Benches almost done

The benches are almost all rebuilt/repainted for the upcoming season. With 30 benches on the course, it takes a lot of time to get them ready to go for the next season. Deane Austin is pictured here with that last six benches he is working on. Deane is somewhat of a perfectionist, so he takes his time and the results are fantastic. He has worked on our crew since 1983, coming up on 30 years of service. Deane spent time as a framer building houses before getting into golf course maintenance. So when it comes to any construction projects on the course, we call on Deane to lead the way. In his time at Glendale he has built bridges, stairs, the bathroom at #14 green, the pump house, the cover over the driving range tee, and countless other small projects. Besides his building skills, he is an expert at mowing on the course. He spends most of the playing season keeping the rough knocked down, but nobody mows a straighter line than Deane. Not just straight, we're talking laser line straight.When it comes tournament time, we send him out to lay out the mow pattern on the fairways. Once he's done, we just mow over his lines day after day. Thanks to Deane for all his years of service, Glendale wouldn't be the same without him!

Meet Bill Perry our mechanic

Bill Perry is our mechanic here at Glendale CC and has been on the job since 1967. That's 45 years of service! He spends a lot of time keeping all of mowers sharp and adjusted. If the mowers don't cut right, the greens don't putt right either. During the playing season when the greens are smooth and fast, you can thank Bill for keeping the greens mowers running like a Swiss watch. There isn't anything that Bill can't fix or hasn't repaired in his time here at Glendale. Besides maintaining our fleet of equipment by himself, (most operations our size have an assistant mechanic also) he is also an expert at running heavy equipment. Loaders, dozers, trenchers, and anything else that moves dirt is in his wheelhouse. He also is a pretty good shaper when it comes to building greens. Bill took the architects plans and did all the shaping work on the putting green when we rebuilt it in 1992. He has also built several other greens and tees on the course. Bill works hard behind the scenes to help produce the quality conditions on the course. Thanks Bill for everything you do here at Glendale!

Another bridge rebiuld

The crew has been busy the past month with bridge deck replacement. The photos below show the bridge connecting 16 tee to 16/17 fairways. The old decking was rotten, so it was time to replace it. The work was led by our old pro Deane, with assistance from Josh, Vic, and Kyle.

 The new decking should last for ten years or so. Please stay on the mat when crossing this bridge, or any of the others on the course. When the surface is wet, it can be very slippery.

Maple trees planted behind #12 green.

 We planted two large Maple trees behind #12 green today. Golfers had been having difficulty seeing the flagstick because it blends in with the house directly behind the green. On a recent visit to Glendale, our golf course architect John Harbottle, chose the locations for the trees.  The Maples are of the variety "Autumn Blaze." The autumn blaze maple tree is a unique combination of good traits from the red maple and silver maple. The qualities mixed by the autumn blaze maple tree are brilliant orange-red color in the fall, dense and healthy branching, and enhanced growth that protects from insects and disease.The autumn blaze maple tree will grow to fifty or sixty feet tall and have a mature spread of thirty to forty feet. They are not a susceptible to storm damage as the silver maple, as they received stronger wood from their red maple parent. These trees also have the ability to grow in most soil conditions.The autumn blaze maple tree has recently become one of the most requested trees in the United States and is quickly growing in popularity in other countries as well. It is especially asked for because it has the vigor and adaptability of the silver maple, as well as the strength and beauty of the red maple. It was named Urban Tree of the Year in 2003.

 Thanks to Bill, Kyle, Frank, and Vic for planting the trees. They did a great job of getting them in straight, as they were quite large and hard to handle.

#9 Drainage Project

#9 drainage project is underway!

The area between the white tee and the fairway on #9 has always been very wet and muddy during the winter months. We built a walk path through the trees off to the right of this area several years ago, but getting to the fairway was still a challenge. Winter boots were necessary, or you could get stuck in the mud. Photos below show the work done so far, and we plan to add more drain lines to the area. We will also topdress the drainage site multiple times between now and May, to help firm up the surface. Thanks to crew members Kyle, Frank, and Vic for leading the way on this project.

View from fairway looking back  toward the tees.

  

                                 View from white tee to fairway.

                                 Trencher shown above in action.

New Walk-Bridge on 12/13

During our recent inspections of some of our bridges, we found that the small walk-bridge over the creek on 12/13 had some rotten timbers, so it was due for replacement!  Thanks to Deane, Josh and Kyle for getting it done!