Clean up

This past weeks' weather allowed us to get out on to the course and begin the final phase of tree clean up. It was good to see that the actual mess was less than anticipated. All the areas that trees were cut in have had the remaining branches picked up and piled for burning. Well, the burning ban may make us think of alternate disposal methods unless the forecast of snow changes the conditions.

By Friday, we were able to bring out the blowers to not only move the remaining debris but get any of the wet leaves off the turf. This process will continue this week on the entire course.

There are still a handful of trees to remove. Some of these trees that need to go were a result of the storm on September 3. If everything goes well, I am anticipating an April 1 opening but that could change either way. Check the course website for updates.

The Melt

I took a stroll around the course today. The snow is receding nicely. My objective was to inspect our clean up duties. Yep, the branches didn't disappear! It looks like we can start the clean up process next week. This view of 14 is wonderful.

So Where We Going?

As temperatures rise, the and snow melts, plans made over the past few months are now getting ready for implementation. The immediate plan this early spring is to do a solid clean up of the tree removal areas and the couple of trenches from drainage installation. This is top priority and we may be able to accomplish this even before we open the doors to the public. The stump grinding process will commence when the chance for damage to the turf is minimal. The clean up and seeding will follow as quickly as possible. As mentioned in an earlier blog, attention to detail is high on the priority list. All playing surfaces including traps will be upgraded to higher maintenance practices. The results will be noticeable but necessary for us to continue upgrading our playability.

Our new membership campaign is going very well. With finding a price point that people are comfortable with, we are finding a commitment level from golfers who would have not regularly played our course. We are noticing families signing up, golfers who use to be customers coming back, and a lot of locals who are ready to try golf again. With these additional committed golfers, we have the opportunity to improve our overall financial health as well broaden our appeal among our customers and broaden our base for growth.