Welcome to the Greenskeeper’s Corner. Here, we highlight the heroes of our course, the often invisible grounds crew who takes such good care of our favorite place. Meet our team and learn a little about them here. They’ll provide us with updates on the changes happening, plus some insight on the ins and outs of keeping a course green and beautiful.
2023 has seen major updates to the facilities with plenty more to come in 2024. Follow along with us here for updates from the team as we continue to update and improve the course.
2023 RECAP
This year, the team has worked hard to gradually polish aspects of the course which might have been overlooked in recent years. Some items we’ve worked on this season-
- Fertilized the course in both spring and fall
- Aerified the entire course. Some parts of the course have not been aerified in 6+ years. This allows air flow into the roots to reduce the thatch layer, attack pests, diseases and invasive grasses at the roots, and encourage new, healthy growth.
- Purchased a mower blade grinder for in-house sharpening.
- Brought several pieces of old equipment back to life either by sending the equipment out to specialists or by hiring an in-house mechanic who has focused on these pieces.
- Gradually lowered green cut height over the course of the season to increase green speeds.
- Improved our irrigation program by repairing sprinkler heads and altering watering times.
- This year we did NOT cover the sand traps to allow for an extended playing season.
- We’ve developed a plan to cover several bunkers and have begun contact with a grading company to fill these in.
- Identified which tees to rebuild and plotted tees that will be added in future seasons.
- Worked on a plan to eliminate invasive grasses and diseases and begun implementation so these are not an issue in future seasons.
DECEMBER 5 UPDATE
This offseason is unique, as we’re allowing players on the course for the first time in the club’s 48 year history. To continue to facilitate this, we’re working around regular play so you may see us out and about during your round.
In the last few weeks, we’ve over seeded and topdressed the greens, and sprayed to help ward of any issues for next year.
The irrigation system has been winterized, which has given us some opportunity to fix broken pipes on 5, 14 and 15.
All tees have been aerified and fertilized, and tee and green surrounds have also been fertilized. We’ve begun to aerate fairways, which has not been done in 6 years.
Next up- we’re making contact with a grading company about filling in a few sand traps.
Clayton Carlson- Superintendent
Clayton comes to us from right down the road at Mt. Air Golf Club. He has lived in Burnsville since he was 4 and even interned at Mt. Mitchell at the beginning of his career. Clayton is an Eagle Scout and a graduate of Rutgers University. In his life, he has live in California, Michigan, Utah and even Guatemala. He and his dog Bucky enjoy all things outdoors including camping, golf, football and exploring our nation’s gorgeous National Parks. He likes to make and eat barbeque, and tries as many barbeque restaurants as possible. Clayton brings us a fresh perspective on turfgrass management while maintaining the local roots that make this course special. We wish you well and look forward to green days ahead, Clayton!
The Crew
Ryan Wiebe- Maintenance Team
Brian Garrison- Maintenance Team
Jim Manship- Maintenance Team, Mechanic
Gage Manship- Maintenance Team
Kris Chavez- Maintenance Team
Reese Fuller- Maintenance Team
