With the weather heating up, things are getting moving out on "The Links". The greens are opening up, the snow is receding, and they look as though thy are waking up on the right side of the bed.
The fairways are flooded and ice covered but look pretty good as well. Tees are a little worse for wear but look decent seeing as we decided not to treat them with a winter fungicide last fall.
We will start maintenance on the course as water recedes, and the turf firms up, I will not make any promises as to when we are opening, but with fingers crossed and positive thoughts, (and sweet talking to Mother Nature) we should get an early start. Not as early as last year, but that was a freak event and as we saw the weather did turn in April, and we did slow down after an impossibly warm March.
On a positive note we received great accolades from the IPM Council of Canada last fall, as we passed our on site pesticide audit, they were pleased with our efforts at pesticide reductions, and enhanced fertilization practices to reduce our dependency on synthetic pesticides. This aids in preserving the environment by not exposing beneficial organisms in the soil to harsh chemicals not prevalent in nature. These organisms aid in the breakdown of thatch, and use destructive insects for food.
So keep your thoughts warm, pray for sun and wind to dry out, and cross your fingers and toes to get back in the "swing" of things soon.
