With another .5 inches on Saturday, the May total is 5.25.  We will continue to pump to help dry out.  It looks like Monday and Tuesday will be very warm.  This will help in drying, but disease pressure will increase.  I plan on spraying  preventative application on greens Monday and tees soon.  In the next week or so, we plan on putting out grub control.

More Rain

We got another 1.5 inches or rain Wednesday night.  That's close to 3 inches in the last 2 days.  The crew will do it's best to prepare the course for the weekend.  The weather forecast is looking better for the weekend.

#2 Lake by Grounds Department, notice the red hazzard stake

When we get too much rain, the ditch backs up onto the golf course.  Valves are closed in Lansing that help protect the homes from getting flooded.  It usually goes down within a day.  In 2008 the ditch backed up so that the irrigation boxes was damaged.  When I know that we are getting a lot of rain, I remove all electrical components from box.

#5, Snowy Egret

After 10 dry days and a couple close calls, the weather gods said that it is LCC time.  We had 1.3 inches of rain this morning.  We took it well, but more rain is coming.  We used the down time to plant geraniums in the pots up front.  We should finish the other beds by Friday.  Thursday and Friday will be catch up because we couldn't mow anything after 8:00.

Guy Liptack preparing a flower bed.

Steve Mayerak selected many of the flowers and helped plant.

Juan Hernandez planting in front of the clubhouse.

We have selected plants that require minimal water and care and still look nice.  Give them a couple of weeks to mature.  Also, look at the bed by the range tee as we add more perennials.

Great Blue Heron



Purple Martins in Bird House



     If you come early or stay late, there is much wildlife on the property.  Some not so welcome like skunks and raccoons.  There are many birds including Purple Martins, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets,  and Red Tail Hawks.  Add a comment below if you see anything.  We need a inventory of all wildlife as we try to become certified with Audubon.  The native areas we are creating encourage wildlife.  Don't worry about skunks living there, they would much prefer a hollow log or underneath a structure like a deck.  They like going through garbage, so keep your cans covered.

We had a surprise guest this morning.  The doe eventually found its way off the course.

#17 Fairway

#17 Fairway

     Our efforts with drainage are shown here.  The work on the left side of the fairway as you look toward the tee is nearly dry while the right side is saturated after 1.5 inches of rain since Thursday.  Jesus and I prepared the area for another drain line that we'll install on Monday.

#17

In an effort to save manpower, time and fuel, we are continuing to take out of play areas and naturalizing them.  I estimate that we are saving 10 to 15% on fuel in the effort.  With fuel already over $4.00 a gallon, this is one way to help me stay within our budget goals.  I will continue to spray the weeds.  It's a look that most golf courses are going with.  I think they look beautiful later in the year when they change color.  This also will help in our efforts to become certified with Audubon. 

#5

Hole #6

Only .15 inches of rain through May 11 has realy dried up the course.  This has made for some great conditions to play.  Don't forget the sunscreen, I got burned today.  We've been able to catch up on some mowing and have started the detail work.  This includes bunker edges, trimming around lakes and trees, and flower beds.  I actually watered the tees on Tuesday and will water greens on Thursday if we don't catch some rain.  I've been spraying weeds the last couple of weeks.  With warmer temps, we are getting a quicker kill.

Tulips should be in full bloom for Mothers Day

New plant material near front door

      With the help of Guy Liptack and Steve Mayerak, we are giving Lansing CC an updated look.  We also added a couple of trees near #9 green and the parking lot.

#11 Green

     Course conditions have really improved this week.  With it drying out, Jose should have all of the rough cut by Friday.  I've been spraying weeds this week.  It takes extra time for weeds to die with the cooler temps.  The greens are in great shape.  With the new walking greens mower, we can get all the greens cut in about 3 hours.  Next week, we add another worker.  We should be able to catch up on detail jobs like weed whipping and bunker maintenance.