grizzly bear cubs - about 2 years old and 250 pounds each - which delayed a few tee shots and made several people nervous. The bears hung around all afternoon and by the time prime rib was served at 5:00 pm they were still seen in the fairway near the clubhouse which created a bit of a freak show with everyone trying to get a look or take a picture from a distance. It's rare for Grizzly bears to come so close to people out in the open and it was a little dangerous to have them so close to the parking lot late at night but luckily nobody got too close.

For the rest of the season we will be readying the course for winter. This week we aerate the tees and starting next week we will aerate the greens and topdress them. A lot of people cringe when they see and aerator on a golf green and they think that this means the greens will be ruined, but the technology is available today to make the impact on the putting surfaces minimal. We plan to aerate with small tines and utilize close spacing and to topdress immediately following the aeration so that there will be minimal disruption. The impact on ball roll will be barely noticeable.

Young Bucks

2010-09-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Seeing pears falling off the tree outside my shop and seeing the deer eating them reminds me what an awesome place this is. It also reminds me that there is only a little time left to take advantage of the weather and do some golfing.

The Kokanee Open is next weekend and all the excitement about the tournament is making me anxious. Partly because we have to prepare the course and get a lot of work done, but also because I haven't played tournament golf for a couple of years. Although the Open is structured a little less formal than most men's tournaments, it's still a great test of golf.

The plan this year is much the same as last year - get the greens to rolls as fast and true as we can., Last year we were able to achieve green speeds about 10.5 and almost 11 on the stimpmeter. This made for some interesting putting on the undulated and tilted greens. It also helped the scores - I think the winner was 4 or 5 under par for two days. Smooth fast greens are conducive to making putts as the ball rolls true and consistently from green to green - the only adjustment is for the speed.

Fall is here -Best time of year

2010-09-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned that that golf traffic was a tad lighter at Kokanee this season than last season. Well forget that.. the dog days of summer are over and we're moving into fall in full force. It seems the traffic has picked up substantially and now with the best time of the year approaching the course is busier than ever. There are a lot of happy faces out there... the grass is green and days are cooler and the golf course is playing fantastic. We're able to dry things out a bit this time of year and this means more roll on the drives and the putts. I have to apologize to the gentleman in the middle of the 17th fairway who I accidentally hit up to yesterday. The ball rolled up to his feet after flying 275 yards in the air and rolling another 50 - it was a career shot -usually I'm in the creek.

Bunker progress is moving along - by the start of next week we will be finished with #1 and on to #2. When we're done with #1 I'll shoot some sweet photos to show the full aesthetic impact on the awesome starting hole. Feedback is great - ev erybody likes the sand and how it plays.

The Kokanee open is fast approaching - only 2 weeks to go. We're going to be busy getting the course in tournament condition with fast greens and firm fairways and lush rough. Last year the weather was incredible 27 degrees both days. I'm planning on playing in it this year and hope at least show well for my 'ahem' 8 handicap. Maybe they'll put me in the first flight so I have a chance.

The course of course!

2010-08-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

The golf industry across the board is seeing a drop in rounds played. Never mind the countless courses going bankrupt in the US, green fee revenues and in some cases membership revenues are down, significantly. Whether it's the economy, or Tiger Woods being vilified - rightly - the bottom line is that the golf boom is over and instead of expansion we're seeing substantial contraction.
Here at Kokanee we're not immune to the dramatic change in people's spending habits and with less disposable income out there we're having to cope with reduced revenues and play. You would think this means that we could save money by reducing services - since there are fewer people to serve. For some parts of the operation this could be true but we are doing our best to make sure the level of service and the quality of the product is maintained.
When it comes to golf course maintenance we have no choice but to keep going the way we have in year's past. Imagine if we decided to stop mowing the rough to save money - we would lose customers and they would lose their golf balls. From my point of view we have to be ready at all times, keeping the course looking and playing great. It is difficult to imagine maintaining a golf course for only a handful of golfers. We're used to throngs of people playing golf all through the year and the lodges are generally full. Right now it's a little bit quieter than normal - almost like a private course where you can play a round and hardly see anybody all day. This is good for pace of play - we're seeing round times around 4 to 4.5 hours - very good for us. This allows people who want to play two rounds of golf in a day to do so and only spend 10 hours on the golf course, including a stop for lunch.

I guess my point is that we have the beautiful golf course in a magnificent location and for the people that are coming here, the experience is that much more enjoyable - not having to deal with slow rounds on hot days. Maybe it's just a bump in the road and maybe next year we'll be back to normal, but for the people who've made the choice to come out here at this time of the year they are experiencing Kokanee as if they owned it - practically alone, playing a tournament ready golf course at their leisure, taking in all that we have to offer - and the best part is the price is right. We've got some incredible late season specials on right now that seem too good to be true - but believe me there are bargains to be had in the world right now and I can't imagine as a golfer, being able to pass up Kokanee in the fall.

2010-08-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

We started with the fairway bunker on #6 which was basically a grassed depression after years of neglect for lack of a better word and this is the result of our bunker reconstruction at that hole. This bunker was originally designed to catch errant tee shots from entering the trees on the left side of the hole. Up until now any shot hit in that direction would bounce through the depression and into the trees. With an expanded edge and new sand the 'retaining' bunker will now work properly. And it looks great and is certainly visible from the tee. Currently we are repairing fairway bunkers on 1, 2, and 3 and then we will start on greenside bunkers on #1 and move forward from there.

One thing to keep in mind about the new sand is that it will take a little time to set up and compact so you may experience some soft lies for a few weeks but once the sand firms up there should be no problems.

A Beautiful Sight

2010-08-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Bunker renovations have begun. We have sourced new sand and it will have a huge impact on the look and the playability of the golf course. Compare the new sand to the old sand in the background. The consistency of the sand alone - no more rocks - will make so many people happy.

Growing Grass at Kokanee

2010-07-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

I got a message in my in box that a guest had asked what type of grass we grow in the fairways. I forgot to phone him back so I hope he's reading this. Our region of the Kootenays is unique, even compared to some of the areas to East like Cranbrook and Invermere. Our climate is mild in the winter and warm to hot in the summer with and the transition from winter to summer and summer to winter can be characterized as wet and cool. This allows us to grow Ryegrass, a less hardy species that would typically not survive the winter anywhere it gets cold and windy - like Alberta, and most parts of BC where Kentucky Bluegrass is the preferred and dominant species on the fairways, tees and roughs.

Ryegrass seed can germinate in as little as 4 days and it grows quickly into a dense stand of turf. When mown short it has a light green colour and a very nice dark green colour when it grows a bit taller. The growth habit of Ryegrass is completely different than Kentucky Bluegrass which via rhizomes (underground lateral growing stems) can form a dense mat of material. Ryegrass is a tillering grass that does not grow laterally. The difference is most noticeable in the rough. In Calgary for instance the KB rough are mowed at 2" or more and still fairly easy to play out of as the ball will sit up on the mat of material. Here, the Ryegrass rough is mowed at 1.25" and the ball sits down, almost to the soil. We cannot mow the rough here too long or people will lose their balls - something I found out while playing at Torrey Pines (same grass in rough) just after the San Diego open in February - the rough was still over 2" long and it was challenging to find and then play errant shots hit into it- but I digress.

The question was related to the fairways and this is where the answer gets weird. Although we try to grow Ryegrass in the fairways they are mostly Annual Bluegrass - the same genus as Kentucky Bluegrass but a completely different species. Annual Bluegrass by Latin toxomoic name is called poa annua. Poa annua is a less hardy, light coloured, invasive and less desired species. It does well in areas that are wet, compacted, and mown short. It does poorly in high heat and low temperatures. It grows well in coastal climates on heavy soils. I would estimate that our fairways are more than 50% poa annua and 50% Ryegrass.

Heights of cut and grass type at Kokanee Springs:

Roughs: Rye/Annual Blue 1.25" or 35 mm

Fairways: Rye/Annual Blue 0.500" or 35 mm

Tees and Aprons: Rye/Annual Blue/Kentucky blue 0.500" or 35 mm

Greens: Creeping Bent/Annual Blue 0.130" or 3.25 mm

Summer Heat

2010-07-08T06:19:00.001-07:00

The golf course is suddenly very busy. We've hit a patch of very warm weather and we are experiencing an influx of golfers. During the hot periods, the grounds crew is running full out trying to keep up with the watering requirements and the mowing requirements. Funny how that works - grass + sun + warm/hot + water = long, green grass. It's all part of the wonderful world of Kokanee Springs. The inconvenience for the golfers is that we sometimes water peripheral areas of turf during play. We apologize in advance, and at times the rotating sprinklers are somewhat of a hazard to try and avoid - lest you have to run up and quickly hit your ball or pick it up to avoid getting soaked - although when it is 35 degrees this can be a bonus.

The old irrigation system - antique more like - is sometimes a challenge and it requires some careful planning to get all the turf watered on a rotating basis. In order to ensure that we don't develop dry or dead spots we leave the sprinklers in the ground during the day - these monolithic, protruding sprinklers obfuscate the scenery and mar the view of the golf course but that is by design. If the sprinklers weren't so obvious we'd have a lot more of them run over by golfers and mowers. This year we've had a total of 10 sprinklers damaged and each time one is hit it requires about two hours of labour and $100 worth of parts to repair. Our system works in such a way that we can't leave any broken sprinklers for the next day - they need to be repaired posthaste. I know it's tempting, and I've thought about running one or two over from time to time but to maintain our turf to the exacting standards of the Kokanee clientele we'd all be better off leaving them as they are. Local rules here at Kokanee should allow for free relief from sprinkler heads and in fact I would recommend moving your ball should it come to rest close to a sprinkler.

The tee box construction is wrapping up for 2010 and we have moved into the bunker renovation phase. The new bunker sand will make a huge impact on the appearance and playability of the golf course. The sand will be almost white - salt and pepper - and besides the fresh look golfers will notice a substantial improvement to the consistency of the sand across the course - once all the bunkers are complete in 2012. We are starting with the first hole and working our way forward. Hopefully, if all goes well we should have completed up to #4 by the end of the year. By doing a few bunkers at a time we will have very little impact on the enjoyment of the golf course on any given day.

Sustainable Golf - nice try.

2010-06-24T06:58:00.001-07:00

The US Open... at Pebble Beach... it could have been worse. But not according to some of the professionals that failed to win. The last time the US open was at Pebble in 2000, the golf course was setup properly. I don't mean the tee markers and the pin locations I mean the maintenance and the mowing patterns. It was obviously a tough test for most golfers who struggled to make par (except Tiger Woods if you remember - 12). This time around everybody was subject to attrition and frustration. I played Pebble Beach some years ago - but it was in December and it was raining - I thoroughly enjoyed it - it was green.

The USGA tried to make the course more challenging (not necessary) by moving entire fairways several yards closer to the ocean and bunkers. They also reduced the greens to pitted and pocked marble like surfaces that required more luck than skill the navigate. The goal of the USGA was to show everybody that golf is sustainable - by reducing the water applied to the golf course. The word sustainable does not apply here. If golf courses other than those with huge budgets were to attempt to create and sustain those conditions there would be a lot of dead turf out there.

Moving the fairways is not something you can do by simply adjusting the mowing patters. It was obvious that the rye grass had been shaved on the right side of #6 - you could see the colour difference between the normal right edge of the fairway - which is predominantly light green annual bluegrass - and the darker grass. This would have been done months in advance but still required a great deal of TLC - and water - to ensure the rye did not die during the process. Of course it always rains in Monterrey so applying water via irrigation was not necessary. But you could tell by the brown and hard areas that water had been withheld everywhere - except on the tee boxes which were emerald green and nicely striped for TV.

The greens were mottled brown and green. The term Localize Dry Spot is a misnomer and the USGA I think was aiming for Localize Green Spot. It was funny to see one golfer try to bounce one up to the front pin on 15 only to have his ball stop short of the green because it landed too close to a sprinkler head. You could tell the greens were in bad shape by the way the ball wobbled as it rolled over the irregular brown spots that were everywhere. Annual bluegrass needs more than corrective watering to survive. I don't buy the USGA's explanation that the traffic of 150 golfer making the greens bumpy - it was obvious there was barely any living grass to support the ball evenly across the surfaces.

We could never get away with that at Kokanee. We shoot for fast greens but without a large budget and ten agronomists running around monitoring the grass every five minutes we have to keep the greens alive -so sorry you won't be seeing that here. What you will find are annual bluegrass greens that are green and alive. The ball won't roll 20 feet on a tap in but it will roll evenly. Putting the stimpmeter on the greens this morning and getting the usual 9' to 9.5' reading I am satisfied that our golfers will appreciate their round more than if the greens were dried out, stimping at 14' and the ball wobbled and hopped all over the greens like my favorite game on the price is right - PLINKO.

Time for some reflection

2010-06-14T12:16:00.001-07:00

The solstice is approaching and shorter days are coming. The shortest night of the year is on June 20th which means the longest day for sunlight and for golf is the 21st. The days will get shorter but for a few months they will be warmer as the sun loads up the atmosphere with heat. It's called summer and it's been a long time coming for me especially. We've been going full out since the early party of January and in my mind at least the work we've done has paid off. The goal now is to keep the course in peak condition until just after the Kokanee Open in late September. I might even play in it this year.From what I saw last year it will be a blast.

I'm not sure where the golf industry is heading right now. It feels like there is lull in people's desire to golf and we're seeing a few more open spots on the tee sheet this season. It's not so bad that you could land a 747 on the 9th fairway at noon but we're not getting the average 5,000 rounds a month we normally get. The part of my job I like the least is seeing open holes on the golf course - only because the one thing I like to do more than work on a golf course is play on one. To me it's like being hungry and not being able to dig in to the awesome breakfast buffet we serve up on weekends.

Another aspect of my job I don't like is not getting feedback. I take compliments and complaints equally. When someone complains it means they have high expectations of my crew and I and we try to meet those expectations. Without feedback we don't know if we're doing a good job or if there is anything we can do better. There are the times when people complain about pin positions, or a messy on-course washroom and generally the complaints are valid and I take them all seriously. In fact I get a sinking feeling in my stomach when I get a call on the radio saying we got a phone call from a golfer that wasn't happy with say, the position of the bunker rakes. Even though there isn't much I can do about that at any given time, it still makes me feel that we didn't do something that someone else thought we should have done.

Finally Some Golf

I played golf on Saturday. I shot a 77 and felt pretty good about the day - mostly because it wasn't raining and because I got the chance to play with three great playing partners; a friend in the industry and my predecessor, Jerry Rousseau, my assistant Colin Wastrodowski, and the Manager of Golf Operations Ryan Latta. Ryan played the back nine with us on one of the sunniest and warmest mornings of the year so far. I've always been an early morning golfer so this was a treat. The sun was warm, the sky was blue, the wind was non-existent and the golf course was green and tight. The ball was rolling and it seemed I couldn't miss a green but my favorite part of the day was the scenery. Mountains, trees, sunlight, blue sky, vegetation and wildlife combine to make this property special and unique. I think a lot of new courses look fabricated and the vistas contrived, but at Kokanee you get a new view on every hole and once in a while you see something natural that looks almost supernatural, no surreal. I think that is a cliche but it's true - it cerebral and vicseral at the same time. It's the one thing.

When it Rains it isn't snowing

2010-05-30T06:40:00.001-07:00

I was in Banff for a couple of days last week and my wife and I made a quick getaway after the heavy snowfall warning was issued on Thursday morning. I lived in the North for 30 years so May snowstorms aren't uncommon for me - it seems this year the Alberta side of the Rockies seems to be getting more snow later in the year than normal. Here on the Easthore the weather has been fantastic. Sunny and warm. Yesterday it poured rain and you would think this would chase people off the course but considering the conditions in Alberta, most golfers were content to tough it out - even in shorts and short sleeves. There are some die hard golfers at Kokanee.

Dealing with the weather on the Eastshore can be challenging. I've only been here a year but I've learned enough to say that the forecast is always mostly wrong. This fact makes it 'fun' to conduct maintenance operations; wondering if we should irrigate, or trying to mow down 2" rough that's under 1" of water, or on a moment's notice restricting all cart traffic to paths only. We usually get a good week of hard rain in Early June and then it's clear and sunny and hot.

The heat can be tough for me - trying to keep the grass green - but great for the golfers who can take advantage of an early morning round and then hit the lake in the afternoon. Most of my staff appreciate the proximity of the lake and take full advantage of the abundance clean warm water. Often it is a mad rush around 1:30 in the afternoon to take a dip or go boating. Pretty easy going life we live out here.

Last bit about the weather. I've never lived in a location that didn't have a moderate amount of wind every afternoon in the summer. The Eastshore is different - it is almost never windy - seriously. It's very strange to see the mid afternoon sun and 35 degree heat without wind. Our micro climate is so different than Cranbrook and even Creston- towns that are exposed to the South westerlies that blow every afternoon. And in the winter, that means -5 is more like -5 and not -20.

The golf course renovations are coming along. We've finished 6 tee boxes and should be done this year's schedule for tee box construction by the end of the month. We will open the first six by early July at which time we will institute four teeing locations at every hole. For the time being some of the tees will feature doubled-up tee markers until we can get all the forward tees finished. We're eager to get to the bunker renovations and will press hard once we get them started.

Splendor in the grass

2010-05-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

'Sable' guards the pond.

The storm that was predicted did not hit so hard. Some of the blossoms are hanging around. We did get some rain but now the sun is out and it is going to be a great day at the Springs. The long weekend is pretty busy by the looks of things and even I am getting a chance to play some golf. If I played a little more I might be able to justify some new clubs and in fact I was at the Nike demo days on Thursday trying out the Nike blades that Tiger plays. Back in the day I could golf the ball but now I'm struggling to maintain a 10 handicap so maybe those clubs are out of my league - or maybe not.

One aspect of my job that I love, especially here at Kokanee, is the early mornings, before the golfers are out. The sun is just coming up and it is very peaceful. This time of year, with the snow on the mountains in the background juxtaposed above the lush green golf course, the vistas are incredible and the atmosphere is magical.

The golf course is setting up well right now. Cool nights and a little precipitation - not too much - keep it looking good and the greens are smoothing out nicely - the stimpmeter reading this morning was 8.5 - 9.0 - pretty good for May. We're managing to keep the greens rolling without inducing any disease. Sometimes we have to sacrifice greenspeed in favour of integrated pest management to reduce our dependency on pesticides. In our part of the world pesticides are a bad thing, but it's funny how ignorant, for lack of a better word, people are about the subject.

A pesticide is any substance that kills a pest. Pesticides include herbicides for weeds, fungicides for fungi (snow mould), rodenticides, insecticides and more. On the golf course we are primarily focused on growing turf so anything that interferes with or inhibits healthy turf growth is considered a pest. Dandelions are pests not because they are yellow but because they compete for nutrients and water with turf. Over time Dandelions and other weeds can populate rapidly and the turf will loose vigour. Snow moulds and other fungi attack the grass plants when the weather conditions and other factors are conducive for infection. Generally unhealthy grass is more easily infected than healthy turf.

The goal of any superintendent is to make the grass as healthy as possible to resist disease pressure. Sometimes the weather has more to do with disease pressure than anything we can do and pesticides are needed to maintain the quality of the turf - especially on the putting greens. If pesticides were completely banned in BC, golf courses would suffer tremendous turf loss and the quality of the playing surfaces would decline significantly. Organizations that claim that all pesticides are toxic or cause cancers or have other negative effects on human health are stretching the truth - no - they are lying. In the hands of a trained and certified professional such as a golf course superintendent, pesticides can be applied efficiently and accurately and in a way that poses absolutely no risk to golfers or the environment.

Having said that, it is our goal at Kokanee Springs to limit our dependency on pesticides and only apply them when absolutely necessary. Since the start of the year we have applied a total of 1 lb. of fungicides on the greens and that was back in February. I can't say we won't have to apply anymore this year, we certainly will at some point, but when we do, the safety of the golfers and the integrity of the environment will not be compromised. Sable is happy to hear that.

Calm before the storm

2010-05-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd show the colours of spring at Kokanee just before the big storm that is predicted for tonight. Thunderstorms on the Eastshore can be pretty intense - the lake seems to add some energy - and there's a good chance some of the blossoms on the apple trees won't be on the trees in the morning. Since we have some 60 flowering fruit trees on the course you can imaging the change in scenery from one day to the next if mother nature flexes her muscles. She's pretty tough.

This photo also shows that we are in full swing on the maintenance crew. With ultra warm days and nights the grass has literally exploded with lush green growth. I don't want to give away any secrets but it's actually pretty easy to grow grass on the Eastshore - no pun intended. The hard part is keeping it cut and mowed to the exacting standards of the discerning Kokanee clientele. It's all we can do right now to keep up - there's no shortage of grass on the Eastshore - no pun intended.

With the May long weekend approaching we are gearing up to plant a bazillion annual flowers in anticipation of the last frost - which I think was last Saturday. The gardening crew have been busy prepping the gardens, adding compost and manure and edging and trimming. Even without flowers the gardens look spectacular. We are adding a new garden at the new forward tee on #11 which should enhance the vista. I don't want to say that the new tees are for the ladies; being PC they are not - they are simply forwards tees - but the gardens will entice golfers of all levels of expertise to hit from a spot closer to the green.

The forward tee construction project is becoming a reality - four of them are complete with a fifth to be completed by tomorrow. Once the tees for this year are finished we will start renovating the bunkers. We are undertaking the renovation with our own small project crew so that the disruption to golf is minimal or negligible. Of course this means we will be working at a slower pace than if a contractor had been hired but we're keeping to the preferred lifestyle on the Eastshore which can be categorized as Kootenay Lake casual.

Opening Day

2010-04-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Opening day was moved to the usual middle of April date this season. Last season we were open by the 10th of April but the condition of the course was such that getting around the course was difficult (snow and soft fairways). This season with the later start things are significantly drier and snow free. Right now we are into mid-spring conditions and well ahead of the pace for last season.

As per the normal plan we are still babying the turf to encourage strong growth - which will allow for the turf to be able to withstand the upcoming summer heat. But forget summer, the last couple of days we saw 27 degrees here in Crawford Bay - well above normal - and today with a sprinkle of rain the grass is even greener than in the photo above.

The elk are moving on finally and we are getting to repair some of the damage they did during the mild winter. They seemed to like to all walk past the greens just outside the elk fences which created a few rough areas next to #1, #12, and #16 greens. We've filled in the ruts and seeded to encourage new turf.

The greens are in fine shape, when he sun comes back out I will take a few more photos and post them here. I am actually quite amazed at how healthy the turf is on the putting surfaces compared to last season. This means we won't have to live through a transition period from winter to spring - or at least it won't be as long. With some topdressing and rolling the rugs are smoothing out and stimpmeter readings are as high as 8' - pretty good for April 22nd - and certainly far better than last season.

The plan for 2010 is to keep the greens healthy and to get the ball to roll more consistently from green to green. To help this I have purchased a roller (see photo in previous post) and a new grinder for the cutting units. The new grinder will allow us to fine tune the greensmowers more quickly and more often than in years past. The quality of the cut will improve as will the roll of the ball - and a great side benefit is the health of the turf won't be compromised as it was with the old grinder. As a golfer and as a superintendent I am very happy.

If you have any comments or questions please click on comments and add your input. I will try to respond in a timely manner - but no promises.

A Roling Stone Gathers No Moss

2010-03-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Things are certainly rolling along for the grounds maintenance operations. Besides the usual spring clean up and turf prep we go through every year, we have a large number of trees to remove - danger trees that were felled last fall - and some brush clearing. We are also undertaking some golf course renovations this season which will include the construction of forward tee boxes (2 year plan) and bunker renovations (3-5 year plan).

The forward tee boxes will add an optional teeing area for those that find some of the holes a bit longer than they would like.

The bunkers are long overdue for renovation and we aren't going to do anything halfway. The bunkers will be completely gutted and reconstructed to include drainage and new sand. The design of the bunkers will not change very much as we are not trying to re-invent the wheel, however some smaller fairway bunkers will be consolidated into a single larger bunker (the right of #3) and some poorly placed bunkers will be covered over with sod (right of #17 green on the hillside).

What this means is that we will finally be caring for some of the ageing features of the golf course which should spruce the place up. This all falls into place under a master plan which was formulated last season and there will be a large poster-size drawing of the plan with architect's notation on the wall in clubhouse sometime in the near future. As always I will be available to answer any questions.

Fruits of our labour...

2010-03-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

Getting a better look at things once the ice melted we were happy to see that the damage on the greens was negligible. This photo of the sixth green shows what the greens looked like on February 18th. We actually mowed this green prior to taking the photo that day. We have since mowed the rest of the greens a couple of times - to stay ahead of the rapidly growing grass. This unseasonably warm weather has continued into March and things are certainly green. I anticipate that we will be in mid-summer condition on opening day April 17.

P.S. I see that the tee sheet is light for opening weekend so there is a lot of opportunity for golfers to take advantage of the early season specials. Given the condition of the golf course today I know I will be chomping at the bit to get out there.

The longest short winter ever...

2010-03-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

Things were not looking good for us back in December. Tragically mild weather followed intense cold and heavy snow which created a thick layer of ice across the property. The fragile grass plants were calling out to be saved from under the ice that covered the greens. In my experience ice that early in the winter can be catastrophic so we were forced into action and by late January we had removed all the snow and had begun chopping and slicing and shovelling and chipping away. Knowing that winter had lingered well into April over the pasty two years I knew the chance of all the grass surviving under a layer of asphyxiating ice was slim. Fortunately the same weird weather patterns that helped to create the ice in December became more intense and we experienced the warmest and driest February on record - the end result was that our work and the weather helped to thin and then completely melt the ice prior to the middle of February. Continued warm weather has aided in bringing the grass out of winter dormancy now we are experiencing some of the best early spring conditions ever.