Taking Shape

Turf on 9 green under snow cover

It is hard to believe that February is here and the season is right around the corner. The course is wintering well with a minimum of 6 to 8 inches of snow blanketing all turf. All greens are still clear of ice as Drumheller has not received the high winds and warm temps caused by Chinooks this winter. Being in the valley keeps our average temperature lower than the surrounding area and the chance of snow melting then turning to ice, very minimal this time of year.

This is going to be another exciting year for the Dinosaur Trail turfcare team. Our core group of staff members will be back to start the season and hopefully hit the ground running. We have added Colton Luke , a turfgrass management student from Olds College to our team as our irrigation tech/intern. Colton has a handful of years under his belt working at the Creston Golf Club and will no doubt be a great addition to our team.

This past month I had the opportunity to travel to Olds College to do a presentation for the turfgrass management students. I always enjoy my time interacting the students as I believe it is important for Dinosaur Trail to continue its relationship with Olds College for the future.


Doing a presentation at Olds College

I have been busy planning for the upcoming season, with tree work and playing surfaces being at the top of the list due to budget constraints. In all reality we should continue to make capital improvements in the course such as cart paths repairs, installing drainage, irrigation upgrades, and bunker renovations. These capital improvements have been neglected in the past, and any work we complete this season will only be a temporary fix. I believe they call it putting lipstick on a pig. Considering all aspects of the golf course except the back nine greens have surpassed their life expectancy, it is going to be an impossible task to keep Dinosaur Trail competitive with other courses if capital improvements are not on the horizon. Hopefully we will have the support of our lifetime, corporate, and regular members this season to ensure that the golf course continues to evolve.

Finally I would like to congratulate Andrew Smith our Assistant Superintendent in completing his Bachelor Degree in Applied Science with a major in Golf Course Management. He has spent this past year completing his directed field study , which was the final requirement in the 4 year program. This degree will no doubt aid Andrew in his career as he makes his way up the industry ladder. It is definitely a common goal for both of us to remove the stigma from our profession as simply "grass cutters" by educating golfers a variety ways, such as this blog.

Please feel free contact me by email or phone is you ever have any questions.

Mitch