Cold temperatures have finally come to the Columbia Valley. Our two courses are asleep under a very thin layer of snow, but perfectly fine being dormant. It hasn’t been a record snow fall year and we have yet to get our cross-country tracks plowed in. This could mean an early start for the upcoming golf season. We all know the weather in this valley is unpredictable and we can only wait to see what happens.
The remaining Turf care staff have been busy prepping for the upcoming season by maintaining our equipment and facilities. The addition of our new turf mechanic, Ryan Fedun, has been a welcoming grace and shop is noisy with the sound of air wrenches and reel grinders again. Ryan is a Machinist from the Edmonton area, that moved to Fairmont and has now joined the Copper Point Team with Adam and I, we feel we are fully equipped for another successful golf season.The fall yielded several projects on the Point course before the temperatures fell and forced us into the shop.
- The right side of #7 green was removed from just past the primary cut to the cart path. 3 trees were taken out and the entire walk on to the green was re-graded and irrigation heads added to keep this area property conditioned. Until sod is brought in, it will remain ground under repair and ply wood walk ways in place to keep players shoes clean when crossing the soil. The left-side and behind of #7 has also been cleaned up with a few trees having been removed. This is to aid in recovery from any shots missing the green to the left and long. The competition of these projects will enhance the playability and aesthetics of the hole.
- Tree removal around #15 green was completed to allow sun light and air movement to one of the highest impact Par 3’s on the course. The limited corridors for entering and exiting this green can cause excessive wear which is compounded by the lack of sun and air movement. We have watched the snow melt more rapidly in this green already this year which will be positive for greens conditioning. As always, fix yours and at least one others ball mark when playing 15. The elevation drop yields large ball marks on the smallest putting surface on the Point course. Any extra effort here goes a long way in turf recovery.
- Changing #5 on the Point into a Par 5. This transition will not take place until the May long weekend. A new rear tee was shaped and over 50 loads of fill and sand brought in two create a new tee for the black and blue markers. The black tees will push 505 and blues roughly 10 yards shorter at 495. Trees were removed next to the original black tee to open the driving corridor up from the new tee. All the remaining tees will move back two decks to accommodate the new Par 5. The copper tee will have the ability to alternate between the original copper and white tee deck. The fairway has been opened closer to the tees and slightly widened in the drive landing area. The green surrounds will see some dramatic change in mowing patterns. The left-hand pot bunker will be mowed to low fairway fringe height and collect and errant approaches to this green. The entire approach has been widened to accommodate longer second approach shots. Coming in at under 500 yards this hole will not be a piece of cake. With prevailing south winds, it will still have some teeth and take our front 9 to a Par 37, with 4 Par 5's in the first 10 holes.
- The Ridge course will see the addition of 2 sets of progressive junior teeing areas. Flat areas in the fairways (forward tees paired up on short par 3’s) will yield these new forward teeing grounds and will be scattered around to increase pace of play and the fun element for new golfers. As an attempt for us to grow the game a score card will be created and an awards program put in place for younger golfers to improve and grow on the Ridge course. A graduation program will see kids advancing from one set to the next and being rewarded for their accomplishments (certificates presented).
Several great returning and new staff will round out our turf care team and we are excited for another golf season while progressively improving turf quality on both courses and our teaching facilities. If mother nature co-operates, we are looking to get started with clean up as soon as possible in March. We will be constantly giving updates on what is happening on the property so we can all get out and enjoy our 1
st
round of golf sooner, rather than later.
Mike Knowles - Superintendent, Copper Point Golf Club
