Thursday, November 28, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving!
Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. The Holidays are always a welcomed time of year so enjoy your families and eat plenty! Have a great day.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Be Thankful
I just returned from a visit to Hillcrest Golf Course in Washington, IL. To see the devastation first hand is overwhelming and those of us who were unaffected should be thankful. Superintendent Chuck Bishoff is doing his best to put all the pieces back together and get this long time recreational facility back in shape for his community. His concerns are daunting to say the least and this small 2 man business will be challenged to the extreme in getting through this process.
Chuck and owner Brian Brubaker have asked me to serve as a consultant in helping them through this disaster. I have been asked over the years to consult for various courses around Central Illinois and this time it was easy to say yes, I will help. This business is the sole lively hood for these two gentlemen' and their families. They cannot afford to be out of business for a long period of time. The people in the community need somewhere for recreation as Washington is rebuilt over the next few years. Hillcrest needs to be a viable option for the community. As a young boy I experienced a fatal tornado which leveled our home and devastated our community of Ankeny, Iowa. I can remember that as recreational facilities reopened people felt a sense that the community would be alright. We could make it through this and get our community back. First the parks then the pool and finally our little local public golf course. As each one reopened it brought back something normal to the otherwise chaotic world that we had been thrown into.
If you are not from a small community this may sound like nonsense. If you are from a small town you know exactly what I am talking about. Washington, IL will recover from this disaster. It will take years and countless hours of hard work but they will recover. If I can help in a small way assisting Brian and Chuck in dealing with this disaster then count me in. I know there are numerous Superintendents that are willing to lend a hand. Superintendents are funny that way, always willing to help each other out in a time of need. That is just what we do and how we do it.
I will leave you with some pictures I took of Hillcrest Golf Course and the surrounding area. Every tornado has what I call miracle stories and Hillcrest has one. There were 3 ladies and 1 gentleman that survived the storm in the pro shop. One of the ladies was 84 years old! How they survived is a miracle and when you see the photos you will understand. The pro shop is leveled and has a car flipped over laying on top of it. The gentleman made it to a small basement but the ladies rode out the tornado in a restroom on the main floor. All four walked away with minor injuries. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
Chuck and owner Brian Brubaker have asked me to serve as a consultant in helping them through this disaster. I have been asked over the years to consult for various courses around Central Illinois and this time it was easy to say yes, I will help. This business is the sole lively hood for these two gentlemen' and their families. They cannot afford to be out of business for a long period of time. The people in the community need somewhere for recreation as Washington is rebuilt over the next few years. Hillcrest needs to be a viable option for the community. As a young boy I experienced a fatal tornado which leveled our home and devastated our community of Ankeny, Iowa. I can remember that as recreational facilities reopened people felt a sense that the community would be alright. We could make it through this and get our community back. First the parks then the pool and finally our little local public golf course. As each one reopened it brought back something normal to the otherwise chaotic world that we had been thrown into.
If you are not from a small community this may sound like nonsense. If you are from a small town you know exactly what I am talking about. Washington, IL will recover from this disaster. It will take years and countless hours of hard work but they will recover. If I can help in a small way assisting Brian and Chuck in dealing with this disaster then count me in. I know there are numerous Superintendents that are willing to lend a hand. Superintendents are funny that way, always willing to help each other out in a time of need. That is just what we do and how we do it.
I will leave you with some pictures I took of Hillcrest Golf Course and the surrounding area. Every tornado has what I call miracle stories and Hillcrest has one. There were 3 ladies and 1 gentleman that survived the storm in the pro shop. One of the ladies was 84 years old! How they survived is a miracle and when you see the photos you will understand. The pro shop is leveled and has a car flipped over laying on top of it. The gentleman made it to a small basement but the ladies rode out the tornado in a restroom on the main floor. All four walked away with minor injuries. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
Hug your kids, tell your wife you love her and Be Thankful!
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| Pro Shop-notice the seats for snack bar counter |
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| Damage on # 18 green |
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| Vehicle in parking lot with Pro Shop in background |
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| Restroom where 2 ladies laid on floor holding toilet and 84 year old sat |
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| Look across golf course...the car is a new addition to the course |
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| Golf green damage |
Friday, November 15, 2013
Leaves and More Leaves!!
The fall leaf drop came late this year. Just in the last few days we have seen the leaves really come down on the course. We deal with them in numerous ways to clean up the course. The big "vacuum" is in heavy use along with mowers equipped with mulching units. We have a turbine blower that is used to help in the effort. This year is slightly more challenging as the majority of our staff have been laid off for the season so late season leaf cleanup is left for a skeleton crew.
It seems like there was not much transition this year from warmer weather to colder temperatures. We have already seen a measurable snow and we are just at the midpoint in the month of November! I hate to say it, but you might want to get the shovel out of the shed and test fire the snow blower. The predictions for this winter are colder and wetter then what we have seen the last few winters. Hopefully the forecasts are wrong and Mother Nature is kind to us.
Well, I wish I could tell you all to come out and enjoy the course but the weather conditions and temperatures right now are not optimal for golf. We will have the course cleaned up for any brave souls that would like to come out and test the elements. We have the Annual Turkey Shoot coming up on November 23rd and who knows what the weather could bring this year! It is always an enjoyable event for those who participate in it.
As the year winds down and we head into the Holiday Season the Golf Maintenance Staff would like to wish you all Happy Holidays and an enjoyable winter. We will be busy with on course projects and the annual equipment maintenance duties. It won't be long and Spring will be back around. Until then we will see what Winter has in store for us. Enjoy the Holidays!!
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| Mower equipped with mulchers cleaning up leaves |
It seems like there was not much transition this year from warmer weather to colder temperatures. We have already seen a measurable snow and we are just at the midpoint in the month of November! I hate to say it, but you might want to get the shovel out of the shed and test fire the snow blower. The predictions for this winter are colder and wetter then what we have seen the last few winters. Hopefully the forecasts are wrong and Mother Nature is kind to us.
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| Turbine blower rounding up leaves on the course |
Well, I wish I could tell you all to come out and enjoy the course but the weather conditions and temperatures right now are not optimal for golf. We will have the course cleaned up for any brave souls that would like to come out and test the elements. We have the Annual Turkey Shoot coming up on November 23rd and who knows what the weather could bring this year! It is always an enjoyable event for those who participate in it.
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| The big vacuum helping out with leaf cleanup |
As the year winds down and we head into the Holiday Season the Golf Maintenance Staff would like to wish you all Happy Holidays and an enjoyable winter. We will be busy with on course projects and the annual equipment maintenance duties. It won't be long and Spring will be back around. Until then we will see what Winter has in store for us. Enjoy the Holidays!!
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