Covid Practice Plans (Green Building -- please tell me I'm not nuts!)

[DShepley]

4 minutes ago, Mr. Clean said:

This is a great thread!!  I work golf course maintenance and have a ton of respect four what you have done and are doing👍🏻  It’s also a different animal having to maintain a green in Ontario versus Arizona, Phoenix metro.  
 

Will keep following your thread and pick me up some Boneshaker IPA, please and thank you 😊  

 

Thanks, it's been a lot of fun so far.  Are you in Ontario? I've had Boneshaker a couple times....it's a hoppy one....

[betarhoalphadelta]

32 minutes ago, DShepley said:

The angle from the field isn't very good.  I can go back to 75 yds on my own property, and a bunch of places from 60 and in.

 

Pretty sure that learning to get close and into the hole from 75 and in is the best way to reduce your scores... 

 

[DShepley]

Just now, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Pretty sure that learning to get close and into the hole from 75 and in is the best way to reduce your scores... 

 

It can't hurt.

[Mr. Clean]

16 minutes ago, DShepley said:

Thanks, it's been a lot of fun so far.  Are you in Ontario? I've had Boneshaker a couple times....it's a hoppy one....

I was going to Ottawa often for travel a couple years ago, but I am in Arizona, born in FL.  Did spend some time in Ontario, 1993, Brantford, got to play Brantford CC all week and meet Moe Norman, one of my greatest moments in life.  👍🏻
 

I have Tifway 419, that was overseeded with Rye in the backyard.  I have a tru cut mower so I am unable to get it green height, but hoping to source one this summer.  Your thread has me inspired to start doing more to get it to where I can putt on it👍🏻
 

Edited April 20, 2021 by Mr. Clean

[DShepley]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Clean said:

I was going to Ottawa often for travel a couple years ago, but I am in Arizona, born in FL.  Did spend some time in Ontario, 1993, Brantford, got to play Brantford CC all week and meet Moe Norman, one of my greatest moments in life.  👍🏻
 

I have Tifway 419, that was overseeded with Rye in the backyard.  I have a tru cut mower so I am unable to get it green height, but hoping to source one this summer.  Your thread has me inspired to start doing more to get it to where I can putt on it👍🏻
 

Nice! That looks good.

[DShepley]

Lawn day! Cheers!

[DShepley]

The green was in need of a top dressing so today I picked up a new spreader in hopes it would make the job easier.  This is a salt spreader which basically means it has a larger discharge hole than a regular fertilizer spreader and the hopper holds 80lbs.  It worked well and with some practice I think I'll see it pay off in a smoother surface.  Previous to this I was spreading sand on the green by hand by fanning it out with a square mouth shovel though that method made it hard to get even coverage.  This spreader isn't perfect but it was much quicker and easier and did a better job.  The good news is that it has a conversion chart built in on the back to convert the settings for the Scott's brand fertilizer spreaders so I'll be able to use it for my regular lawn as well.  Today I spread about 2 wheelbarrow loads of sand, brushed it in and then gave it a quick watering in, (we are due for some rain over the next couple days which will help).

[DLiver]

Thanks for updating us on your progress. I find it very interesting!

[dcrocketman]

Find a push broom with soft bristles. After top dressing use the push broom to brush in the sand.

 

Green looks great

With our crazy spring here in Buffalo, my growth has been sporadic. Need some nice 70 degree days

[DShepley]

44 minutes ago, dcrocketman said:

Find a push broom with soft bristles. After top dressing use the push broom to brush in the sand.

 

Green looks great

With our crazy spring here in Buffalo, my growth has been sporadic. Need some nice 70 degree days

Thanks. I do have a shop broom that I use but I should find one with softer bristles.  Growth has been very sporadic here as well.  A couple weeks ago things were looking great but it has slowed considerably.  Overall I'm still quite happy.  We need rain here, we haven't had much yet but are expecting some for the next couple days.  It is also supposed to be 20C today, (yesterday as well), which is a welcome change from snow we had a couple weeks back.

[DLiver]

Yeah the temps everywhere have been below average this year. Our bermuda wants to perk up , but can't get anything going due to the big swings in temperatures--both day and night.

[DShepley]

Nice night for some practice.  I gave the green a mow and I'm still waiting for some rain so in the meantime I spent an hour on the circle drill and then chipped around for a bit.  Nice night, a bit overcast, lots of happy birds singing.  Now....we just need some rain to perk things up and to help my topdressing settle in.  The green was rolling great though.  (not my best stroke in the video but I'm working on cleaning up some bad habits)

Edited April 29, 2021 by DShepley

[DShepley]

My Facebook memories reminded me that it was one year ago today that I brought a mower home and decided to transform my front yard having zero turf management experience.  Below is a photo from a year ago when I cut the lawn down with the new mower to get an idea of scale.  The other photo is from tonight after I finished mowing.  We got about half an inch of rain yesterday and it was badly needed and had the grass perking up quite well after the recent topdressing.

[DShepley]

I don't move the holes very often, but....nothing like a fresh cut cup!

[dcrocketman]

Turf looks dense and healthy!

nice job

[berndgeurts]

Wow, the green looks awesome. Do you also roll the green besides cutting? 

Did you ever measure stimp speed?

Just curious.

[DShepley]

1 hour ago, berndgeurts said:

Wow, the green looks awesome. Do you also roll the green besides cutting? 

Did you ever measure stimp speed?

Just curious.

Thanks.  I don't roll the green outside of cutting.  My mower weighs about 250lbs which is a lot of weight given the size of the drum.  I topdress frequently and between that and mowing it keeps the surface pretty smooth.  I haven't measured a stimp speed, (mostly because I don't own a stimp meter and haven't made my own yet), but right now it is similar speed to my home course though I am not at my target cut height yet.

[DShepley]

Well....our lockdown measures in Ontario still have our golf courses closed so what's a guy to do?  I've been wanting a good quality net for a long time and last night I found a great deal on this Net Return system and the Fiberbuilt hitting strip.  I had enough scraps laying around the shop to build a 4x4 stance mat and found some cheap outdoor carpet to top it with at the local hardware store.  This should keep me busy for a while.  Long term I have dreams of heating the shop and adding a launch monitor to put together a budget simulator, but that's a while away.

 

[me05501]

So what would a garage heating system look like in the Great North?
 

I have a ventless natural gas heater in our basement and it can run me out of the room, but this is an underground, insulated space. 

[Nels55]

14 hours ago, DShepley said:

Well....our lockdown measures in Ontario still have our golf courses closed so what's a guy to do?  I've been wanting a good quality net for a long time and last night I found a great deal on this Net Return system and the Fiberbuilt hitting strip.  I had enough scraps laying around the shop to build a 4x4 stance mat and found some cheap outdoor carpet to top it with at the local hardware store.  This should keep me busy for a while.  Long term I have dreams of heating the shop and adding a launch monitor to put together a budget simulator, but that's a while away.

 

In my experience that net won't last very long.  You might want to think about a target or some sort of protection behind it to keep your garage door from getting dented.  I have a skytrak setup with projector and I use painters canvas from Home Depot for my screen / net.

 

Here is a look at my setup:

[DShepley]

16 minutes ago, Nels55 said:

In my experience that net won't last very long.  You might want to think about a target or some sort of protection behind it to keep your garage door from getting dented.  I have a skytrak setup with projector and I use painters canvas from Home Depot for my screen / net.

 

Here is a look at my setup:

Thanks.  It's a Net Return system and is pretty robust I don't have any concerns so far and the nets themselves get pretty good reviews.

[Nels55]

15 minutes ago, DShepley said:

Thanks.  It's a Net Return system and is pretty robust I don't have any concerns so far and the nets themselves get pretty good reviews.

I have used many nets over the years some of very high quality probably beyond the one you have and the one thing that they all had in common was that they all got holed eventually.  If you use the net with any regularity it will develop a hole, it is not a matter of if but when.  LOL if you hit balls with your garage door open it can be a bit of a dangerous situation.  

[betarhoalphadelta]

Something tells me that your "shop" is probably about as much square footage as my house here in SoCal... 😉 

 

I guess that's the price I pay for year-round golf though...

[DShepley]

11 minutes ago, Nels55 said:

I have used many nets over the years some of very high quality probably beyond the one you have and the one thing that they all had in common was that they all got holed eventually.  If you use the net with any regularity it will develop a hole, it is not a matter of if but when.  LOL if you hit balls with your garage door open it can be a bit of a dangerous situation.  

Thanks.  These nets have a 250,000 hit guarantee.  I won't hit driver in there much just due to the proximity to the wall, (I don't swing driver well indoors when I feel cramped).  I know eventually it will get a hole but I think I'm a long way away from that.  Lucky for me, beyond the garage door is 150 feet of yard with 100 acres of corn field beyond that.

[DShepley]

12 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

Something tells me that your "shop" is probably about as much square footage as my house here in SoCal... 😉 

 

I guess that's the price I pay for year-round golf though...

My shop is 24'x36' and has far too much clutter in it, (I need to work on that), but I have dreams of converting it to a work shop / rec room.  The goal this summer is to finish the insulation, sheeting and heat it for the winter.

[betarhoalphadelta]

Ahh, only 70% the size of my house then 😂

 

Plenty of room in that shop to brew some beer...

Edited May 6, 2021 by betarhoalphadelta
typo

[DShepley]

7 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

Ahh, only 70% the size of my house then 😂

 

Plenty of room in that shop to brew some beer...

Good idea!

[DShepley]

7 hours ago, me05501 said:

So what would a garage heating system look like in the Great North?
 

I have a ventless natural gas heater in our basement and it can run me out of the room, but this is an underground, insulated space. 

Likely just a ceiling mounted propane box heater.  Something in the area of 50,000 - 80,000 BTU.

[sprcoop]

5 hours ago, DShepley said:

Thanks.  These nets have a 250,000 hit guarantee.  I won't hit driver in there much just due to the proximity to the wall, (I don't swing driver well indoors when I feel cramped).  I know eventually it will get a hole but I think I'm a long way away from that.  Lucky for me, beyond the garage door is 150 feet of yard with 100 acres of corn field beyond that.

I recently built a 15' X 8' net with PVC in the back yard.  Really enjoying it.  I just hung an old towel so it hangs in the hitting area to protect the net (last line of defense).  I figure when that towel starts to wear I will change it out to save the net.

 

 

[DLiver]

On 5/6/2021 at 11:03 AM, DShepley said:

Thanks.  These nets have a 250,000 hit guarantee.  I won't hit driver in there much just due to the proximity to the wall, (I don't swing driver well indoors when I feel cramped).  I know eventually it will get a hole but I think I'm a long way away from that.  Lucky for me, beyond the garage door is 150 feet of yard with 100 acres of corn field beyond that.

I agree 100% with @nel55. I have had many nets over the years, and they always develop a hole (I only hit irons). After a while, I starting hanging a large towel right in front of the net and that solved the problem. The towel took the brunt of the force and was easy to reposition if it got worn.