2024
WHAT’S HOT – March 2, 2024
1. To think that on February 12th I included in a report my concern about a lack of snow cover on the course. I went on to suggest it likely won’t be necessary to blow the greens off this spring. Well, it seems like its been snowing since, particularly this, the first weekend of March. I think I spoke too soon and better start making plans to deal with the stuff. 2. It’s that time of year when we’re trying to put a crew together again. Similar to recent years, there is expected to be a large turn over in staff again. We’ve been advertising numerous positions since early January and I can honestly say we’ve received twice as many applications from over seas as local. These are strange times. Strange frustrating times.
3. The budget process went relatively smooth this past fall. Once again, things will be relatively tight. There continues to be so many unknowns these days regarding cost of supplies as well as their availability that you really do tend to take the safer route and in many ways, deprive the course of things that previously were considered essential and the norm.
4. I heard numerous comments in early December how good that rain was for the course. Yes, things were getting pretty toasty out there, however, that rain fell on some pretty frozen ground. And much of it pooled in bowled areas of the landscape such as several greens. Putting greens do not like ice. Turf anoxia
5. Still waiting for a fringe mower and utility vehicle we ordered in January of 2023. Desperately need both.
6. Thanks to our good friends at K & S Asphalt we were able to do a substantial amount of paving and skim coating on the course last year. It was an absolute pleasure to hear all the positive comments the projects created. The new pavement on #4 completed what’s turned out to be an excellent hole. And the great ride from the 10th green to the 11th fairway was the result of some skim coating over poplar roots in the aging paths in the area. We’ve budgeted to do more skim coating in 2024.
7. Very much looking forward to working with Assistant Super Stu Williams this season and into the future. Stu’s a small-town farm boy originally from Alberta where he worked at Wolf Creek for several years prior to moving on to a couple courses in B.C. We’re definitely lucky to have someone of Stu’s experience and enthusiasm for the golf industry. I’m sure all will make him feel welcome.
8. Last season was a very worrisome and frustrating year when it came to irrigation. The river levels were so low the entire year. Each day you’d come to work with fingers crossed, praying there was still enough water to irrigate that night. Several times we ran out of water to pump.
9. Our first 3 forward tees were built last fall and we plan on building another 3 this year. I don’t think anyone predicted how popular they would become last season.
10. The 2024 budget includes the replacement of equipment. Based on our 5 Year Equipment Replacement Program we will be purchasing a tee mower, a rough mower, leaf blower and leaf picker. The mowers were ordered in February. It’ll be interesting to see if manufacturing and delivery has improved in the past year.
11. I think Assistant Stu is going to be pushing snow all day and probably into tomorrow as well. Our poor little John Deere Tractor. Not exactly built for what we ask it to do. Hopefully one of these years a skid steer loader will become part of our maintenance arsenal. A heated skid steer. Dare to dream.
12. Huge thanks to James Seed for plowing the snow to the shop for us. He happened to be finishing the Sask. Hospital lot and saw Mark struggling with our little tractor at our gate. He wheeled over and opened things up for us in a fraction of the time it would have taken Mark. James is another great friend of the course that we know we can rely on. I have a feeling its going to take James considerably longer to blow our greens off this year.
13. Cart paths will be installed to all new forward tees. They will be gravel for the time being until we can coordinate paving several at once. Similar to all existing tee complexes, we ask you keep all 4 wheels on the path unless you’re and individual with mobility issues. For those with difficulty, explain your circumstance to the pro shop and use your best discretion to drive where it best provides ease of using the tee.
14. Going to try and build another bridge across the #1 swale. Eventually #10 as well but trying to work within our means. We never know what our staffing situation may be in the fall.
15. Well, there. How’s that for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, punctuation mix-ups and statements that make absolutely no sense. Being this is the first submission of 2024, you can expect way more in upcoming weeks. Until then, if you have ant questions or comments feel free: gsaw@sasktel.net.
Grant Sawchyn
WHAT’S HOT – March 16, 2024
1. Well, I’ve had one no-show for an interview already this Saturday morning. Have two more scheduled today. Hope I have better luck.
2. Indzi’s Courier Service or as the Saskatoon venders refer to her as Chipper Courier, brought me a couple boxes of golf course furnishing materials. One product is vinyl shrink wrap to put on some older rake handles. With the price of paint these days it’s the most economical. Looks better too.
3. Got those brush piles burnt this past week. Took a couple days, but Stu and Mark got it done. Perfect weather. Slight breeze keeping the smoke out of the city.
4. Man the snow sure melted down the last couple days. Plowing roads out to greens shouldn’t be as difficult as I was expecting.
5. Had several inquiries last summer where our weather station is located now. Well, its presently high up on a shelf in the shop. We were forced to take it down when we built the 4th hole. Hopefully we can get it back up. I personally miss the data it provided us.
6. The loading ramp in cart compound parking lot got damaged last fall. We’ll have to get it repaired prior to opening day.
7. There was still a ton of snow on the brush piles making it difficult to keep the fires going but Assistant Stu came up with great idea. Both he and Mark got out there with blowers and really fired things up. Those piles were never going to go out they were so hot.
8. The hiring process is so time consuming and at times exhausting. By the time you create accounts at the all the colleges to post jobs as well as industry websites and government sites, several days can go by. And then sorting through applications, the majority of which are from out of the country, then contacting legitimate applicants attempting to arrange interviews, many of them not returning your calls, texts and emails. After a couple weeks, it plays you out.
9. If you cruise down Riverside Drive, you can see a ton of porcupine damage in the river valley. Hopefully, those suckers stayed away from the golf course. Its disheartening to lose a 25-year-old tree to the pests.
10. Would be nice to have a couple familiar faces cutting rough this year. Those gals are always hard to replace.
11. Don’t be surprised if some of the furnishings are slower than normal getting out onto the course this spring. There wasn’t anyone around the shop from mid-January to March to put a coat of paint on items I didn’t address prior to my medical leave. We were starting to get back at it when the storm rolled through. We’ve been either pushing snow or hauling snow since.
12. On the par 3 tee boxes, there is going to be an emphasis placed on both replacing divots or filling divots with sand/seed mix this season. Of course, we prefer replacing your fresh divot if possible. Our par 3 tee boxes are much too small for the amount of traffic we are putting through. We need everyone’s cooperation on this one.
13. Golf Saskatchewan no longer allows single rider carts in their tournaments. They recognize the detrimental affect the additional traffic has on turf quality. Thank you to those who follow their lead on our course.
14. I saw several delivery trucks up at the clubhouse last week. Most likely merchandise for the pro shop. Dana is certainly going to be busy putting it all out on display for opening day.
15. I swore I wasn’t going to mention those vile weeds this early in my submissions, but as hard as we worked last fall blowing and picking those damn leaves, the place is a mess under the snow cover and will need additional blowing and picking of damn leaves when its dry enough.
16. Minutes away from interview number three. Number 2 was very good.
17. Looking forward to the arrival of our new utility vehicle this spring and being able to put the sprayer on the old vehicle and leave it on. Putting it on and off is an accident waiting to happen. It takes a minimum of six bodies to do it safely. We were short some bodies taking it off for winter and the job was a little shaky.
18. What a beauty day to get on a tractor and move some snow but I better not. I should take of the new hardware a while longer. It’s a long season.
19. I read on an Alberta government website that the snow pack is only 87% of normal in the mountains. We irrigate out of the North Saskatchewan River and it’s fed from those same mountains.
20. Very frustrating trying to put a crew together this time of year. All government departments are doing their seasonal hiring and its very difficult to compete with them.
21. The snows starting to melt these days, so it shouldn’t be much longer until we can get out on the course and get the place ready for all of you. But in the mean time if you have a question, concern or a crew …….gsaw@sasktel.net
Grant