Friday, August 31, 2012

Weekday Mixed Haig/ Corn and Steak Open!

The Weekday Mixed Haig is one of the highlights of the calendar season. Once again, Brian and Susanne Sambleson did  a fabulous job of convening this Event. The Haig format is used and the top ten teams win steaks and rest of the feild wins fresh corn!

This year's Champions were Barb White and Tom Kelly who shot a wonderful round of 60, which was 5 clear of the second place finishers. There was a tie for second place between Joanne White/ Terry Calder and Sue Dickinson/ John Elia who both shot rounds of 65. There was also a tie for 4th place between Meri Calder/ Pat Burrell and Kandice Brackenbury/ Rick Johnson with scores of 66.



This format always finds players experiencing new places on the Course that they might not have seen before. Case in point is Glenda Roberts!

 As you can see below, she played some creative recovery shots! I must note that she and Alex did finish in 9th place and picked up some steaks!
(This the 12th hole if you were wondering.)


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Meghan Bennett - Provincial Champion!

Congratulations to Meghan Bennett on winning the Ontario Junior Girls Match Play Championship.

The Event wrapped up on Aug 22nd at Barcovan Golf Club where Meghan won the final match 3 - 2.

This past week Meghan finished 4th in the Graham Cooke Invitational in Bromont, Quebec. Over the summer Meghan finished 31st in the Ontario Women's Amateur and 12th in the Ontario Junior Girls Amateur.
Well Done Meghan!!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Greens Aeration.............WHY???

Inevitably, when greens aerification takes place at any golf club, the members begin to cry out……….”WHY DO WE HAVE TO AERATE”??? The answer is a long one.




For turfgrass conditions that are subject to traffic, CULTIVATION (i.e. aerification) is necessary in either spring or fall, or both ideally.

More specifically, on golf course putting greens,

CORE CULTIVATION NEEDS TO BE PERFORMED

ONCE FOR EVERY 10,000 ROUNDS OF PLAY.

Beyond 25,000 rounds, non–core CULTIVATION

methods, such as SOLID–TINE, must be used in the

overall TURF CULTIVATION. (Whitevale is consistently north of 30,000 rounds)



TURF CULTIVATION (i.e. aerification) is the answer to many problems.

• Carbon dioxide toxin is better released from the soil

• Compaction in the soil is alleviated

• Disease resistance of turf is improved

• Fertilizer applied to the soil is more effectively placed

• Heat and drought stress resistance of turf is improved

• Organic matter in the soil is removed

• Oxygen absorption in the soil is improved

• Oxygen movement in the soil is also improved

• Root system is deeper, healthier, and revitalized

• Seed germination is improved for over–seeded turf

• Soil is loosened and easier for roots to penetrate

• Thatch decomposition is increased

• Water absorption in the soil is improved

• Water movement in the soil is also improved



An adequate TURF CULTIVATION program will tend to DECREASE turf susceptibility

to the following diseases

• Anthracnose Basal Rot

• Anthracnose Foliar Blight

• Pythium Root Rot

• Summer Patch

• Take–All



Moreover, SOLID–TINE CULTIVATION, combined with frequent light vertical

mowing, mechanical grooming, raking, spiking, top–dressing, and vigorous

brushing, WILL DISRUPT the growth and development of the following diseases

• Algae and Algal Scum

• Moss

• Slime Moulds







The greens aerification this past week was completed three weeks earlier than in past years. Before 2012, the late summer greens aerification was done in the second week of September. I had been requesting a change to the end of August for a few years for a number of reasons but with Club Championship on Labour Day weekend there was no way to get the greens back into 100% shape quick enough for that event. Once Club “C” had been moved to the Civic weekend, the door was open to change the date to August. In 2011 we hosted the Canadian Senior Ladies Championship in late August, so we stuck with the September date, but finally this year we made the change. With the help of both borrowed equipment from Granite Club, and rental equipment from Turf Care we were able to complete the process in the best time ever.

But the other big factor in moving the date to late August is we still have our full crew. University students have not yet retreated to the lazy world of campus life. After next week we lose 9 staff, who all return to studies at different schools across Ontario. This makes it very challenging attempting to keep all things consistent through September and early October. Ultimately things start to get neglected due to staffing issues. We have already found 3 new bodies to join the crew, but we are simply at a deficit for staff after Labour Day. I would love to get away from hiring students for this reason alone, but the only way to attract more full time staff is to pay higher wages. Currently 64% of my operations budget is to cover wages. Approvals of such a wage increase would signifantly increase my operations budget.



The aerification event itself was smooth and successful, but not without any problems. One equipment break down required our staff to remove cores from a number of greens with the use of snow shovels……………..back breaking work to say the least. And we had one major problem on the 6th green when one piece of equipment we were using which has a single front tire, dug in and cause significant damage. Of all the places for this damage to happen, of course it happened right on the walk on where every member and guest will see it. Unfortunately with the aging fleet of equipment we rely on, the equipment at fault for this damage is an out dated 3 wheel vehicle. A newer 4 wheel vehicle would not have caused the same problem. The area has been plugged, but it will be 2013 before the area is properly healed.



Remember that the green speeds will slow considerably over the next week to 12 days. Immediately after the greens are top dressed and we have an abundance of sand, which is usually the first two days, the greens are bumpy, but most golfers will comment they are fast. Then on days 3 through 12 they become very slow……..Let me repeat that, they become PAINFULLY SLOW! The reason for this is because the mowers will be dulled down on the first few passes due to the sand. A dull mower tears grass and the surface becomes ragged and uneven. Until the majority of sand is below the crown we will continue to get a very poor cut. After about the 12 day mark we find the mowers are picking up minimal sand and the quality of cut increases significantly. We also stop mowing in the morning because the dew makes the sand stick to everything and things can get very messy. So playing in the mornings now has poorly and unevenly cut greens that are covered in dew………..probably stimping at about 6 to 7 inches!

We will be returning in the late afternoon and early evening to mow greens when they are dry. So allow me to thank you for your patients now. Full healing will happen after 14 to 21 days due to the larger holes we have made over the spring aeration.











Monday, August 20, 2012

Junior/ Senior Tournament

The Annual Junior/ Senior Tournament was held on Sunday and we had another oustanding turnout. 
 This alternate shot format is a fun test for both the kids and the adults.
The Winners of the Alfie Flug Trophy for low net of the Event was Andrew Rogers and Alex Letros who fired a 68.5. Second place was a tie with Kaprice and Wade Brackenbury and Owen Chandler and Teri Courchene finishing with nets of 69.
 The 9 hole event was won by Mark Shorter and John Carter. They finished with a 33 net. Second went to Andrew Haber and Bob Stephenson who had a 35.5.
 A big Thank You to all the members who generously donated all the prizes for the Event.

Friday, August 17, 2012

SALE - All Women's Summer Wear

The Pro Shop has a great Sale on right now with all Women's Summer Wear at 30% off.
PUMA Golf Placed Geometric PoloNike Dri-FIT No-Sew Knit Skort

The Men's Aureus (AUR) line of clothing is also still at 30% off.


Look for the new Ping Answer line of clubs to arrive soon!
PING ANSER Driver with Mitsubishi Diamana 'ahinaPING ANSER Hybrid

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Wow! What a Championship Weekend!

The Whitevale Club Championship concluded on Monday afternoon and there was drama in every division. A large crowd cheered the groups on and enjoyed being part of a wonderful afternoon of golf.

The Men's Club Championship saw three golfers tee off in the final round tied for the lead. Alex Letros, Barry Fairhurst and Mark Brewer battle on the front nine saw Alex jump into a 5 shot lead. When the dust had settled Mark Brewer had come back in dramatic fashion to win his 14th Club Championship. When he rolled his par putt in on the 18th it was the only time he was in the lead all weekend. Alex Letros finished second, Barry Fairhurst was third and Brad Haley finished in 4th place. All 4 players have qualified to represent Whitevale in the George S Lyons tournament in September.

The Women's Club Championship was also a close battle with the lead changing hands numerous times through out the round. Angela Colm won her 9th Championship narrowly defeating Ann Griffin. One of our fine Juniors Alisha Corrinham finished in third place and Jacquie Dunne finished 4th.

Congratulations to The Champions!
Men's A Flight
1st Gross - Heinz Dahn, 2nd Gross - Mike Karl
1st Net - Steve Hewitt, 2nd Net - Brian Fee

Women's A Flight
1st Gross - Donna Power
1st Net - Barb Rogers

Men's B Flight
1st Gross - Jerry Kimber, 2nd Gross - Mike O'Callaghan
1st Net - Nello Mariani, 2nd Net - Will Harris

Women's B Flight
1st Gross - Josette Bell
1st Net - Sandra Milner-Docking
Men's C Flight
1st Gross - Tom Kelly, 2nd Gross - Garnett Graham
1st Net - David Hulme, 2nd Net - Ken Kedosen

Women's C Flight
1st Gross - Joan Store
2nd Net - Pamela Cooper

Weekday Men's
1st Gross - Ted Addie, 2nd Gross - Marc Charette
1st Net - Ed Hanna, 2nd Net - Greg Shea
Juniors
Champion - Mark Wodz

Juvenile
Low Gross - Aidan Dunphy
Low Net - James Daigle
Bantam
Low Gross - Brendan Dunphy
Low Net - Eamonn O'Neill







A Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped keep play moving for the Event. The team of Suzi Snow-Liska, Debbie Couch, Lena Fennell and Cheryl Burrell all contributed to making this a great weekend.

Thanks to our roving photographer - Alexis for some great action shots!
















Sunday, August 5, 2012

Championship Day - Tomorrow!

It was another exciting day of golf at Whitevale today. The weather was on our side as play was only interrupted briefly this afternoon. The highlight round of the day was Wade Brackenbury's fine round of 70. Wade's round featured eagles on holes 7 and 17. He is the only player to break par so far this weekend.

Alex Letros and Barry Fairhurst are tied for the 36 hole lead and with Mark Brewer one shot back, it is shaping up to be an exciting race for the Club Championship. The Men's Championship flight will play 36 holes tomorrow to determine this years Champion.

 The Women's Championship has a similar battle with Ann Griffin and Angela Colm both tied and Alisha Corringham is just one shot back.

All the scores are available at:  http://www.golfscoring.net/whitevale/tournaments/Whitevale_Club_Championship_2012


Players - please check your tee times on webrez

Championship Monday is a special day at Whitevale and you are invited to join the excitment even if you are not playing. The weather forcast is for a beautiful day so come on out and support the players in their quest to become a champion. Chef Andrew and his staff will be serving complimentary burgers and hotdogs from  the BBQ all afternoon.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Club Championship - Round 1 is in the Books!

The heat and the Golf Course were the winners today as the scores soared!

Congratulations to Blair and his staff for the outstanding playing conditions.

Special thanks to those who helped with timing and the junior spotters.

Slow Play - 5 groups were accessed slow play penalties today.
Players please be considerate of your fellow competitors and be ready when it is your turn.
See all the scores online by visiting:
http://www.golfscoring.net/whitevale/tournaments/Whitevale_Club_Championship_2012

Competitors your tee times for Round 2 are posted on webrez.

Good Luck tomorrow!


Friday, August 3, 2012

Club Championship Weekend

The Whitevale Club Championship takes place this weekend and it is always a fantastic Event! Once again this year you can follow along with real time scoring.

Just visit  http://www.golfscoring.net/whitevale/tournaments/Whitevale_Club_Championship_2012
and see the scores as they are posted. (Scores will begin to appear beginning Saturday - 11:30 ish)

CHAMPIONSHIP MONDAY - ALL ARE WELCOME to come and cheer on the players as they strive to become a Club Champion.

We will have complimentary burgers and hot dogs for all the spectators and their guests.

Come and support this fine Club tradition!

Ontario Senior Women's Championship

The GAO Senior Women's Championship was held this past week at Twenty Valley Golf Club.

Congratulations to Gail Pimm on her outstanding 2nd place performance. Gail card rounds of 76, 74 and 75 to finish 3 shots behind the winner, Mary Ann Hayward.

Anglea Colm placed 34th, Ann Griffin finished in 37th place and Barb Rogers failed to make the cut.

A notable finish was Marlene Streit who finished tied for 6th place with all three of her rounds in the 70's.