The Board of Directors held a conference call meeting on August 6th.   Several important policy decisions were discussed and approved. These include:

 

Update: The cart barn facility is progressing with footings poured and block walls up. The final look with be similar to the exterior of the clubhouse. When members return in the fall the structure may look a bit stark. Pam Torrance has agreed to help landscape the structure so it will have a desert appearance. We ask everyone for a little patience before the project is complete. Dave Burns and Jeff continue to provide TVGC oversight of construction.

 

I hope your summer has been fun!

Scott Thiss
President

As I write this month's article, we are only 5 weeks away from overseeding the Peaks golf course.  Where has all the time gone this summer?
 
As most know, we completed the irrigation project on the Peaks course, which consisted of new fairway sprinkler heads and control satellites.  This project has made a big improvement into how water is applied to the golf course.  Having all the heads and nozzles the same age and type allows for more uniformity.  This also makes for a more efficient system, and we are able to better address spacing issues with the newer heads.  Part of the project also included a new control system to run the irrigation.  This new program allows for more sprinklers to run at once, thus saving energy and money by reducing the overall time the pumps are running.  We continue to fine tune the entire system and feel confident in its ability to get the water where it needs to go.  To piggyback onto this project, we also purchased 100 sprinkler heads at a discounted price due to the volume we bought this summer with Toro.  This allowed us to complete all the greens on both course so they now have the same type of sprinklers around them, thus increasing uniformity and application rates.
 
As I mentioned last month, we have redone 4 bunkers on the Peaks and 2 on the Ranch courses.  Most of these bunkers had the old sand removed and new sand put back in.  The new sand is a high quality sand that most courses in Scottsdale are using, and it provides an improved playing surface from the older sand.  We continue to rework the existing bunkers by utilizing a scarifier to loosen up the sand and address areas where the sand depth is limited.  By doing this throughout the summer, we have helped them to drain a little better, and the bunkers have become somewhat uniform.  I look forward to your feedback this winter on the new sand.
 
As I have been reading and heard on TV, they are expecting a pretty substantial El Nino this winter.  So for us that could mean an abnormally wet winter, maybe comparable to the 1997-98 El Nino.  So to prepare, we will be applying a pre-emergent herbicide in the next few weeks to the desert areas and roughs ahead of overseeding.  This product will limit the amount of weeds that germinate to provide a cleaner looking appearance.  It will also reduce the amount of labor we have to assign to cleanup these areas during the winter/spring.
 
Keep it in the short grass,
Travis Blamires
Golf Course Superintendent