2025
WHAT’s HOT – June 8, 2025
1. Our new pump station has put down 3,640,337 gallons since firing her up May 24th. The same period last year we put down 2,167,865 gallons. Neither of these totals include what I do manually in the mornings which I’d estimate 50,000 a day. Regardless, it’s a ton of water but we desperately still need a good rain.
2. The Crew is really starting to come together. We’re still not quite there, but they’re starting to understand the maintenance regime we’re striving for and the effort is definitely there.
3. Unbelievable winds this spring. It’s really affected our applications of herbicides and fertilizer. If we have a couple calm days this week, we should be able to get caught up.
4. So, the 8th green. We went ahead with a “drill and fill” procedure in the bowled areas of the green to try and improve drainage which hopefully will result in a better quality of turf and improve spring conditions. It involved drilling a multitude of 1” holes 18” deep and filling them with a quality washed sand. Very slow labour-intensive process, but we had good results doing the same procedure on #’s 1 and 3 thirty years ago.
5. I’m getting so many positive comments regarding the new asphalt on the course. Once again, K&S went the extra mile.
6. We’re slowly getting the pump house area cleaned up and landscaped. The materials we were left to work with is less than ideal to say the least. Very rocky.
7. The course is an absolute mess this morning after yesterday’s wind. Clean-up always compromises our regular maintenance regime.
8. When we start playing the 8th green again will very much depend on how well the new seed catches and fills in. It’s very much a weather thing, that is, soil temperature. Ideally, 60 degrees for seed to germinate.
9. We’ve had an unusual amount of satellite controller issues this spring. They are the green boxes on the course that receive a message from my computer and turn individual sprinklers on. There are so many components to go through that it’s like looking for a needle in a hay stack. I’m blaming the issues on running the system with a generator being turned off and on prior to the new pump station.
10. We’re slowly getting our driving range back to an acceptable standard. We’ve always taken pride in our range. Its been difficult this spring considering it wasn’t irrigated for the longest time once it opened, so recovery and seed germination was minimal. We’re now back to our regular overseeding regime.
11. We are so lucky to have an alternate hole on the course. Ours is known as Sylvia around the shop.
12. The majority of the comments about the cattail removal has been positive. We’re going to try and keep it like that. Its definitely going to be a weekly task for two staff to keep them cut down. Thanks to Men’s Night for donating the money for us to purchase the appropriate equipment.
13. Similar to the satellite controllers, we’re still dealing with the repair of failed or broken sprinklers. Until we got our pump station working it was impossible to evaluate what needed attention. Thanks to those patient enough to understand our challenges this spring. Sorry to those who don’t.
14. We pumped the reservoir down 2 feet Friday night. The river pump wasn’t filling at the time.
15. We plan on building 3 additional forward tees this fall. Thus, the reason the path on #15 was extended so far out into the fairway. The other two will be #’s14 and 16.
16. Thursdays are our busiest maintenance day on the course. The biggest job is the cutting of the rough around the tees and greens. We have 3 new people on those mowers and I think they have the potential to be great at it if given the opportunity to learn the role. Please be patient.
17. No one in the area makes cold mix for us to patch holes in the asphalt paths. We’ve resorted to a bagged product which is quite an expensive material. Hopefully we can get some patching work done soon.
18. I’m hoping to get started on our yearly bunker edging next week when more bodies are available.
19. Not having an assistant this spring has been very difficult on the entire Crew. But we are managing due to some leadership within the ranks who are stepping up in a big way.
20. Its still remains unfortunate the several members insist on riding single. Especially considering how dry it is.
21. And as usual, inquiries, comments, concerns, etc.
gsaw@sasktel.net
Have great week,
Grant Sawchyn
WHAT’S HOT – May 25, 2025
1. Yesterday was a big day. We finally put the finishing touches to our new pump station and fired her up. A little fine tuning and away she went. And its been two consecutive nights of automated irrigation, something we haven’t seen since October 8th of last year.
2. We actually have a full staff for a change. And they all seem like terrific people that don’t mind getting a little dirt under their nails.
3. Our new fringe mower, tee mower and greens mower have arrived and are in use on a daily basis. These machines were ordered over a 3-year period and just arriving now. Better late than never, I guess.
4. Its been one of the driest springs I can remember and it definitely took its toll on the course that had no irrigation.
5. We’re still training the employees most of whom have never been on our course before. Learning there way around is the most difficult challenge for most.
6. We had two very dedicated employees tank watering the greens for a couple weeks. All we were doing was merely keeping them alive in the heat and wind. They did a hell of a job and managed to get all 18 done daily. Thanks to those golfers’ patient enough to allow them to get their job done.
7. All the training of mower operators was hard on areas of the course. The turf was so dry and stressed that it really didn’t handle the traffic well. Trainings a necessary evil at times.
8. Thanks to our local contractors whose professionalism resulted in a great pump station to run our irrigation system. Sanburn Construction for installation of the well, Home Hardware for the Building, Maunula Electric for bringing in the service and wiring the building to run the pumps and controls, SaskPower for the increased service and transformer and of course Sky-Tech Equipment for providing numerous units to get us up and going.
9. Its been overwhelming at times dealing with the pump station construction, insurance matters, a new crew and no assistant. Thanks to Mark and Connor for stepping up with the training and allowing me to keep my sanity.
10. We had no choice but to rent a diesel pump for a couple weeks when the course started hurting due to the heat and wind. We were only capable of manually running 12-15 sprinklers at a time, but it enabled us to get the tees and greens watered every morning prior to play. I’ll be more than happy to drag it back to Saskatoon in the morning. Scary piece of equipment to fire up in the dark.
11. I don’t know what was going on with ground conditions this spring but its forcing irrigation lines and drainage tile out of the ground. A lot of extra work putting them back in the ground.
12. Two new rough chicks and a rough chuck this season. I think the 3 of them are going to do ok. They need to be taken on a tour with your truly to map out their course of action but my gut tells me they’ll catch on quickly. However, be patient please
13. A few of ladies have approached me already about flowers this season. I can hardly wait to see what they can create again.
14. Damn dandelions are showing up in full force again. Probably fire up the sprayer one of these mornings.
15. Huge thanks to our mechanic Danny Dillabough for his contribution to the pump station project. He went well beyond what the expectations were, solved several potential problems, competed some fabrication and just plain lessened my load at times. And earned nothing but respect from every contractor involved.
16. The crew spent a great deal of time removing the cattails from the 9 and 18 ponds. We’ve tried on several occasions to desiccate the remains but the high winds have prohibited it. Hopefully we can put together a few calm days of spraying or we’ll be cutting the down again.
17. K&S Asphalt will be on site soon to recap a few cart paths. Please stay clear of them and respect their safety. We’re going to be addressing the path from the 16th fairway to 17th tee and 17th green to 18th forward tee. Possibly more in the fall.
18. Now that we have water again, we’ll be addressing some of the winter kill on the greens and tees. And yes, we need some speed on those greens.
19. Please be patient with our new staff. If you have issues, please direct them at me. The golf course environment is like no other and can be overwhelming for someone new which can potentially lead to mistakes. gsaw@sastel.net
Have a Great Week.
Grant
WHAT’ HOT – April 27, 2025
1. It’s been crazy so far. All our fulltime staff are in place and working, minus an assistant that is. Rushed to get a few things done for opening day but not as prepared as we normally would be. Most of the staff is still trying to find their way around the place which makes the smallest task take twice as long. But its coming.
2. The irrigation pump station project got going April 21st. A few weeks later than we had hoped. Damn weather. But the well is in.
3. We’re going to start tank watering tomorrow. Hopefully we won’t have to do it too long. We need a good rain. Its very dry out there.
4. We removed the rubber matting off the steps on #’s 12 and 13. Awaiting the new matting to show up. Shouldn’t be too long. Be careful in the meantime.
5. Its very difficult to train newbies on greens and tees when its so cold and dry. The repetitive cutting on stressed turf is very hard on it and this time of year sets it back. And the prospect of not having any irrigation for awhile compounds the issue.
6. There’s going to be a lull in the action at the pump house. The building contractors didn’t anticipate the need for pilings until very recently. The soonest we’ll see them installed is Thursday.
7. We’re not going to play the par 3’s until the Scramble next weekend. Then we’ll likely go off them again until we get regular water to them.
8. Did I mention we need rain.
9. We’ll likely install the river pump next week just to stay one step ahead of the game. Might even prime it up and run it for 10 minutes just to fill the mainline.
10. Had a huge poplar go down on #2 at the creek the other day. Covered half the fairway. Mid- morning and a perfectly calm day. Luckily no one was around.
11. The students and part-timers start on May 5th. It will be a training extravaganza. Please be patient with them.
12. Once the piles are drilled, the cement slab can be formed and pored. Once cured, the pump station can be placed on it and a building built. Then electrical installed.
13. The new forward tees are definitely a popular place opening weekend.
14. We’ve always been so proud of our range tee. We put a lot of effort into producing a quality surface to practice on. It’s already getting beat-up and I’m not sure its going to recover any time soon.
15. Spent most of Saturday morning preparing for tank watering. We’re going to have a fill station adjacent to the #9 pond. Please allow the truck some priority when its coming and going. The more water we can get down in a day the better.
16. Sure appreciate the kind words from colleagues regarding going into the season without an assistant.
17. We cut new cart paths in on #’s 1, 10 and 18 forward tees. Pleaser make a point of using them.
18. We have another porcupine on the course doing some serious damage. If you see it, please let the pro shop or myself know.
19. It is too bad about the crack in the new pavement on the #4 path. Most likely an abandoned water line being pushed up by frost. Hopefully it settles back down allowing the crack to close.
20. Good old James Seed had his crew out the other day to sweep the parking lot and cul-de- sac. Cleaned things up nicely. Now we just have to get those curbs painted.
21. We plan on opening the washrooms for next weekend. We’ve been reluctant due to the weather.
22. And as always if you have any questions or concerns, gsaw@sasktel.net .
Have great week,
Grant Sawchyn
WHAT’S HOT – April 12, 2025
Sorry for my tardiness in submitting my first What’s Hot addition of the season. In 2024, it was March 2nd when I got it going. Just that busy this spring. On top of it all, they change the protocols to edit this page every year and it takes me hours to figure it out. I’m old!!. There I said it.
So here goes. Poor grammar, spelling mistakes, what I’ve been told by some is useless information, too much preaching and occasionally, a very feeble attempt at humor that only I get. Regardless, it’s the effort that counts and I actually do enjoy this thing.
1. So then, the irrigation pump house that burnt to the absolute ground on October 8th, 2024. Unfortunately, not much has been accomplished other than demolition of the remains. The weather has not cooperated one bit and I’d suggest we’re probably 2 weeks behind of where I expected to be by now.
2. Many of you have likely heard that we are assistant less as of March 6th. Very unfortunate considering the time of year. Adds were put out immediately but once again because of the time of year we haven’t had any success filling the position. Fingers crossed though.
3. We haven’t looked under any tarps yet to see what’s happening with the greens, but I’m hoping with warm temps this weekend, the ground will thaw enough that we can pull a few stables on Monday and take a peek.
4. All the contractors involved in the pump house rebuild have been chosen for some time now. In fact, the actual prefabricated pump station has been built and delivered already. However, before we could do anything we needed warmer temps to melt the ice in the reservoir to pump it out dry and for the frost in the ground to leave so we could excavate in a new well and intake line. We were finally able to start pumping the middle of this past week.
5. Well, its pretty much going to be a new Crew again this year. It’s been such a time-consuming process since mid- January trying to find people to work. Posting jobs at colleges, industry and government websites and just spreading word that we’re looking is a fulltime job. But, as of today, I think we’ve got ourselves a pretty good bunch.
6. I attended the Canadian Golf Superintendents Conference again this winter. I look forward to it every winter. One session I was most looking forward to was research being done on earth worm control on putting greens. It’s become a huge problem across the country particularly on “push-up” greens such as ours. What a packed room heard, was that after several years and likely hundreds of thousands of dollars in research funding, there is absolutely no known product or cultural practice that is effective in controlling earth worm castings. So, the frustration continues.
7. We’re using the fire catastrophe to upgrade our pump station. The irrigation system we installed in 2010 was designed for much larger pumps. With larger pumps, we would be able to put more water on the turf in a shorter period of time. That is, a smaller water window. As it was, we were unable to irrigate the entire course to its max without either getting players wet in the evening or sprinklers getting damaged by mowers in the early morning. However, to run larger pumps means requiring a larger well and intake line which we’re doing.
8. We have three mowers waiting to be delivered any day now. One is a fringe mower we ordered in January of 2023. Another is a tee mower we ordered in January of 2024 and a third is a greens mower scheduled for this year and our new dealer just happened to come across one so we jumped all over it. Also scheduled for replacement this year is a rough mower and utility vehicle. We’re going to wait a bit before we order.
9. Why does a septic tank sump pump at the shop have to fail on a Saturday. Especially when the Crew isn’t here to break the ice all around the tank. Its going to be one of those years.
10. I’m so thankful for Mark, Danny and Conner for stepping up this spring.
11. It’s going to be necessary to tank water the greens and tees this spring. In the past, we could fill our tank out of the reservoir but because it’ll be empty due to the construction, it will be done at the 9th pond. Because of the ground conditions in the spring, we’ll have to fill up in the 4th tee area. Please be patient with the new staff and obey any directional signs.
12. It’s a very frustrating time of year, in that, the wet conditions on the course prohibits taking any large equipment out. Although the tarps are still down, we would love to clean the place up, leaves, paths, dead trees.
13. Oh! Have I ever mentioned how much I despise poplar trees. Vile weeds.
14. We’ll be constructing three more forward tees this year. As well, we plan on installing another bridge at the swale in front of the tenth tee.
15. We’re going to try and place a priority on removing the cattails in the ponds on 9 and 18. We attempted dealing with them through the winter but had very little success. Just to hard getting around in the crusty snow. It’ll be new staff working in front of the water so please make sure they are aware you’re hitting.
16. Because the new pump station will be running bigger pumps, a new electrical service is necessary. It was installed in the middle of March and resulted in big mess to be cleaned up by our Crew when dry enough. We ask that you are patient until the area is dealt with. As well, the larger service required a larger transformer. It sits on the ground adjacent to what will be the new pump house.
17. The forecast is calling for a good possibility of rain next week. Considering our irrigation situation, you likely think I’m nuts not wanting any moisture. The fact of the matter is, I need the place to dry out, particularly the greens and tees. The topdressing under tarps is extremely difficult to remove when wet, not to mention how heavy those tarps are to remove and fold up if wet. As well, all the tees are covered with last fall’s aeration plugs. That would be one muddy mess trying to get them off if wet. The reality is, we need a warm dry week to get the place playable.
18. K & S Asphalt will be on site this spring to do more recapping of root bound cart paths. They’ll be addressing the path from the 16th green to 17th tee, as well as the 17th green to 18th tee area. They’ll be putting down some new asphalt adjacent to the new forward tee on 18 as well. We’re also hoping to address the paths on #’s 2 green to 3 tee and 14 green to 15 tee. Those would be done later in the season if we have a good year.
19. As I’m looking out my office window onto the driving range, it might be time to get ahold of Marshal Weber.
20. Some of you may not have noticed last fall, but we moved another 15 trees onto the course. Mostly pine and spruce. They’re not as big as we prefer but we’re having a very difficult time in recent years getting our tree spade to dig to an appropriate depth to get a larger root ball. The nursery has become so root bound from the adjacent poplar trees, that the machine can no longer cut through them. The result is smaller trees with smaller root balls.
21. Hopefully we have a new and improved covering on the steps on 12 and 13 by the time we open. Regardless, please be careful when you’re using them.
22. Couldn’t help but notice the parking lot was a busy place this past week. Likely people paying their memberships and hopefully signing up for the spring scramble.
Have a good week and hopefully see you soon,
Grant Sawchyn – superintendent
gsaw@sasktel.net
