Hello to the members of Oakfield Golf and Country Club!
Welcome to the 2016 season. I am happy to take on the duty of updating the blog now that Adam has moved on from Oakfield. I want to thank
Adam for everything he has given to Oakfield, his seven years with the club
will not be forgotten among the members and staff and I want to
thank him personally for the opportunity he gave me in being his assistant. Everyone on the maintenance team wishes Adam well in his
journey to Fredericton.
As everyone can see, 2016 has been much kinder to us than 2015
was. I have heard from many members saying that they cannot remember the Oakfield being in better shape at this time of year. It is incredible to look back at
pictures from the golf course at this time last year and compare it to what we
see today.
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| #6 Green May 13, 2015 |
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| #6 Green May 13, 2016 |
A favorable winter this year, and the hard work put in by the staff last spring to help bring the golf course back to life attribute to the conditions we see today.
Our spring aeration is scheduled to begin on the evening
of Victoria Day, Monday May 23 (weather permitting). The fall aeration saw us
using 3/4” diameter aerating tines. Due to a cooler than average spring, and a
late aeration date in the fall last year, there are some areas on the greens
where the aeration holes are still visible. This time around, a smaller tine (1/2”) will be used. While the greens will still
reap the benefits that aeration provides, such as a dilution of the thatch and
organic matter in the turf profile, improved airflow, and increased drainage
capabilities, this will be a slightly less aggressive process resulting in a quicker recovery, providing the membership with the quality of greens that everybody is
expecting to play on.
Below is a video from the United States Golf Association that succinctly describes the benefits of aeration.
Some of you may have noticed a slight change in our tee
signs on the 11th hole. Instead of the traditional two brown posts clasping
hold of the sign, they have been replaced with a single black post bolted to
the back of the sign. I believe they are a refreshing change and provide a more
contemporary feel. We have been experiencing significant wear to some of the
posts, both in the rotting of the posts and damage to signs themselves. Going
forward this will be something to be considered whether we want to make this
change to more of the signs in the future.
We have just broken ground constructing our next orange tee
deck. After completing the decks on 3 and 4 last year, we have gone to the back
nine to build up the orange tee on the 15th hole. We have stripped
the sod and have begun adding and shaping the soil to the tee. The project
should be completed over the next couple of weeks, with the tee being open for
play soon after that. I am a big fan of the orange tees, as they provide more
options for players of all skill levels to have fun at Oakfield. With the
construction taking place ‘in house’ we have mitigated any extraordinary costs
that would be associated with contracting the work out. Our staff
on the maintenance team built the tees last year and will continue with their outstanding work.
Thank you to everyone who came out for the Opening Social last week. The atmosphere was fantastic and it was a pleasure to attend. Stay tuned for additional entries on the blog. For more golf course updates, I have a twitter account dedicated the day to day activities at Oakfield. Follow @Kevinmoores
Thank you.
Kevin Moores
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