Not much longer...

So good to see temps back into the 40's and 50's.  Greens are free of snow again after last weeks return to winter.  They look great..the entire golf course hardened off, went dormant, really well with all the moisture followed by very cold temps and late snow cover last fall.  We anticipate pulling the tarps off the greens next week and leave them off until we aerify later in April, at which point we may pull them back on for a few days to encourage healing and then off we go.

It was reported today that a large black lab was killed by 3 mountain lions on the Cook's property about a mile north of the Snake River/Gros Ventre River confluence.  That is just over 1.5 miles ESE of the golf course with not much development between us and the encounter area.  Please be cautious around your homes with pets and cooking outdoors as we head into warmer weather.  We had some wolf and bear sightings last fall and other reports of mountain lions, likely the same group, working their way down the Gros Ventre drainage just south of the course.  Another reason why the golf course is off limits to  pedestrians/dogs from early spring through late fall and dogs must be leashed during the winter with restricted access.

"...wildlife is not encroaching on us, we are encroaching on the wildlife."

Brief Return to Winter

Looks like winter is back for a short time.  We cleared all of our greens last week and they looked like they wintered really well under the snow.  We will be going out again next week and clearing any additional snow that doesn't melt off and checking them again, possibly putting down some chemicals for disease control and then watching the weather once again. 

Just a reminder that we will be closing the course to pedestrian traffic as it begins to become free of snow and I would imagine that by late next week the cross country track will no longer be fit for travel.  We had an incident on the course on #5 with a dog chasing one of our employees and acting pretty aggressive.  Please make sure your pets are secured and remember that the wildife continues to work hard for food this time of year and that dogs are only allowed on the cross country track and must be leashed at all times.  Thanks for your continued efforts in adhereing to our rules regarding dogs, pedestrian traffic and respecting private property. 

Have a great day!!

Wildlife update

This is one of 3 moose I've encountered on the golf course this past week.  This is an especially hard time of the year for the moose after a long winter.  We would again like to thank everyone for keeping with Golf Course policy and leashing your dogs while on the cross country track.  The moose are especially sensitive to dogs and expending extra energy, even this late in the season, can be detrimental to their survival.  I also saw 5 bald eagles last week down near the river, 3 adults and two immature.  In addition, several deer and a couple of coyotes have been busy around the course.

This is a great time of the year to view wildlife, please be respectful and enjoy the track for at least another week or so, after which the course will be closed to all traffic until we open in late April.  Have a great week!

Spring Update

Looks like a taste of spring late in the week....

I hope everyone has enjoyed the cross country track this winter..we are officially done grooming for the season.  The upcoming week we will begin blowing greens and using the track to transport equipment around the course. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 40's by the end of the week so the snowpack will be disappearing and getting soft.  This is the onset of "mud season" and all traffic on the course will kept to a minimum to avoid any compaction and damage of turf as we transition into the growing season.  Course access will be limited to whats left of the cross country track for the next couple of weeks then will be off limits until the course opens for golf the 3rd or 4th week of April depending on weather.  I don't know about everyone else, but I sure am excited about getting access to some turf and seeing how we "wintered" under the snow.  Keep an eye out for more updates as the weather gets warmer.

Spring is on it's way?!?

March 1, 2013

Anthony Benes, Assistant Superintendent, is no longer with the club.  He has made a move to Los Colinas Golf Club at the Four Seasons in the Dallas, TX area to pursue his career in the industry.  They are host to the Byron Nelson Classic PGA Tour event every spring and we wish him the best in his endeavors.  He was a great asset to the property and will be missed.  That being said, I am currently in the process of finding his replacement and will have someone on board before the course opens at the end of the April, or early May depending on the weather.

Winter is slowly coming to a close..with less than a foot of snow on the golf course.  About a third of what we would normally see this time of year. 

The cross country trail will see little or no maintenance from here on out; as we begin to see a more drastic freeze-thaw cycle set up and a thin base we don't want to encourage any icing by continually packing and risk causing damage to the areas where it crosses fairways.

We will begin blowing greens next week, it should be a quick process as there is so little snow to remove.  It will then become a monitoring and waiting game as we watch the weather/temperatures to evaluate how quickly we need to access them and begin any disease control or maintenance.

We appreciate everyone adhereing to HOA and Membership documents and recognizing that the course is private property by limiting access to areas other than the cross country track.  In addition, recognizing that the rules set by JHGTC regarding leashing of pets and the winter closure on the south side of Spring Gulch Rd are in place to enhance wildlife habitat and limit damage to the course itself as we transition from winter to spring.  Access to the golf course; for members, homeowners and guests alike; is restricted once the snow is gone and limited during the winter months to the cross country track.  A reminder as well that because the course is private property the club reserves the right to implement it's own policies regarding pets on the course: they must be leashed in the winter and are not allowed, unless assisting their owner, to all areas including the clubhouse area once the snow is gone.  We sincerely appreciate your cooperation in protecting the property and everyone'sopportunity to have the "experience of a lifetime" at Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club.

It's going to be a great summer and we can't wait to see some green grass!!

Andy Erskine
Superintendent
JHGTC