April turned to May and the Governor said, let there be golf...Gjallarhorns were sounded and the green flag waived, and it was on!! Golfers turned out in full force in May, some even braving 20 degree mornings, but they were excited no less...and so were we. We were excited to show off our product...then 20 turned into 80 degrees, and we lost an irrigation satellite for a couple of weeks, then sadly the eighth hole looked more like August in the Desert than May in Minnesota. I learned a long time ago in dealing with grass, nothing good happens fast...and so, we continue to baby the eighth green along waiting for it to fill in. The good thing is that most of the issue is cosmetic and we are able to keep the green rolling smooth as ever.
Speaking of a little brown hue...I’ve learned a new term since starting, “the lake is low”...which I’ve figured out means we need rain. It sure has been a dry spring, but that has allowed me to really dance that fine line of keeping the fairways firm and fast, while sacrificing a little in the cosmetic look. At least the skyball hitters and the worm burner drivers will love it.
May brought on a couple interesting things...a stuck irrigation head and a 20 degree night...
Cool spring mornings after warm spring days...
Created a dew whip to give that clean and dry fairway feel...also, probably more importantly, knocking off dew is incredibly useful in disease prevention.
We had our first Monday Evening Maintenance Party...Ole leading the way on the verticutter.
While the greens started off a bit on the slower side. Coming out of winter, you always want to be cautious in how hard you push them. Verticutting is the first step in getting up to that peak season speed.
As we move into June, be on the lookout for the amazing flower arrangements, and be sure to give a shoutout to Marilyn for the amazing job she does arranging them all...as well as Bryan, Anita, Billie Jean and the rest for their tireless effort in getting them all planted.
This month’s amazing worker is Anita Milbridge...Anita is one of the crew's OG. Born and raised in northern Minnesota, in 2004 Anita needed a job, so she signed on with Wadsworth Construction crew that was contracted to build The Wilderness. Anita quickly showed her keen eye and ability to set grade, and was tasked in setting irrigation heads. After travelling with Wadsworth for a couple of years, Anita returned to Tower, and has been a staple on the crew ever since. Asked what brings her back every season, she says, “she’s fallen in love with the crew, they are like family.”...no, literally...she met her husband on the crew!!! If you see Anita, say thanks, not only for what she has done, but for what she still does.
Well duty calls, and I’ll have to keep this month’s letter a little shorter and months past. I want to give a shoutout to my guy, Louie...thanks for the feedback and the respectful, single first off. Look forward to seeing you next year. I hope you have enjoyed, and maybe learned something new. If you enjoy this type of thing...feel free to follow along in our summer journey to provide the best this course has to offer. We have a new twitter page @WildernessGCM and our Blog ‘Between the Trees’.
I want to leave you with this, 2020 has been a crazy year so far, and while we were running around trying to finish up Maintenance Monday before dark, I couldn’t help but stop and admire the view...
Because too many times, we just forget to look.
As always, we look forward to seeing you on the 1st tee and keep it between the trees.
Red