Tree Trimming along Erie Street

If you drive down Monroe Street, I am sure you have noticed the aggressive tree trimming that is being done underneath the power lines. The same will be done along Erie street on our property. In speaking with the crew that is doing the work I have learned that their goal is to have 25 feet between the tops of the trees and the power lines. (Also, please be aware that during the heat of the summer the power lines will sag substantially at times.) The crew will be topping off all of our Arborvitae along 18 tee and I have requested that they do their best to create a uniform look to the best of their abilities. Some trees, when they are finished, may need to be evaluated to see if they are worth having in that location or if a different species of tree might be a better option. Again, they are just getting started so we will see what are best coarse of action is after they have completed their work. 

Pine along Erie street right of 18 black tees.

Pine behind 18 black tee.

Golf Course Update

 I will make an effort to better tell our story here on the blog and keep membership updated on course conditions and what we have in the works throughout the season. Thanks to our loyal follower, ROB, for requesting some new content. You can also follow us on twitter @hmgcgrounds. 

While the course has been open for a few weeks, it has been hit or miss with the weather and course conditions. We are environmentally about 3 weeks ahead of where we normally are. If you have tulips or daffodils at home I am sure you have seen them start to grow. The early start to the year is a positive for the club, to golf with carts in early March is not something that happens very often. With that said, we are slowly ramping up our daily tasks and you should see improvements each time you come to the club. More benches, trash cans, tee markers and bunker rakes will go out on the course gradually as more staff returns and we have the ability to focus on daily tasks. 

Today we started clean-up and prep on the bunkers. This includes cleaning up the edges and sand that has blown out of the bunkers, removing debris, sand depth checks and raking the bunkers. The depth of sand in the bottom of the bunker should be 3-4 inches and 2 inches on the slopes. We will move some sand around to achieve the depths and will note where more sand is needed so that we can address at a later date. Most of our par 3 bunkers and a few other high traffic bunkers, like the bunker in front of 14, are yearly candidates for additional sand due to high traffic. 

Crew checking sand depths and moving sand around to achieve required depths. 

We also are trying to finish up some tasks as weather and availability allow. We added a 60 foot run drainage pipe in front of 14 green that will be finished by a contractor in the spring as they become available. We decided to start this project so that we would not have to close this hole in the spring and the contractor can pick up where we left off without being in the way. This pipe will run down to the creek in front of 15 green. Unfortunately there were a few trees near our new drain that were removed as not to clog the new drain in the future. These are decisions that are made to protect the infrastructure of the course for years to come. 

Flooding in front of 14 green. This is due to aging infrastructure that still works, but not as well as it used to. 

We will be finishing sod work along the new path on 2 green to 3 tee as soon as the sodfarms open and sod is available for purchase. 

To conclude, one of our staff members just finished up four years as a manager with the University of Toledo mens basketball team. Wes Matthews will graduate this spring with a business degree from UT and will also be returning to HMGC as he decides his next career move. Wes has worked at HMGC since he was in high school at Bedford, and is a very important piece to our great staff. Thanks WES!