Mid Winter Thaw

This is 18 green after clearing the snow . ( Also a thorough Pressley inspection!)

We saw our second thaw of the winter the week of February 13-19. We cleared all greens of ice and snow as well as surrounding banks that would melt down onto greens. Approximately 99% of the course was clear of snow and ice. We were able to inspect the turf and we were pleased as to what we saw. All turf preventively treated was free of winter disease(snow mold) and showed great color. The drainage furrows we cut into greens last fall to assist with water moving off the putting surfaces were working nicely.
Subsequently, 2 days later we received our biggest snow fall of the winter. Almost 11 inches came down on Sunday February 20. To date we are still covered course wide. All indications at this point show that so far mother nature and our work is keeping winter damage to a minimum. 

This is the putting green after snow removal.  We were able to successfully clear the three inches of ice seen in this photo.

Forecast shows further warming trends so we will have a constant eye on snow melt, possible ice build up, and turf conditions.

Snow storm hype & grinding equipment

The blizzard that covered the country and hit Michigan on February 1'st and 2'nd dropped a total of 11 inches at Lakelands. The course and entire region is truly a winter wonderland. We spent most of the day on Wednesday and the morning on Thursday plowing the club road and parking lots. Our plan is to remove all snow from the greens the week of February 7-11.

Ryan Lee our equipment technician and I spent the day on Friday travelling to Canton, Ohio to look at a set of used grinders we are looking to purchase. After spending about an hour inspecting the two units, we made the decision they would work very well for us. Part of our capital purchases in 2011 is the purchase of grinding machines.  These machines are used to sharpen reels, and bed knives. These are the parts of the mower actually doing the cutting. A reel is made up of helix shaped blades attached around a steel shaft. The reel and cutting unit are removed from the traction unit, mounted into the grinder and automatically sharpened by a pre-programmed, spinning stone.
Dull or poorly sharpened mowers tear and shred grass blades rather than cut them. This shredding causes the tips of injured leaves to turn straw-brown and die within a few days. Such injuries also assist infectious agents to penetrate plants and cause disease. Mowers should be sharpened and adjusted frequently to prevent excessive injury and to stimulate turfgrass health.
As expectations for smooth, consistent and faster greens increase, the surgical cut produced from reels sharpened with Express Dual and Anglemaster results in a consistency of cut that enables golf courses to provide everything golfers have come to expect.

Why Use Grinders?
It may sound simple but, using grinders keeps your mowing equipment sharp.
Dull mowers tear or shred grass blades rather than cut them. By using mowers that are surgically sharp you improve the quality of cut that is applied to your turf everyday.
A good quality of cut means healthier turfgrass, smoother surfaces and beautiful greens, tees and fairways.

EXPRESS DUAL 3000MC


With easy to use electrical and mechanical control systems, the new Express Dual 3000MC is competitively priced to meet any golf course budget. Express Dual 3000MC comes with an electrical clamping system making reel grinding super easy and super fast. The simple feed system with digital display ensures balanced cylinder blade grinding every time.

• Rigid, robust chassis
• Automatic traverse
• Flexible cylinder/reel drive
• Digital feed controls
• Electric clamping system
• Single switch control
• Lift and guard come standard

ANGLEMASTER 3000MC


The Anglemaster 3000MC offers speed and accuracy with simple mechanical control at a price and specification to suit your requirements. Applying Bernhard's approach of using a simple protractor with 'auto-cue' to find any desired angle, bottom blades can be sharpened to within one thousandth of an inch.
Independent in-feed and a single point advance make this the easiest bottom blade grinder on the market.

• Simple to set-up and use
• Accurate, grinds to within 0.001"
• Can grind bottom blades up to 40" long
• Automatic traverse
• Coolant dispersal and separation come standard

grinder pictures and info courtesy of Bernhard Grinding Company

Is this is the BIG ONE!?!

How much snow are we going to get?  The more the bettter.  Hope everyone stays safe.
We will keep you posted on the course once it is all on the ground.