Winter Update: January 6th
- Michael Curtin
- Jan 6
- 3 min read
Winter here at the ICC has been very cold with frequent small snowfalls. While the snow amounts have been overall low they have forced the agronomy team off the course more than we would like in the early stages of winter. Thankfully, we have been able to perform work to some areas more easily accessible to us even with snow and ice over significant portions of the golf course. On the days spent inside the winter crew has been busy working through equipment maintenance/overhauls, course accessory refurbishment, shop improvements, record keeping updates, and a multitude of other necessary tasks.
Brush and Shrub Removals:
Even with light snow cover at times we have been able to clear out a few areas off our winter brush clearing list. These areas are smaller spots where brush/shrubs have been removed to improve the aesthetics and increase the ease of maintenance in season. On the 12th hole an area of overgrown brush was removed behind the 12th tee water station. This brush removal exposed some rock features that had been covered. A small tree overhanging the road was also removed at the request of the HOA. In addition the two low hanging crab apple trees between the path and the 12th white/blue tee were also removed. Below are some pictures of the work:
The line of shrubs behind the 12th green was also removed. These shrubs were not in the best shape and also have resulted in many close calls for carts crossing the road. The aesthetic backdrop of the 12th green has also been approved.
On the 3rd hole, the area above the rock retaining wall leading down to the third green was cleared of small brush growth and the accumulated leaves removed. We are planning in the coming season to incorporate some seed into this area and fill out the bare spots with turf cover.
The hillside to the left of the 13th green parking was cleared of brush growth. We are also planning to have a stump grinder perform some work to this area. After the stump grinding the area will be cleared again at which point the area will be sprayed as needed during the 2026 season to keep new weed/brush growth down. In the fall the area will be lightly coated as needed with loam and seeded with fine fescue. This is the same process we used last season for the new fescue area we are growing to the right of the 1st forward tee.
The area outside the window of the RTJ on the parking lot side was thinned out of overgrown brush. We had previously cleared the ballroom window on the opposite side of the clubhouse that opened up a better view from inside to the practice green, range, and 1st tee. The brush removal outside the RTJ window didn't open up much of a view at all of the course, but no longer is there a tangled mess of vines and thorns nearly up against the glass.
Freeze and Thaws then Freeze and Thaws:
As previously stated, we haven't received a large amount of total snowfall so far this year. What we have had is numerous small snow and rain events. We have also experienced a few brief warm ups before the temperatures plummet again. During these periods of thawing or rain, the water cannot percolate into the frozen ground resulting in water staying at the turfs surface or collecting in low spots. When the temperatures drop any remaining water at the surface will then freeze resulting in a layer of ice. Our greens are comprised of creeping bentgrass which generally can survive under continuous ice cover for 90 days with close monitoring starting at 45 to 60 days. We will be monitoring our ice cover moving forward and will remove water from greens whenever possible during thaw events. Below are some pictures of the mentioned ice and some ways we try and mitigate its formation.
Below is a video of a cut drain helping move water off the 7th green.
Holes cut at the end of the season into the low spots of certain greens also help us directly pump water off after rain events or snow melts. Below is a video of this being done on the 7th green back on December 19th.
We have a few bigger tree projects planned for this winter. We hope to be updating you on specifics and when we will be completing this work in the near future. All winter tree projects are decided upon and approved by the ICC greens committee before any work is started.
