Winter Storm Update

Just when most of us hoped that winter was nearing a close, we've been again put to the test the past two weeks. Here's the data: 11.7 inches of rain in the last 12 days (only one day without any rain), with a little bit of snow mixed in. And here's the damage: 

Bunkers are washed out throughout the course. With this much rain it's inevitable, but we hope to have them completely rebuilt and playable by the middle of next week, after the rain stops. It will take about 5 guys almost two full days to tend to every bunker, so it's pointless to attempt the clean-up until the rain stops for a good few days. Please play these hazards as ground under repair until we're able to get to them.

Fortunately, only two trees came down in mostly out of the way locations. Here's an oak that fell across the path on #10 near the crossing on Lodgeview.

And the other fell near the pump house on #11, also blocking the path. Both paths have been cleared and the trees will eventually  be cut up for firewood.

The walking bridge on #10 washed out and the rocks have become very unstable. We can fix this quickly, but a more stable, long-term fix will eventually be needed here as this happens almost every time we get significant rain.

The good news is that nothing disastrous has happened over the course of the storm, and the end is in sight, with sun and temperatures climbing back into the high 60s forecasted as early as Sunday. The course will be wet, and a little shaggy until we can get all our equipment out to mow, but we plan on having everything looking and playing great by the end of next week!

Winter Projects

As the winter draws to a close, I thought I'd highlight a couple of the most recent improvements made on the course as part of our "winter chores."

This is a drain I'm sure most who've played lately have noticed. It was dug in attempt to capture water that seems to be mysteriously seeping out of the hill to the right of #3 and making the approach and right fairway constantly wet and unplayable. As we've surely caught some of the problem (easily judged by the steady flow of water in this trench), you'll probably see at least one more drain go in in this area to try to dry up the problem for good. This trench will have a pipe installed and be back filled with gravel within the next week.

We've slowly been reinstalling the path yardage markers that have broken off over the years. So if you see cones on the path, know that they are only there for 24 hours to protect these markers as the adhesive cement dries and please drive around them. Hopefully this time they'll stick for good!

And the most recent improvement was with a new set of putting green flag sticks on the main putting green near the driving range, complete with numbering (for those of you who wish to make a game out of your practice) and Winchester logo. Matching the flag sticks on the course, they're a nice upgrade to this popular area.

Patience Pays Off

We've received alot of questions lately, as the weather has become more conducive for regular golf, about the conditioning of the greens. Specifically:

- What are those green splotches, and when are you going to do something about them?
- The greens are slow...when will they be faster?
- When will the areas sodded last fall be less spongy?

There are many answers and long explanations to go with each of these questions, but the simple and best answer is: When it's time.

It's tough this time of year to be patient. The sun is out, flowers are blooming, everyone can sense things in nature starting to wake up. And it's the same with our grasses. We have very well thought out plans in place, ready to enact, to combat our issues and improve the courses' playability. But we have to be patient. Because the majority of our plans involve getting aggressive and doing some form of temporary damage to our greens, either by verticutting, aerating, lowering mowing heights, chemical applications, sand topdressing, etc. And the last thing anyone wants is to do damage to the greens, even for the sake of making them better in the long run, and to run into some temperamental weather and have to wait far too long for the grass to grow out of the injury inflicted on it.

Think of it like this: if you start feeling "under the weather" in the winter, maybe you catch a fever, a cough, you just don't feel yourself. You can tell your immune system is a little compromised. So is our grass's growing ability slightly compromised by the colder weather. And if you stay home and get rest and eat well, perhaps you feel a bit better after a day or so. But if you get impatient, and go out and push through 36 holes of golf in a day, you'll more than likely end up right back in your bed, feeling miserable. Whereas if you just waited another day or two to make a full recovery, you'd be able to pull of 36 holes AND shoot below your handicap!

Our grass is slowly waking up, and while it's not quite at 100% recovery yet, if we're patient just long enough, we can be as aggressive as we want, and the grass will pull through with shining colors and be all the better because of it.

Winchester Webcam

A brilliant idea by the staff and management here at Winchester, a webcam has recently been installed to look down over the clubhouse putting green, #10 and 18, and provide often spectacular views of the Sacramento Valley floor below. You'll find a small picture of the most up to date webcam picture in the right margin of this blog, and clicking on that picture will take you to the dedicated webcam page and a larger view.

So check back regularly for the best snapshot of up to date conditions here at Winchester....no need to trust those weather people when you can log on and check for yourself!!