THE COUNTRY CLUB AT LOCH LLOYD GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE UPDATE
WINTER 2020
Dear Members, Thank you for taking the time to read the fourth edition of my report for 2020. The past few months have passed by quickly. It feels like I was just writing the third quarter report yesterday! It has been nice to see so many of you out enjoying plenty of beautiful fall golf. As we approach the end of the calendar year, the Golf Course Maintenance team has been extremely busy putting the final touches on the course and even though we’ve had some early snowfall, plenty of cool nights and stormy days, the golf has continued late into the season. On so many levels, the GCM team is looking forward to having 2020 in the rearview mirror; although, at the same time, we have embraced the challenges brought forth from a tough year … both on and off the golf course. This issue of will highlight some of the work that has been accomplished these past few months and also provide a brief overview of what’s to come in the new year. In this fluid and dynamic environment however, one never knows at times what’s around the next corner. As mentioned in previous reports, we receive many questions on a daily basis. Be sure to check out the Q&A section on page eight of this issue as we address one of our ongoing issues (and most-often asked question). If you ever feel that we have not successfully answered your question or solved a situation, please reach out and email, text or call me anytime to clarify. I look forward to seeing you around the course, the Club and the community. On behalf of the entire Golf Course Maintenance team, have a wonderful holiday season and best wishes heading into 2021.
Jeff Steen Director of Golf Course Maintenance jeffs@lochlloyd.com
The first tee, showered in fall leaves
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Matias Vasquez has been with the Golf Course Maintenance team for just over two years. Matias, a hard worker and contributor to the operation, is a key member of the team. Matias enjoys working outdoors and takes a great deal of pride as one of our full-time greenskeeper associates. With a smile always on his face, his positive and outgoing attitude is contagious. As you’ll learn below, Matias likes to make a difference in other people lives. He certainly makes a difference here at The Country Club at Loch Lloyd and it is a pleasure working alongside Matias and having him as a part of our team! Please say hello to Matias in passing.
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Recent and upcoming initiatives within our operation.
SAFETY
Whether it has been managing COVID or operating equipment, safety remains our #1 priority for all associates.
LANDSCAPING
Continued beautification throughout the golf course. Let’s bring back some color for 2021!
DETAILS
The team has worked diligently over the past several years to clean up our golf course perimeter areas. This is an ongoing project with next year’s focus to concentrate on areas around our waterways.
CART PATHS
Recent repairs and improvements to the cart paths near #15 and #16 tee complexes shown here before, during and after.
DURING
BEFORE
AFTER 4
Attention to detail is ongoing and takes time. Changing a culture within the work environment so that the entire team works as one and works toward a unified end goal is imperative. This is also true for our golfers who enjoy the course each and every day.
Ballmarks
Ballmark repair is so important during the winter months as the turfgrass has no recovery during this time. Some courses use temporary greens during the winter to keep all traffic clear of the putting surfaces. Temporary greens are not something we are considering nor is it a part of the conversation at this time, but it is imperative that the players fix their ballmarks!
Winter Course Conditions As we head into the winter months, course conditioning is excellent ‌ allowing for some great December golf!
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Since August, we are seven inches below average in rainfall. This has resulted in more irrigation use and has slowed turf recovery from summer stress. It has also slowed down our overseeding to the rough. This is one more reason why excess cart traffic during the winter months hurts the course and has a direct impact on course conditions in the spring. In November, our high average temperature was six degrees above the historical high temperature. On December 9th, we tied the record daily high temperature of 68 degrees (previously set in 1897) and, according to the National Weather Service, missed the mark by just one degree on December 10th, as the record high was 69 degrees (also set in the late 1800s). I’m not sure I agree as it seemed pretty warm out on the course that day with our temperature gauge reading a high of 71! Regardless of setting records or not, the course was packed with 100+ golfers on both December 9th and 10th! Although this has been great weather for golf, the course has endured extra traffic stress during a time when turfgrass growth comes to a complete slowdown and eventually shuts down completely. It’s hard to recover from any and all damage. I invite you to review the charts below which show fourth quarter rainfall and temperatures for this year as compared to last year as well as to historical averages. I also invite you to meet Juan Lopez and Marco Huesca, our highlighted associates, on the next page.
FOURTH QUARTER WEATHER STATS
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Marco Huesca has been with The Country Club at Loch Lloyd GCM team for three years. He serves in many roles including Section Leader, in charge of all greens complex mowing and detail in a specified section of the grounds. Marco is a very hard worker who enjoys the exercise of walk mowing and the art of mowing the greens with straight lines. His attention to detail raking bunkers is amongst the top of the entire crew.
Joining The Country Club at Loch Lloyd in 2010, Juan Lopez is one of the longest tenured associates on the team. Juan really enjoys working outdoors alongside his coworkers. He has taken great pride in his transition to Irrigation Technician. Juan has a vast array of transferable skills that have proven to be great assets to the team … including the role of “Head Chef!” Juan loves sports, particularly soccer and football, and is an avid fan of the Las Vegas Raiders. When not at work, Juan enjoys spending quality time with his family, his girlfriend, Kristen, and his puppy, Mayo.
Marco enjoys watching soccer and football and is a Barcelona and Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He loves spending time with his three daughters — Meredith, Camila and Elyzama; his son, Zaid; and his wife, Miriam. 7
“Why are carts on paths during the winter if the conditions are dry?” The biggest reason carts are on paths during the winter is the time of year we're in. With the warm season fairways and the roughs completely shut down for growth and recovery, the cart traffic this time of year is detrimental to the turfgrass. At the time of writing this report, we are expecting a slight warming trend in the next week; however, the long-range forecast calls for severe freezing temps once again. Of course, we will monitor and manage the weather and course conditions daily. Another challenge is the amount of overall traffic we've had for the year. Trying to recover from this increase in traffic leading into the fall went well with our overseeding, cultural, and fertility programs; however, the need to manage this accordingly now that grass has slowed down completely will be imperative for springtime green-up success.
PLEASE ADHERE TO DAILY CART RULES. They are in place to help the short-term and long-term success and integrity of the property.
Cart Traffic Damage on #12
Cart Traffic Damage on #8 8
The biggest goal for the GCM team this fall and into winter will be working on fairway drainage and improving the isolated areas on the fairways throughout the property. Recently, I spent the day with Eddie Huggins from Viridity, marking and measuring out potential drain lines throughout the entire property. Our efforts resulted in a proposal of nearly 6500 linear feet of drains to be installed in order to help the surface water move.
ADDITIONAL WINTER PROJECTS: Pond and creek repairs — several areas of rock repair need attention Bridge repairs (see photo below) Tree work — numerous safety hazards will be addressed Associate parking improvements at the maintenance shop to address safety concerns for the team Agronomic planning for 2021
Bridge in need of repair
Drainage issues on #4 fairway … a great example of our current challenges Jeff Steen (left) and Viridity’s Eddie Huggins mark and measure potential drain lines
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Golfing Statistics for 2020
We thought we’d share a couple of interesting stats for 2020 that may shed a little light on why we put so much focus on managing cart traffic and fixing ballmarks: Total rounds played YTD 2020: 24,500 An increase of 34% from last year’s 18,306 rounds Total golf cart rounds YTD 2020: 20,800 An increase of 24% from last year’s 16,728 rounds Keep in mind that we have had no outside events and therefore guest rounds were down over 62%. However, member rounds were up a staggering number of nearly the same amount at 56%. That’s a lot of golf for 2020.
GCM Happenings in 2020
If you’d like to take a look back at 2020, please reach out and I’ll send you a copy of the previous three editions of . These issues provide great visuals, stats and perspectives on GCM happenings throughout the year … both behind the scenes and on the course.
The Golf Course Maintenance team continues to receive a lot of requests to help out homeowners with clean-up along property lines. Requests that pose a safety concern are always our top priority. If other requests align with that of the vision of GCM and the Club, we put it on our list and work toward scheduling. The expectations of our team are very high and we will continue to diligently work toward fulfilling everyone’s request. Please remain patient. 10
This edition concludes the reports for 2020. It has been another year of continued growth and development for the Golf Course Maintenance team. We are pleased with the direction the team is headed, the conditioning and continued improvement of the golf course, and the playability of the surfaces. With plans to undertake some significant projects in 2021 (such as fairway drainage) and continue to make safety, health and well-being of everyone our top priority, the team is excited about what the new year will bring. I want to wish everyone a joyous holiday season and may 2021 bring out the best in all of us!
Jeff Steen
Director of Golf Course Maintenance jeffs@lochlloyd.com
2021 Round Table Discussions with Jeff Steen and Sean Hanna Round table sessions with Jeff Steen and Sean Hanna will continue in 2021, most likely starting back up in March. These small group get-togethers with 8 to 10 members offer an opportunity for a fluid and open dialogue, focused around a specific topic of discussion. Look for dates and details coming in the first quarter.
Fairway Drainage Project TBD (anticipated in February 2021) Round Table Discussions Resume March 2021 Spring Aeration April 2021
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16750 Country Club Drive Village of Loch Lloyd, MO 64012 816.322.1022
www.lochlloyd.com
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