Sorry for the lack of updates...we've been very busy.

Our latest project has brought a nice bit of color to a bit of an eyesore.  The "Triangle" as we call it, the area between 9 & 16.

The area had failed a few times over the years mainly due to lack of irrigation.   This time we just geared up and got it all done in a matter of hours.  New irrigation and a new landscape, hopefully this will now be an area that we all enjoy when we pass it....instead of cringing.  The tree in the center is a Red Canadian Cherry, surrounded by yellow knockout roses.

 
                                                       MUCH BETTER NOW !!!

Thanks for tuning in....JohnnyP

It's been a while since I have been in the office long enough to update my blog...been on the course working with all this great weather.

Our Greens Drainage program started right on time yesterday.  Golf Preservations from Kentucky is currnetly wrapping up work on #1.  To say their work is meticulous is not giving them enough credit.

The greens are first surveyed to be certain of the flow of water.  Sod is stipped off the green, carefully laid to the side to be replaced exactly where it came from.  The material is then trenched out of the green onto plywood and removed from the site.  New, clean properly draining material or greensmix is then added to the 15" trench after a 2" diameter pipe has been installed in the bottom of the trench.  The material is packed, the sod re-installed and tamped.  Green will be open again once all trenches are completed and the green is clean and ready for play. 

 Another project completed this week was a newly landscaped entrance way to the course from the road between the practice greens.  Looks good from the road, the clubhouse and as you head over to start your round.

We also did a new planting by the clubhouse cart area.  Massed in with Native ornamental grasses as well as the pro shop entrance area with many new plants including the popular "Knockout Roses".

 Another project this week...
"Spaghetti mat" - a slip free walkway is the new surface covering the bridge to the 14th green.  Our mechanic, Pat, lead the way with this one by first jacking up, leveling and then securing the bridge.  The mat was then installed and secured with siderails.  Rain is coming tonight so we will paint the support rails and siderails next week.

Yet another project....

The Leyland Cypress trees were installed near the chipping/practice area.  These trees can grow up to 3 feet per year and will provide an excellent screening of Breeze Hill Road and give the practice area a much more private feel.













The weather has been exceptional and we are about 3 weeks ahead of normal out on the course, everything is coming together very nicely for the early season.  Hope you enjoy some of the changes out there.    Stump grinder just arrrived so next week we will be knocking that off the list as well.

See you on the course soon!   JohnnyP


Had to add this too....of course, very proud.

Nick Paquette receiving MVP award from SWHS Basketball Coach McKillop

My thoughts for the day in a photo tribute to to all Superintendents....thanks to Cinnibar Hills Supt. Boyer for sharing this seemingly realistic collage.

Almost go time......

With the weather forecast looking as it does...we can anticipate opening the golf course next week (March 7th).  Joe Pro and staff will be open on weds, and if all stays as is, the course will be open then as well.

We quad tined and over seeded the greens this week.  Pencil sized solid holes, barely noticeable.  Last falls major aeration has healed up completely already due to this crazy "winter" weather.  

We are just getting our staff back now so the amount of cleanuup and course prep to do is extensive.  Please be aware that there is a lot of work going on for the next 6 - 8 weeks in preparation for the season.  Having said that, you will still be able to come out and play to all 18 greens and enjoy some VERY early season play. 

It is extremely critical to the health and playability of the greens that players are diligent about ball mark repair.  Last year our greens were devastated by unrepaired ball marks.
Right now there is not a single ball mark on any of our greens, please do your best to keep them in this condition.  Grass is not growing now, so if the greens get clobbered with ball marks they can not heal.

If you do come out and play Please abide by the 3 basic rules of golf etiquette, this will ensure the others playing get to enjoy the course too -  And, the course conditions will not deteriorate.

PLEASE................

1) REPAIR ALL BALL MARKS ON GREENS

2) REPLACE DIVOTS (no sand available ) put divots back in place

3) RAKE BUNKERS


Thanks for checking in.....see you out there soon!!!
-JohnnyP



There is a limited supply of nearly dry split firewood available at the maintenance area.  If interested please call ahead (757-0555) to let us know you are coming.  I was able to burn some of this over the weekend with only minor "sizzling".
 

Rainy day, office cleaning and painting and.....

Running into many photos from the past 17 years here at IHCC.  Realizing how fast it all goes by and what a great career choice i made by accepting this position back in December of 1995.  



2001 - # 12 from the tee



2003 - # 12 from the tee

What a great and massive project this was.  As much as that land continues to move now, just imagine what it would be like now if the ownership did not take the steps to make this improvement.  I'd have to say that by now, # 12 would be long gone.  Something that should be keeping things in perspective.



Superintendent & Professional - a few years back and most importantly
still great friends.   John & Joe probably back around 2000.   





10 fairway Spring 2011



15 Fairway spring 2011



2006 ad in Golf Course Management - I still stand by this statement! Best investment we've ever made was this vertidrain, deep tine aeration machine.

17th Season coming up and as excited about it as my 1st !

Looking forward to a fantastic 2012. 

Back on # 9 again...

Once the trees were removed, the stumps pulled, the area graded, and the new trees were installed - we took a look at the 9th hole from the tee.  It became very apparent that this is an exceptionally good time to possibly make some progress into the master plan presentation and add a fairway bunker to the 9th hole.

Greens Chairman Nick Pecora was here to see both the removal of the stumps and installation of the new trees.  We then discussed the addition of a fairway bunker and decided to "rough one in".  This meant our talented Assistant, Phil Rosati, (who should have been a golf course shaper - he has incredible vision and ability) could jump on the skid steer and have some fun.   Once the bunker was "roughed in" - sort of a quick, let's see what it looks like idea, I called our PGA pro Joe Laurentino, who promptly jumped in his car to come on over and take a look.  Nick Pecora also made another visit to check it out and while all 4 of us liked it - we all agreed that while a bunker needs to be there, it is not quite right because a bunker should not have a tree between it and the green.   

With that in mind, we changed our thought process a bit, Mr. Pecora thought if the top end of the bunker was more towards the fairway it would reduce the tree's interference.  Back into the skid steer Phil went and with some back and forth conversations and earth moving we changed the one large bunker into two smaller bunkers which would allow for a much larger chance of a ball coming to rest in (what will become) our now expanded and somewhat flatter  fairway extension. 

Once the "rough in" was near completion, I brought our managing owner - YM Yang out to see what we were doing, he thought it was a very good and a well thought out plan and then, after discussing the financial aspect of the project, stamped his approval to move forward. 

As you can now see from the pictures above, the two smaller bunkers on the right have been re-aligned.  The bunker closer to the green was moved nearer the fairway and the lower bunker was condensed to provide more of a landing area.  We also removed the last "bump" in the series of bumps & humps which will also allow for another flatter lie. 

The white lines in the bunkers on the right, allowed us to see the "sand line" from the tee, this insured that the visual of the bunkers from the tee shot was appropriate.  The final product will be fantastic!               

                                   Hoping the weather stays good, so we can keep working!

                 Also wanted to post these shots of #16 looking towards #9 green

             9 green is No longer in sight from the 16th tee due to the addition of 7 large trees on Tuesday

 

      Hope you are all enjoying my blog about what's happening on the links, see you soon!

                                                                         BTW.....

...Nick and the JV boys from SWHS rocked at Newfield yesterday,
Nick had 19 points in the victory

The exceptional weather this winter has allowed us to continue working on projects.  This week we have really accomplished an incredible amount of work on the 9th hole.  On Monday, we had an excavator here to pull out some major stumps on 9 & 10.  Excavator??? think of it this way, baby teeth come out with a little wiggle and tug, wisdom teeth require an "IXTRACTM" visit and surgery.  Same with trees, little trees - no big deal - 70 year old trees have major roots and require Major equipment to do it right.  We had to walk the large machine in on plywood planks so no damage was done on the way in or out.  Once dug, the stumps were so massive that we could only put one in our dump truck at a time, the photo to the left show the monstrous stump being dropped to remove soil.  (No, it didn't land on those legs, but it is a funny photo) The removal procedure took an entire day to pull 13 stumps that would have been directly involved with play areas.  Other stumps out of play will be ground down with a stump grinding machine, hopefully next week - again weather permitting.

On Tuesday, we had local tree experts Conserv-a-Tree come in with their giant tree spade.  They were able to move 7 trees for us from out of the way areas to the rough between 9 & 16.   Some trees as tall as 25 feet were placed carefully to provide separation of the two holes.  Three large Red Cedars were placed further up the 9th fairway to block out the view of 9 green from 16 tee, a really huge improvement.  Sr Staffer Miguel Flores jumped in so we could show you the size of the transplant holes.

                                            Thanks for following the blog, more info soon.



Smithtown's Nick Paquette skys to block shot by No. Babylon player

                                        Big Hoop game today for Nick and Crew...Go Bulls!!!