Date: July 2, 2019

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Categories: Golf CourseGreens Updates

Sycamore Trees

There are various beautiful sycamore trees located throughout Credit Valley. These trees have a definitive bark colour and pattern and create a great appearance.

The sycamore trees are frequently the last trees to leaf out each season. Close examination of the lower limbs shows buds appearing to be ready to push out leaves very soon.

Given the difficult summer last year with the lack of rainfall, and the incredibly wet start to this season increasing the risk of disease pathogens, the trees have been treated with an application for fungus prevention. To help promote health they will also be fertilized this week. With continued care, and appropriate pruning, we will continue to foster a healthy life for the sycamores.

18 Pond

This past week a pond management contractor came in to remove a good portion of the weeds and rushes from the pond. This process has been completed in the past; previously having been undertaken approximately five years ago.

Although the pond may seem like a consistent body of water there are a lot of moving parts to it. The irrigation system is fed from the pond and the pond must be filled consistently from the Credit River. When pumping from the river there can be large amounts of minerals brought in that promote weed growth through the pond, as well as algae. Most of the drainage from the top 5 holes of the golf course is also routed into the pond, bringing with it the potential for grass clippings and the minerals that they are comprised of. The fountain not only adds aesthetic appeal but also helps reduce algae levels through operation during the season.

Having an abundance of minerals, and the warmth of the pond, allows for weed development that requires periodic removal, so that the weeds do not obstruct the fountain or irrigation pumps. This was completed last week through an amphibious vehicle that cuts and removes the weeds from the pond. In a few hours, five loads of weed material was removed from the bottom and edges of the pond.

StrikeGuard

With an improvement in weather and an increase in humidity, there is also an increase in the likelihood of lightning activity. With that said, this is a good opportunity to review the protection system at Credit Valley. Lightning strikes pose a significant threat on the golf course to players and a strike can happen in a variety of ways.

The StrikeGuard notification system is state of the art for lightning detection. It always monitors both cloud to cloud lightning and cloud to ground strikes. With the newest technology and advancements in detection, false alarms rarely ever occur. It is imperative to seek shelter when the alarm sounds.

Although the sky and conditions may not seem severe when the alarm sounds, the system monitors for strikes from within a eight-kilometre radius of the Club to ensure safety for all members, guests and staff.

There are four sirens on the golf course: on top of the Clubhouse; along the path down from 6 tee; beside 9 tee; and, beside 15 tee.

The locations of each of these devices allows for both visual notification, using the strobe lights, and audible notification over the entire course.

Once there is a strike within eight kilometres of the sensor located on top of the clubhouse, the alarm sounds and there is a minimum of 30 minutes before the all clear is given. Each subsequent strike within the eight-kilometre radius starts the countdown over again.

It is of the utmost importance to follow these alarms and guidelines while playing through potentially severe weather.




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