In a Nutshell

With mother nature hammering Alberta with a blizzard for the next few days, it is safe to say winter is here to stay. We had a few stressful days in November where we were very close to having precipitation fall as rain and potentially form ice on the turf. Substantial ice formation this time of the year on turf will almost always lead to dead turf in the spring if not removed. We were lucky that the course had a few inches of snow cover during these events to prevent this precipitation from reaching the turf.

9 green snow cover - Nov 21

Andrew and myself have just returned from the annual Alberta Golf Superintendent's Association property managers conference in Canmore. The conference is a great place to build our professional networks, increase our knowledge, and bring back new ideas that will help Dinosaur Trail Golf and Country Club. As a professional I believe that the only way you can improve your operation is through education. I will be looking to implement a handful of new ideas in 2014 and work towards continuing to provide consistent playing conditions as well as making sure our operation is efficient as possible.

1st cut on greens April 26th 2013

I have taken the last few days to look over my daily notes and reflect on what I believe was a successful 2013. The season started a little later than normal, but with little to no turf damage from winter we hit the ground running. The turf care team this season was one of the best I have had in my 12 year career. A word I would use to describe this year's team would be automatic. Everyone bought into our team first mentality and that is a huge reason why I believe we were successful. If something needed to be done on the course, it did not matter who you were, it got done without any hesitation. I anticipate a very similar look to next years turf team, but there will always be a few changes.

Flooding on the 18th fwy

As far as the golf course, we had our ups and downs. We were lucky to escape any serious flood damage, but the heavy rains and subsequent run off damaged turf, filled in drainage trenches, and caused substantial erosion on the back nine. We repaired as much of the damage as we could "in house" but with little to no money to make repairs, these areas will be problems in the spring.

Our team members from the Drumheller Institution spent a majority of the season pruning the trees on the front nine. The work they did is evident by the huge pile of brush you can see as you turn into the golf course. Trees and tree roots are the largest issue on the front nine at the present time. Andrew and myself have identified a few problematic trees that will be removed before the 2014 golf season. As well in the spring we will be doing some root pruning along fairways and around greens. As we continue to remove trees from the property a plan is being developed over the winter to start replacing the poplars with new species of trees to ensure the course does not lose its identity.

Overall I was happy with the playing surfaces on the course. Next season we plan to focus on our cultural practices to ensure the course stays competitive with other courses in the Calgary area. As time goes on this will prove to be difficult to stay competitive if the club does not make any capital improvements. Our turf care team will do everything we can to keep the course at the standards we have set for it. The fact is that next year it will take more time and resources to keep the course at the same standards we had this year, if improvements are not made in a few areas.

I am optimistic for the future of  the Dinosaur Trail Golf and Country Club. We have made some positive strides the last two years and our turf care team will continue to put in an honest effort every day. Our team goal each day is to make sure we leave the course better than the day before.

Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement during the 2013 season. I look forward to seeing everyone out at the course for some of our Christmas events.