Aggressive Tree Work Before The Snow Flies!

The grounds staff has had the pedal to the metal removing trees on this winters "Hit-list."  We have successfully removed the main trees we wanted to with the pictures above representing the removal of a mature white oak left of the 10th green.  This tree, like all others we remove, was on the master plan for removal as it impedes a fair 3rd shot from the approach area.  Golfers will enjoy having this tree removed come spring time as it totally opens up the back pin area on the green.

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Divot Mix Does have Seed in It!

We have finally discovered a good growing mix this year for our divot mix.  The plain green sand will not grow anything so we mix the green with a nice mix we found and viola! The seed actually germinates!  Please remember to fill all divots and the one next to yours.  Also, the divot mix is intended for all tee and fairway surfaces, not the intermediate rough or the rough itself.

Mike O'Neill,GCS

New Memorial Plaque Installed For Mrs. Joyce Donohoe

The plaque for Joyce came out great and the stone we found on the property really complement the plaque nicely.  The flowers in this memorial garden looked awesome this season as well!

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Member / Guest 2016 In The Books!

Well the weather and course for this years member / guest turned out beautifully!  We faced many challenges leading up to the event through one of the driest summers on record.  We then received very hot and humid weather leading up to the week of the tournament.  The combination of hot, humid and wet leads to major problems with the greens and survival.  We made some good decisions on mowing and were able to get the greens up to speed by the second day of the event.  Having the event at the end of the summer unlike other clubs is tough as we need to peak for the event after a very tough summer.  The roots are shallow and the turf is beat up but we need to make it happen late in the summer.  I'd like to thank my staff who tirelessly and consistently work their butts off to provide the exceptional conditions the Bellevue members have come to expect.  

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Don't Think We Don't Try To Make Bunkers The Best They Can Be!

Part of our daily process in the bunkers is to pull any grass runners and weeds that may grow in the bunkers.  Also an important part of our routine is to pull any rocks that tend to migrate into the bunkers, especially after a heavy rainfall.   The pictures above shows the methods we use to screen the sand on a daily basis and we collect all the rocks we screened from one day and the result is the bucket of rocks pictured above!

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Extremely Dry Conditions Currently.

The very dry conditions lately makes for a lot of work for my staff.  We have been running roller base sprinklers (as pictured above) lately to try to water the many "In-play" areas we have on the course that do not get sufficient irrigation coverage.  We continue to do our very best in a most efficient manner possible.  In the meantime, please enjoy the thin rough and the extra run from tee shots!

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Bunker Rake Placement In The Middle Of Bunkers.

We have recently started to implement a different position of the bunker rakes in the bunker.  The placement of the rakes in the middle of the bunkers will allow for the golf ball to settle next to a rake perhaps and allow the golfer to remove the rake to play the next shot without the possibility of moving the ball.  With the rakes on the edge of the bunkers like we have done in the past, placing a ball that comes to rest next to a rake on the slope is virtually impossible as the ball will always roll down the slope when placed back in the landing position.  Please place the rake back in the bunker when finished raking as the above picture indicates.  We are going to give this method a shot and see how it works.

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Member Donating Time To Fill Divots!

Recently a member has approached me to help out with filling tee and fairway divots.  We have very small tees so it is very critical that divots be filled literally instantly to insure a descent season long quality playing surface.  I certainly appreciate his time doing this and I believe this will make a huge difference with our tees.  The message really is...Please fill your divots right away after it is taken.  I would recommend just taking the scoop of divot mix from the cart with you and after you tee off and no divot is taken, you can always fill another divot that was not repaired.  The picture above is of the 8th white tee after the divots were totally filled by the member filling the divots every Wednesday morning!  Please fill your divots!

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Divot Mix Changes.

The above photo shows what our typical tees look like on any given day.  We have extremely small teeing surfaces for the amount of play the course receives.  It is critical we have a viable divot mix that keeps moisture and doesn't dry out quickly.

The divot in the above photo is typical of the green mix we use.  I rarely see seed growing in this mix unless we go through an extremely wet period.  The decision was made years ago by the membership to go to a "Green" colored divot mix to look aesthetically pleasing and be user friendly.  The problem is, this mix is not a good medium for growing bentgrass from seed.

I have finally found a divot mix that I will be mixing with the green sand (above right) to create a much better growing medium for the bentgrass seed.  We will be mixing the two soild above to create a divot mix that will not dry out as fast and will promote excellent bentgrass seed germination.  This I believe in turn will allow our divots to heal up and fill in much better that just the plain old green sand.  The down side is it won't look as "Green" as the previous mix but it will actually grow grass!

Mike O'Neill, GCS

More Tree Trimming!

The mild winter continues as we capitalize on the unseasonable weather with continued tree trimming.  My staff and I have made it the number one priority to move through the entire golf course with the tree trimming and have been diligently progressing on this project.  You can see by the above pictures, certain areas of the golf course we trim more, other areas we trim less, it all depends on the significance of limbs in the area as well as how the topography funnels and collects balls.  The trimming has certainly been completely dependent on the golfers perspective and the golf course layout.

Let's keep hoping spring arrives early this year!

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Hole #13 Before And After Tree Removal.

Before

                                                                               After
We have been fortunate enough to have some rare access to the golf course in February and we have certainly capitalized on the opportunity to bust out some more grunt work!  We have removed 3 trees on the right of the hole and 2 trees on the left to significantly open up the hole to allow for ample room on either side of the hole.  Trees and limbs before were encroaching into the ball line of flight on either side of the hole.

Mike O'Neill, GCS

Winter Work....Our Work Never Stops!

We are in the heart of our winter prep work here in the maintenance department.  We go through every bearing and grease fitting ensuring we don't run into any problems during the season, causing problematic downtime.  This is the time of year we use to perform routine maintenance on every piece of equipment we have as well.  My staff does an excellent job of the details on all of our equipment ensuring we run smoothly during the season as well as long term maintenance of the equipment to allow us to get the most out of each piece of equipment now and in the future!

Mike O'Neill, GCS