As I sit here watching our first fairway green up it reminds me how much work goes into getting golf courses at altitude ready for the golf season. Check it out!

• October: Fungicide application on greens tees and fairways to prevent snow mold
• October: Fencing off of all greens and tees to prevent traffic wear during winter
• March :Snow blowing of all cart paths to access greens and tees
• March 15: Snow blowing of all greens and tees

• March 15: Removal of any ice build up on greens by hand
• April: Daily covering and uncovering of greens with tarps to help increase soil temperature
• April: Removal of all debris from golf course by hand to get ready for cutting
• April: Verticutting of all greens tees, fairways and surrounds to remove any snow mould
• April: Begin cutting greens at ¼ inch (tee height) Heights get lowered gradually during month of April.
• April: Bunker preparation. Raking of all bunkers, checking sand depths and adding sand where needed.

• April: Firing up of irrigation system and checking for any damage to sprinkler heads from winter freeze.

• April: Re-sodding of any areas where turf was lost during the winter
• April: fertilization of greens, tees, surrounds and fairways to improve growth.
• April: Final verticutting and top dressing of greens to improve green speed
• May 8- open!!

I’m sure Dave my Superintendent will tell me I’ve missed a bunch but as you can see it all happens in a very short window in the spring. Being so close to Vancouver many people forget we are covered in four feet of snow until late March and our grow in takes a little longer than the other courses in Vancouver. That being said our crew does a great job and we get in great condition very quickly.
Let us know how we are doing when you play this summer and don’t forget to hug your local golf course superintendent!

AK

As I sit here in my office watching my Assistant Superintendent blowing the snow off the first tee, I am resisting the urge to tee up a ball with my new Nike Str 8 Fit driver and launch a few into the snowy winter land! It does however remind me that it is time to do my annual spring equipment check to ensure I’m ready to get the season underway. Here are some equipment tips for you that I guarantee will help you play better.

Time for new clubs? Golf club technology continues to improve. If you haven’t bought a new driver for example in the last 3 or 4 years you are leaving distance and better accuracy on the table.

CUSTOM FITTING: We provide this service free of charge at our Learning and Performance Centre with any club purchase. During fitting we will ensure your irons have the right shaft flex and length. We will also ensure your irons have the right lie angle. We will pick an iron head that suits your ability. Lastly, we will pick a grip that is the right size and firmness for you. We will also pick a driver head that gives you optimum launch angel and spin to help you hit the ball farther. Nike’s 360 fitting system allows us to combine different iron, hybrid, driver and fairway wood heads with different shaft flex’s and lengths to custom fit the perfect clubs for you.

Checkout Nike’s new St8Fit driver here.

HAPPY WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT?

If you have fairly new gear you should take a look at your grips before starting the season. Worn grips will make you squeeze the club tighter and look out swing tempo!
We feature the latest grips from Winn and will install them for you in a day.

SAY GOODBYE TO LONG IRONS!

I haven’t hit a three iron in three years. Some would argue I didn’t hit them well before then anyway but that’s for another blog. If you have never hit a hybrid club before come over to the LPC and demo a few. I carry the 18 and 21 degree hybrids in my bag which replace in theory my 2 and 3 iron. I can hit these anywhere from 200 to 220 yards. The difference is they are really easy to hit and I hit them really high meaning they land on the green softly. For most golfers I see out there, I personally think they shouldn’t have anything lower than a 5 iron in your bag. Go driver, three wood, 18, 21, 24 degree hybrids, 5 iron to pw, sand wedge, lob wedge, putter. Thank me later!

If you are all geared up, then spend your golf winnings on a lesson. Take one early in the spring and go to work for a few weeks then return for a follow up. It shocked me how many player’s don’t seek help for their game. I’m at the range once a week for a tune up.
Check your gear, get fit and get a pro to get you on track for the upcoming season

AK