Main parking lot at 11:00 am Thursday.

Grounds department employees came in early this morning (4:30am) to get a jump on and stay ahead of the snow storm that we are experiencing. This was the view at 11:00am during a hiatus of the snow fall. Forecasters are telling us that there will be sleet and rain this afternoon and maybe another 4" of snow this evening. This clean up was made possible with the proper equipment. (Dump truck with plow, front end loader, skid loader and large capacity snow blower). And also dedicated employees: (Jerry Stockmal, Jim Dennisson, John Fleming, Gary Farrer and Doug Miller).

How do you know when the winter is going longer than expected?

The answer to this question is......When you start hauling sand to newly built bunkers that still have 6 inches of snow in them. Hopefully the snow under the newly installed sand will melt soon and we will be able to tamp and smooth the sand. Another reason why we are doing this is because the ground is frozen with some snow on top which reduces the potential damage from hauling the sand to the bunker. This may look funny but it is a small part of the projects success story!

New batch of split oak

The temps are going above 18 degrees today......time to get outside.

It may be bitterly cold but there still is work to do on the golf course. Jerry Stockmal is making a cut at the base of a Dawn Redwood at the right side of the 4th fairway. The yellow line you see is the rope to help guide the tree to fall where we would like it.

This is a view from the 3rd fairway looking across #15 tee towards the 4th fairway. You may notice the Spruce is missing that was on the other side of the bridge.

Working right to the beginning of the storm.

WVCC grounds crew in the process of installing sod even as the bulk of the snow storm approaches. It is actually easier to install sod while the ground is frozen now rather than trying after the snow melts and the conditions are sloppy. Asst.supt Jim Dennison backs up the tractor while John Fleming guides him back.

Bunker work is progressing even during bad weather.

Everyone knows about the bad weather we have had since Christmas. There have been a few days where  work was completed on the bunker project. These two pictures show the final shape and drainage for the left side bunkers at #10 green. The sod pictured in above was just installed after a month of being rolled up. It is a little off color now but should turn to it's normal color in the spring.

Myphillygolf.com features Whitemarsh Valley CC

  

Joe Logan from "Myphillygolf.com" visited Whitemarsh Valley in the spring of 2013. During our golf round there was some discussion about improvements made in the last few years. During the video you will witness some terrible golf swings "PLEASE. DO NOT TRY THESE AT HOME". 

Merry Christmas to all WVCC members. There is split firewood(unseasoned) in the small parking lot behind the hedges . Please help yourselves !

Why is half the practice tee green and the other half straw brown?

With the change over to hybrid Bermudagrass at the practice tee, we are always trying to extend growth and color as late in the year as possible. These pictures show the results of material called Civitas. This was after the 2nd of two applications(early Nov.). I assumed that the color would fade by early December but I was surprised that the blue\green effect was still strong on Dec. 20th.
This test case could yield valuable information on managing the Bermudagrass practice area in the future.

The beauty of winter (ok, almost winter) !

This view was taken from behind the 18th green right after one of our recent snow falls. I reflects the quiet beauty of the golf course during the off season. With predicted temperatures in the 60's this weekend, be prepared to lose this view by Monday.
The good thing is that we could be able to continue the bunker project soon.