Course Closure Update #3

Friday April 17, 2020

The Copperleaf Board of Directors unanimously voted to open the course for play starting Monday, April 20. The Club will issue a separate email that will highlight the limitations and restrictions. I certainly appreciate our members patience over the past 3 weeks as the golf maintenance department has been completing our cultural practices. It will be exciting to have golfers back on the course Monday!

It has been another busy week as we prepared the golf course in anticipation of opening Monday. Following is a summary of what has occurred over the past 7 days:

Friday 4-10-2020

• All Approaches were mowed
• Golf course shrubs and plants continued to be trimmed
• Greens were sprayed with a liquid fertilizer
• Rough mowing was completed
• Greens were brushed and rolled
• All Fairways were circle mowed
• Golf course was fertilized with a granular fertilizer blend 12-0-8
• Palm tree trimming continued

Saturday 4-11-2020

• Front 9 Greens were mowed

Sunday 4-12-2020

• Back 9 Greens were mowed

Putting Green being mowed

Monday 4-13-2020

• All Tees, Approaches and Fairways were mowed
• All Tees and Fairways were sprayed with a liquid fertilizer and growth regulator
• All greens were rolled
• All greens were verticut
• All greens were brushed
• All greens were mowed
• All sprinklers on the golf course were edged
• Rough was mowed
• Trimming around the Clubhouse commenced
• Palm tree trimming continued

 Verticutting 3 Green

Brushing the sand on 3 Green

Tuesday 4-14-2020

• All bunkers edging commenced. Bunker edges were defined and new sand added where needed
• All greens were rolled
• All Greens were mowed
• Deep Tine spiking of Fairways started
• Rough was mowed
• Trimming around the clubhouse continued
• Palm tree trimming continued

Edging Hole 1 Bunker

Wednesday 4-15-2020

• Bunker edging continued
• All Tees/Approaches and Fairways were mowed
• All Greens were verticut
• All Greens were brushed
• All Greens were mowed
• Deep Tine Spiking of Fairways continued
• Rough was mowed
• Mike Cosgrove, Dick Miller and Richard Badolato installed covers over 100 of the course bunker rake handles
• Palm tree trimming continued

Rolling 12 Green

You can insert your own caption of Mike Cosgrove here!

Thursday 4-16-2020

• Bunker edging continued
• All Greens were rolled
• All Greens were mowed
• All Common Ground turf was mowed, edged and blown
• Rough was mowed
• All mower reels and cutting units were sharpened
• Lora Eikelberner, Karen Meier and Nance O'Rourke painted the tee markers
• Palm tree trimming continued
• 2/10's of an inch of rain fell - our first real rain in many weeks. Hopefully more is on the way (at night)

Hole 4 Palm trimming - Golf balls found in the trees are thrown out onto the fairway 

Lora, Nance and Karen painting the Tee Markers

Friday 4-17-2020

• Bunker edging continued
• All Greens were rolled
• All Greens were mowed
• All Tees, Approaches and Fairways were mowed
• Rough was finished
• Cups were cut in all greens in preparation for Monday's opening
• All Greens perimeters were edged
• Hazard lines, drop zones and stakes were placed back on the course
• All clubhouse and front entrance turf was fertilized with a granular fertilizer blend 15-0-15
• Palm tree trimming continued

Hole 12 Bunker edging continues - 3 trailer loads of sand were added here!

Hole 5 looking nice!

Our staff have been amazing this again this week. Their tireless work has been impressive during some extraordinarily hot weather. I can't thank them enough.

Thank you to our Members that volunteered to help paint our tee markers and to put new covers on the bunker rake handles. Their help was greatly appreciated.

Thank you to our membership that has been so thankful for the work they have witnessed out on the golf course over the past 3 weeks. We certainly appreciate your patience.

We look forward to you enjoying the course on Monday!

Course Closure Update #2

Due to the Corona Virus, the Copperleaf Board of Directors unanimously voted to close the golf course for play on Wednesday, March 25. The Board will be meeting routinely to determine a date to re-open the golf course and other Club amenities.

The course closure has enabled golf course maintenance to commence its usual summer cultural practices now and instead, will remain open for play in July, when the course was scheduled to be closed for 3-weeks. Other scheduled course closings will be reviewed including the Wednesday closings, scheduled to start in May and end in September and the 3-day course closure scheduled for September. The Board of Directors and General Manager, Traci Bichalski, are committed to getting our members back out onto the golf course and utilizing the clubhouse and recreational facilities as soon as possible once the Corona Virus concerns have subsided.

It has been another busy week out on the golf course. Following is a summary of what has occurred over the past 7 days:

Thursday 4-2-20

• Garden Beds were edged on the golf course
• All Approaches were Verticut and Vacuumed
• Deep Tine of Fairways was completed
• All Tees were mowed
• Rough was mowed
• All Common Areas were edged and mowed
• Plants trimmed throughout the golf course

Verticutting Debris on Approaches

Sprinklers are marked with shaving cream so the machine operators see them and miss them easily. 

The foam disappears naturally within 24 hours 

#brilliant

Friday 4-3-20

• Greens were sprayed with a liquid fertilizer
• All Tee Markers were cleaned, and pressure washed ready for painting
• Plants trimmed throughout the golf course
• All cart paths were cleaned ready for the member access over the weekend
• All Fairways were circle mowed
• All Approaches were circle mowed
• Equipment pressure washed and cleaned
• Rough was mowed
• Rough was vacuumed after mowing

Tee Markers cleaned and pressure washed ready to be repainted

Saturday 4-4-20

• All Greens were mowed for the first time in over a week!

Monday 4-6-20

• All Greens were mowed
• All Tees were mowed
• Equipment was cleaned and greased
• Front 9 Fairways were mowed
• Front 9 Fairways were verticut for the second time
• Front 9 Fairways were blown and vacuumed
• Rough started to be aerified and the cores dragged in
• Palm trees throughout the golf course started to be trimmed. It will take several weeks to have this completed

Verticutting Fairways

Vacuuming Fairways

Silvestre Flores protecting himself from the dust when vacuuming!

Rough being aerified

Palm trees being trimmed on Hole 18

Tuesday 4-7-20

• All Approaches were mowed
• All Greens were mowed
• Back 9 Fairways were mowed
• All Greens were aerified with 7/8" tines at 2 inch spacing
• All Greens were cleaned of plugs and debris
• Back 9 Fairways were Verticut and vacuumed
• Rough continued to be aerified and plugs dragged in

Ricardo Gomez aerifying greens

Plugs being collected and removed

Verticutting Hole 18 Fairway

We continue to catch Moles - Hole 12 this time! This trap has been the most successful for us. 

Purchased on Amazon

Wednesday 4-8-20

• All Greens were top-dressed with sand
• All greens were brushed to move sand into aerification holes
• All greens were rolled
• All greens were fertilized
• All bunkers perimeters were mowed with Hover mowers
• All drainage basins were cleaned and edged
• Rough continued to be aerified and plugs dragged 
• Rough started to be mowed
• All Tees were verticut, cleaned and vacuumed
• The Clubhouse grounds started to be trimmed

Dragging Rough plugs

An extraordinary amount of debris is generated during our cultural practices. It is hauled away 

and turned into compost

We certainly have a wonderful crew that can work together to complete these tasks. I can't thank our mechanics, Roman Gomez and Adan Hernandez, enough for keeping our equipment operational and ready for use. They are constantly swapping implements from one tractor to another and getting maintenance carts and mowers ready - all with a great attitude!

Thank you to our members who have commented on the incredible amount of work being carried out on the golf course. Many of them have not been here in the heat of the summer to watch this work being completed. Thankfully there has been no rain, lightning and thunder delays that occur all too often in July. We are taking advantage of the drier weather and achieving a lot. 

It is hard to believe that there was no measurable rain in March! Our lake levels are starting to go lower each day. The extended forecast shows higher rain potential in the week ahead. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at any time at davidd@copperleafgc.com

Hole 7 on Thursday April 9 - Starting to look good!

Course Closure Update #1

Due to the Corona Virus, the Copperleaf Board of Directors unanimously voted to close the golf course for play on Wednesday, March 25. The Board will be meeting routinely to determine a date to re-open the golf course and other Club amenities.

The course closure has enabled golf course maintenance to commence its usual summer cultural practices now and instead, will remain open for play in July, when the course was scheduled to be closed for 3-weeks. Other scheduled course closings will be reviewed including the Wednesday closings, scheduled to start in May and end in September and the 3-day course closure scheduled for September. The Board of Directors and General Manager, Traci Bichalski, are committed to getting our members back out onto the golf course and utilizing the clubhouse and recreational facilities as soon as possible once the Corona Virus concerns have subsided.

Following is a summary of golf maintenance activities that have occurred since the closure:

Wednesday 3/25/20

• Rough mowers had their height lowered to 1.5 inches
• The entire golf course was mowed (Tees, Approaches, Fairways and Roughs)
• Greens were verticut in 2 directions in preparation for aerification on Thursday
• All cart signs and stakes were removed from the golf course
• All cups were removed from putting greens and filled with sand
• Equipment was prepared for the cultural practices

Carlos Vega Double Verticutting Greens

Silvestre Flores Blowing Debris off Greens

Thursday 3/26/20

• Greens were mowed
• Greens Perimeters were edged
• Greens were verticut again to reduce thatch and thin the turf ahead of the aerifiers
• All greens were aerified with 5/8's tines and all plugs picked up and removed
• Sprinkler heads were edged throughout the entire golf course
• Garden Beds were edged to stop encroachment of bermudagrass into the pine straw
• Rough continued to be mowed
• Equipment was prepared for the cultural practices

Friday 3/27/20

• Tees, Collars and Approaches were mowed
• Greens were topdressed with sand
• Greens were fertilized with an organic fertilizer - Naturesafe
• Greens were brushed to move the sand and fertilizer into the aerification holes
• Greens were rolled to smooth the putting surface
• Rough continued to be mowed
• Fairways were mowed
• Weeds were sprayed with a herbicide in the garden beds
• Goose Grass, a weed, was pulled from Fairways
• Tennis and Bocce courts were raked to maintain their surface and eliminate algae build up
• Trimming commenced on Firebush, Thryallis, Jasmine and Silver Buttonwoods
• We continue to catch Moles on the golf course!

Greens aerified and holes filled with sand

 Mole damage Hole 12 Green walk up

This Mole will not be bothering me anymore!

Saturday 3-28-20

• Hourly employees are working 40 hours per week - 6:30 to 3 PM each weekday to eliminate overtime. Know work on the golf course today.
• Our mechanics worked for a few hours preparing equipment for Monday morning
• Tina Fry inspected the golf course and irrigation requirements in the morning
• Front 9 Fairway and Approach perimeters were marked with paint to define the mow lines prior to verticutting on Monday

Hole 9 - Saturday 3-28-20

Sunday 3-29-20

• Tina Fry inspected the golf course and irrigation requirements in the morning
• Back 9 Fairway and Approach perimeters were marked with paint to define the mow lines prior to verticutting on Monday

Hole 16 - Sunday 3-29-20

Monday 3-30-20

• Collars of all Greens were fraze mowed to eliminate "sand damming". The turf is scalped with a machine to reduce raised areas that prevent heavy rainfall exiting the playing surface and to also improve the transition from the approach to the putting surface.
• Tees, Collars and Approaches were mowed
• Fairways were mowed
• Rough continues to be mowed
• All Tees were aerified with 7/8's tines, brushed, blown and vacuumed
• Verticutting of Fairways commenced
• Fairway debris was blown into wind rows and vacuumed
• Golf course plant trimming continued
• Greens were topdressed with sand to fill remaining aerification holes
• Greens were brushed and rolled
• Deep solid tining of fairways commenced with 3/4" tines penetrating the soil 6 inches deep. This relieves compaction and improved turf health.

 Tina Fry and Ricardo Gomez Fraze Mowing Collars

Hole 3 Collar Fraze Mowed

Flavio Lopez Aerifying Tees

Raul Sanchez Verticutting Fwys

Verticut Debris on Hole 3

Jose Membreno Blowing debris to be vacuumed

Tuesday 3-31-20

• Trimming plants continued on the golf course 
• Deep solid tining of fairways continued. This is a very slow process with only 3 or 4 fairways completed in one day - Thank you Julio!
• Rough continued to be mowed
• Verticutting of Fairways continued
• Front 9 Approaches were aerified with 7/8's tines
• Front 9 Approaches were brushed, blown and vacuumed
• Circle cutting of Fairways started on Hole 1, 2 and 3

Hole 8 Approach - Aerified

 

Hole 11 Approach being aerified bt Lena Tovar

Hole 14 Fairway 3-31-20

It certainly has been an extremely busy week and I can't thank my staff enough for their efforts and willingness to get all of these tasks completed. It has been great to see so many of our members enjoying the golf course after our work has been completed for the day. Please remember to be careful as there is often times spilled sand and debris on the course that is yet to be cleaned up. Also, for the bikers, please remember to stop at the stop signs as you cross the roads going from one Hole to the next. I look forward to providing updates on our cultural practices and progress.

DDS

FYI 3-13-20

Golf Course Maintenance FYI 3/13/2020

·         David Dore-Smith is the manager on duty this weekend

·         With the concern over the Corona virus, golf maintenance is following all the recommended protocols and educating and reminding staff members on personal hygiene both at home and around the Club. 

·         The entire golf course was fertilized with a granular fertilizer this week as scheduled.

·         All greens were verticut, topdressed with sand, aerified and fertilized this week in preparation for the now cancelled one-day Men’s Member/Guest.

·         All Tees were topdressed with sand to maintain their excellent condition and help dilute organic material in the thatch layer.

·         New sand was added to the green side bunker on Hole 7 this week to improve playability and aesthetics.

·         Moles continue to be an ever-increasing problem on the golf course. Hole 18 green was impacted as well as substantial damage on Hole 7 and 17. Over the past 2 nights, 5 moles have been trapped and killed. All kinds of methods have been implemented from poison bait; spring loaded traps to Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Walking through homeowner properties, there is an extraordinary amount of mole activity in their yards that goes mostly unnoticed due to the higher height of cut. I firmly believe the Mole problem on the golf course is coming from the homeowner yards. Unfortunately, I do not have an answer to control the issue…yet.

·         Tree trimming continues throughout the property. Ricardo Gomez has overseen this arduous task and is to be complimented on his efforts. Many members have complimented their work.

·         Trimming of shrubs throughout the Common Grounds was completed this week. Thanks to Carlos Martinez for overseeing this project.

·         The golf course had pine straw applied to all garden beds last week and it looks great. Our next pine straw application is scheduled for December.

·         I have received two quotes for the pump station replacement and will be presenting this to the Green Committee for approval on Monday followed by a presentation to the Finance Committee and Board of Directors the following week. There is a slight cost difference between the two quotes, however, there are significant advantages to spending a little more now for a 30-year investment and that is what I will be requesting to do.

·         I will be presenting the bunker sand replenishment proposal to the Green Committee this week and Finance Committee and Board of Directors the following week. The proposal consists of spending up to $40,000 to add much needed sand to our existing bunkers using in-house resources and temporary labor over the summer months.

·         Overall, the golf course continues to receive many compliments. The next two months will be very interesting to see what happens with the weather regarding rainfall. With no rain in over the past two weeks, I am already seeing signs of dry turf due to the limitations of our irrigation design. Lake levels have dropped by 12 inches over the past 2 weeks and will continue to drop more rapidly as higher temperatures and windier days increase.

FYI 3-6-20

Golf Course Maintenance FYI 3/6/2020

·         Tina Fry is the manager in duty and has everything ready for the Men’s event tomorrow

·         All bunkers were edged this week to present the course to a high standard

·         All fairways and tees were sprayed with a liquid fertilizer to encourage new growth and provide excellent turf color and quality.

·         I hosted a local Dentist at golf Maintenance on Thursday to talk to the staff about the benefits and cost savings of using a dentist in our network and also to discuss general dental hygiene. The staff appreciated the communication and they learned a lot. 

·         The course will have blocked tee times on Thursday when we will be needle-tining the greens and fertilizing the entire golf course with a granular product. 

·         All Tees will be topdressed with sand on Monday to help dilute organic material and encourage new growth 

·         The weather continues to fluctuate with warmer and windier conditions than normal. Overall, the course remains in very good condition and is receiving plenty of play. 

·         I appreciated the email blast from Jason this week regarding the Blue flag players encroaching onto the greens complex. Let’s hope they heed the reminder as we have have regularly been noticing golf carts driving far too close to the greens surface.

·         The 9 Hole ladies appreciated the extra attention to the golf course for their event on Tuesday. We are always glad to help out and make these events something special.

·         The Ladies one day invitational was another great success. Compliments to Tina Fry, David Forrey and the entire staff for their efforts. 

·         Overall, everything is going very well with the course receiving many compliments

FYI 2-28-20

Golf Course Maintenance FYI 2/28/2020

·         David Forrey will be the Manager on duty this weekend.

·         Some cooler weather has been experienced this week but has not had an impact on the turf quality. A benefit of the cooler weather is that it helps with Green Speed. Tina Fry measured the greens this morning and they were over 11 feet on the Stimpmeter. Warmer weather will be returning next week.

·         The Club Championship weekend was a great success with many compliments on the condition of the golf course and greens. Thanks to my Group A staff for working their scheduled weekend off. These employees worked 21 days in a row.

·         Dick Miller, John Rehder and I met with another pump station contractor this week and will be receiving a competitive quote from them by the end of next week. We will then schedule a time to meet with the Finance Committee to present the information for the pump station replacement.

·         All greens were verticut, topdressed with dry sand and fertilized this week to maintain their excellent health.

·         Tree trimming began throughout the property this week. Compliments to my staff for their tireless work in cutting, removing and chipping the material. It is worth mentioning that we are so thankful for the Chipper we purchased after the Hurricane. It is an incredible time saver as well as savings in material hauling.

·         Trimming of plant material throughout the Common Grounds started this week.

·         The golf course will have new pine straw installed beginning next week in preparation for the Member Classic in April.

·         Compliments to Tina Fry for assisting the Ladies “Ringer” golf events over the past two weeks. The ladies were very appreciative of the effort.

·         David Forrey is off property today completing his Green Industry Best Management Practices certification. Compliments to David for continuing his education.

·         I have offered a position to a qualified candidate to fill the one vacancy at Golf Maintenance. I am hopeful he can start next week. Thank you to Heather Becht for her assistance.

FYI 2-21-20

Golf Course Maintenance FYI 2/21/2020

·         Roman Gomez will be the Manager on duty this weekend with help from David Dore-Smith on Saturday and David Forrey on Sunday due to the Club Championship event.

·         The weather has been wonderful over the past week with blue sky and temperatures in the upper 80’s. The turf has responded extremely well to the fertilizer applications with the golf course receiving many compliments.

·         The bunker on the right side of Hole 9 green had new sand installed this week. It is one of the bunkers that needed immediate attention to replenish the sand content. A proposal will be forthcoming to the Board to replenish sand in all bunkers at a cost of $40,000. The work will be completed in-house and utilizing temporary labor. The savings are over $100,000 if we complete the project ourselves instead of utilizing an outside contractor.

·         I am currently reviewing costs to replace the pump station, as scheduled this year. Our pump station has pumped over 2.5 billion gallons of water since it was installed in early 2000. Quotes are slightly more than what was budgeted in the Reserve Fund, however, the life expectancy of the new station increases from 20 to 30+ years due to substantially improved manufacturing methods. I am hopeful to have the station replaced in June 2020 as the condition and leaks are becoming a concern on our 20-year old critical piece of equipment.

·         There are two concrete curbs around cul-de-sacs, some valley gutters and sidewalks that need to be repaired. The concrete damage has been caused by heavy trucks and tree roots. Estimated costs are approximately $20,000 and will be presented for consideration in the 2021 Budget process.

·         All Fairways and Tees were sprayed with a liquid fertilizer this week in preparation for the Club Championship this week.

·         Detail work continued through the golf course including trimming, edging, mowing, blowing and vacuuming in preparation for the Club Championship.

·         All annual flowers were sprayed with a liquid fertilizer this week. Some of my perennials, Crossandra, will be removed next week as they have not recovered sufficiently from the one day of cool weather experienced 2 weeks ago.

·         The vendor meeting held on Monday at golf maintenance was a great success. All attendees were impressed with the facility.

·         I attended the Happy Hour at the Clubhouse on Monday. I spoke to many members who complimented the golf course and my staff for their outstanding efforts.

FYI 2-14-20

Golf Course Maintenance FYI 2/14/2020

·         Tina Fry will be the Manager on duty this weekend

·         There is a 40% chance of rain late Sunday which would be appreciated. Although the high temperatures of 86 degrees during the week are unseasonably warm, the Bermudagrass is appreciating it

·         The golf course was fertilized with a complete fertilizer this week to help prepare the course for the Club Championship and to also combat the high traffic. Over 6,300 golfers played in January with higher numbers expected in February and March

·         All Tees were topdressed with sand on Thursday to help dilute organic matter and improve turf health

·         All greens were verticut, topdressed and aerified this week in preparation for the Club Championship in a week’s time. All greens are healthy and in good condition

·         All Common Ground turf was mowed this week

·         All annual flowers were fertilized this week

·         David Forrey completed his recertification for his Florida Pesticide Applicator license this week

·         I am currently attending an online class learning how to use tree injection tools and products. Tree injection is the most effective method of controlling pests, particularly in palm trees. The online course will be completed in March

·         I helped the Mulcahy’s transport the easels used in the weekend art auction on Friday afternoon and again on Sunday. They were extremely appreciative of the assistance of transporting them to and from the Art Hall in Bonita Springs

·         The Nursery area at golf course maintenance is complete and looks fantastic. Compliments to David Forrey, Ricardo Gomez and Matias Andres for their efforts

·         I hosted 30 FGCU students attending the PGM program on Wednesday. They visited the maintenance facility and listened to me for 2 hours discussing golf course maintenance practices. It is a privilege to be invited again to educate the up and coming golf professionals in the area

·         One of our employees was terminated this week. He was not able to meet the requirements of the job description and perform to the expectations of this Department. I am hopeful that his position can be quickly filled by a friend or family member of our existing staff

·         There is a Green and Grounds Committee meeting scheduled for Monday at 8 AM at golf course maintenance. That meeting will be followed by a presentation from our pump station contractor discussing the options for our new pump station scheduled for replacement this summer. I have invited a member of the Finance Committee to join us so that they are fully aware of the proposal. Full details will be provided to you and the Board for review

·         I will be hosting a vendor presentation on Monday at 12 noon at golf maintenance. There will be 10 area Superintendents attending to learn the software we use to track and plan our plant health product applications. The vendor will be providing lunch for the attendees

FYI 2-7-20

Golf Course Maintenance FYI 2/7/2020

·         David Forrey will be the Manager on duty this weekend

·         Over 3 inches of rain was recorded last weekend and a further 0.5 inches last night. There was some gusty conditions overnight causing many dead palm fronds to fall and impact the golf course. It will take several days to have the fronds picked up and to get the golf course cleaned up.

·         All garden bed edges were treated this week with an appropriate herbicide to control grass encroaching into the pine straw

·         New pine straw was added to the garden beds to the left of Hole 3. The entire golf course will have new pine straw installed at the end March in preparation for the Member/Member event

·         Work continued around golf maintenance area completing the air hose line used to operate pneumatic tools, pumps and the equipment blow off area

·         Several palm trees were trimmed this week around our green’s complexes. The excess growth was causing shade issues on the putting greens. Thankfully, all palm trees are scheduled to be trimmed in July during the course closure

·         All short cut grass was fertilized this week with liquid fertilizer

·         All greens were fertilized with a complete fertilizer to promote health and recovery

·         All Common Ground turf was fertilized this week

·         Five new landscape lights were installed this week. Thanks to David Forrey, Raul Sanchez and Doug Garcia for their efforts. The 18 lights in the center islands will be replaced in May

·         Tina Fry has been attending an online turf certification class. It will take several months to complete and is been undertaken out of work hours. I compliment Tina for her dedication and willingness to continue to learn.

·         David Forrey is completing recertification for his Florida Pesticide Applicator license over the next week. Tina Fry and I already have this certification

·         The golf course will be fertilized next week during the blocked tee times on Thursday.

·         After quite a bit of effort, the Osprey Nest camera is now working again. The original camera had been knocked down by the birds and ultimately failed working. A new camera has been installed. Thanks to La Jungla for the use of their lift to get me up to the nest.