Another Tool for The Tool Box

The following video is some footage I shot on Sunday April 24^th while checking on our tarps as well as some footage from yesterday when we mowed the 13^th green for the first time.

The crew and I have been monitoring the temperatures, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, as well as watching moisture and checking disease pressure under the tarps.  This will be a daily occurrence until the tarps have been removed.   It has been a long winter and it would be a shame to regress over the final few weeks.

The 13^th green in the video clip is the first green that we applied black sand to encourage melting.  We purchased the black sand through one of our local distributors who obtain the sand through Grass Roots Agronomics in Idaho.  As of two weeks ago we have applied the sand to all 19 greens.  To date 16 of these greens are now 90% clear of snow.  We have also completed some side-by-side trials using black organic fertilizer and black sand.  I will try to get some pictures of those plots on the blog in the next few days.

Loosing It?



Usually by this time of year we are loosing our snow pack.  Not this year.  Instead of loosing it, we have had a net gain this week.  We received 15 cm of new snow on Saturday, 7 cm of snow on Monday and now at least 17 cm last night.  It has been a long spring so far but skiing is phenomenal.  This is the last week of ski hill operations and with the fresh snow and more in the forecast, Panorama has the best spring skiing conditions since I arrived here.

 

Snow Levels 4:00 PM April 6

 

Snow Levels 8:00 AM April 7



But this is supposed to be a golf course update and not a ski report.

Applying Black Sand to Practice Green

In order to deal with all the snow, the crew has been trying to assist Mother Nature melt snow over the past few weeks.  We have been spreading black sand onto the surface of the tarped greens.  The black sand attracts and retains heat and therefore speeds the melting process.  The end goal is to expose the tarps so we can speed their removal and get the golf course open quicker.

 

Black Sand on Practice Green - Now Under Snow

Assistant Superintendents Colin and Scott have been carrying out this arduous task.  It requires the right weather conditions - freezing cold temperatures in the morning followed by no snow and lots of sun.  Freezing temperatures in the morning are required in order to apply the sand to the snow surface.  Freezing temperatures allows Colin and Scott to walk on the surface without breaking through the snow.  They spread the sand by walking behind rotary fertilizer spreaders.  The sand is a dried product that comes in 50 lb bags.  This allows the sand to easily flow through the spreaders.  The 50lb bags allow for easier transportation around the golf course.  Not the easiest job when you are into moving pallets of 50lb bags by hand through winter conditions.  These guys have done an outstanding job and faced a few set backs. 

Weather has been the main setback.  Sun and no snow have been in short supply.  Every time we find a window to spread sand, it seems to cloud over and snow, wasting hours of work.  I have been joking that there is no need for snow making at Panorama next year.  If the mountain needs snow, the crew at Greywolf will apply black sand to a couple of greens and within eight hours it will snow.