Moving On

It is with both regret and anticipation that I let everyone know that I have resigned from the position of Superintendent at Juniper Hill Golf Course, effective four weeks from this past Monday.

After much consideration I have decided to accept a job with Belterra Golf Club, as I feel it is time for a new challenge and opportunity to further my current goals.

Working for Juniper Hill Golf Course has been a wonderful experience during these past three years. I feel priviledged to have been a part of such a professional team and will miss all my colleagues.

I appreciate both the professional and personal growth opportunities that have been provided to me during my time here at Juniper Hill. I would like to that you all in particular for all your continued support. I hope that we will stay in touch as I begin this new chapter in my career.

This course is, if not the greatest, assest that the City of Frankfort has. I hope the City Commission and all Frankfortonians show the same support that the men's and women's association have during my tenure. I wish nothing but success for Juniper Hill Golf Course in the future.

Sincerely,

Bryan Vice

New Greens Mowers!!

I would like to introduce everyone to our new greens mowers this year, Jacobsen Eclipse 322. We have two fully electric greens mowers, which is why you haven't heard us mowing the greens so far this year. This machine will allow us to help the City of Frankfort in their 'Go Green' campaign with low carbon emmissions, lower our overall gasoline usage, rid the risk of hydraulic leaks on the greens, and cause less noise pollution for the golfers and surrounding homes/buisnesses of the golf course. The unit allows us to give a more frequency of cut without lowering the height of the green. By purchasing these machines, we have replaced the tee, collar,and approach mowers with last years greens mowers. This also gives us better mowers for these areas. Please take notice as Vic, Tom, Bob, and Adam will be using these machines this year.

Season Upon Us!!

The season is just right around the corner. We have a few days where golfers have come out to clean the rust off their clubs these past couple of weeks. We are getting our usual spring showers, a little more than I would like to see right now. I don't think Mother Nature understands the concept of spacing out these rains during the season, but that's ok. A couple of projects have been put on the back burner this winter due to all the snow we got leaving these areas wet or snow covered to wear we could not do the necessary work. Nonetheless, we will get to them when we can so please bear with us and play around us when we are working. With all this rain, please obey all cart rules as we will most likely be cart path only all this week. I hope everyone is as excited as I am to get the season started. We will see you on the course!

Staff Profile: Wilbert Lewis

Wilbert Lewis was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in September of 2007. Many of you might know Wilbert from his days with Frankfort's Street Department, which he retired from and is still talked about from his former co-workers. Wilbert's primary duty at the golf course is mowing rough. He is on the tractor 5 days a week trying to keep the rough mowed down so all the golfers can find their ball easier. Even at his age, Wilbert is one of the hardest workers on the crew. When he's not mowing rough, he will step in and help with anything asked of him in order help maintain the golf course, from helping work on equipment to weed eating. You couldn't ask fora better worker as he is a vital addition to the staff, is very dependable and can be counted on to get a job done.

Staff Profile: John Conlin

John Conlin was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in March of 2008. Many of you might know John from his days with Morton Buildings, where he and his company have built many buidling for the Parks and Recreation park areas, along with one of our very one maintenance buildings. John's primary duty at the golf course is mowing fairways. John never worked on a golf before, but picked up mowing the fairways very quickly. John works 3 days a week, mowing the fairways and comes in when needed if we are preparing for a tournament to really give the fairways a good clean, stripped look. He has been a vital addition to the staff, as he is very dependable and can be counted on to get a job done.

Staff Profile: Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in March of 2001. Tom's primary duty at the golf course is mowing collars and approaches. He also hleps out with mowing greens and tees, and does a lot of our fertilizing for the golf course. When not mowing, Tom has become the 'shop foreman' if you will. He takes care of all the ordering when parts for our mowers are needed, working closely with Willie Trent in the shop, and keeps the break room clean. By doing the ordering, he has allowed me to concentrate more on the golf course. Tom really helped me get in tune with the crew and golf course when I first started and I can't thank him enough for that. He has been a vital addition to the staff, as he is very dependable and can be counted on to get a job done. Tom has and will always be an assest to this course.

Staff Profile: Willie Trent

Willie Trent was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in August of 2002. Willie's primary duty at the golf course is mechanic. He starting out mowing rough when he was hired on and moved into the mechanics spot about 4 years ago. Though you don't see him a lot except when a piece of equipment broke down on the course or during aerification, Willie has done a great job of keeping the equipment running and operational for us during his time at the golf course. The good thing about working on the golf courses equipment is that he has plenty of support from the city garage. Mechanic's are the life blood of a well maintained golf course and with the new equipment we are getting to better maintain Juniper Hill, Willie is getting the knowledge and support in doing his part in helping improve this golf course.

2011 Begins a New Year!!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with family and safe travels for all. The crew and I took the last 2 weeks off to spend time with family, take a break from a struggling summer, and to reflect on what was and what the new year will bring. This is the time of year where we can slow things down, really look at what needs to be done to improve the conditions of the course for the next summer. Due to all the snow and rain we got during December, we were not able to get some of the drain lines and irrigation lines in like I wanted to, but we still have 2 more months before we really start moving into warmer weather. I hope everyone understood the struggles that not only Juniper Hill, but all the courses went through this past summer.

I'm looking forward to this year with the new equipment that we purchased this past winter. We got 2 new fully electric greens mowers, which will take away all hydraulics off the greens. We will take the old greens mowers and put them onto our tees, collars, and approaches, giving us better equipment to mow those areas with. We also purchased a greens roller that will help in smoothing the greens and taking less wear and tear off of the greens mowers. Also purchased were new fully electric utility vehicles that will reduce noise on the course and gas consumption. A new fairway mower that has electric reel motors that will reduce the hydraulics on the mower.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am about the upcoming season and pray that the weather will be a lot better for us. Again... Happy New Year!!!

Staff Profile: Don Tyre

Don Tyre was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in May of 1983. Don has been with the maintenance staff the longest out of everyone on the crew. Don's primary duty on the golf course is changing the cups (pin placements) and moving the tees. He has been through the high's and low's of this golf course and seen a lot of changes in his years here. He is also apart of the men's association and started playing out here on a regular basis this past year as he moved over from the country club. I think with him playing out here after he has finished work, has given me extra eyes on some little things that we might miss throughout the day. Don pretty much works 7 days a week, as he keeps an eye on the greens with concerns to disease and hot spots. Don has a lot of passion and desire for Juniper Hill Golf Course and takes a lot of pride in what he does. Just this past fall, Don was inducted into the Frankfort Parks & Recreation Hall of Fame. He has been a wonderful addition to the staff, as he is very dependable, hardly ever misses a day, and can be counted on to get a job done. Don has and will always be an assest to this course.

Staff Profile: Bob Robinson

Bob Robinson was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in June of 2005. But as many of you know, has been with the club a lot longer. He is apart of the men's association and the Central Kentucky Senior Golf Association. Bob and his wife play out here on a regular basis, as she is apart of teh women's association. Bob's primary duty on the golf course is mowing the tees. When needed, especially on the weekends, he mows greens. Bob has a lot of passion and desire for Juniper Hill Golf Course and takes a lot of pride in what he does, especially with the tees. He is always seeing new areas to put tees, the tee placement themselves for tournaments, etc. He has been a wonderful addition to the staff, as he is very dependable, hardly ever misses a day, and can be counted on to get a job done. Bob has and will always be an assest to this course.

Staff Profile: Victor Refalo

Victor Refalo, or Vic as we all call him, was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in July of 1997. But as many of you know, has been with the club a lot longer. Vic was the very first JHGA Presidents back in 1961, and as been apart of the men's association ever since. Vic's primary duty on the golf course is mowing the greens, although he is usually not seen because he is the first out of the maintenance area and done before most of the golfers arrive. When needed, he has mowed tees, collars and approaches, some fairways, and as of this past summer, has stepped up and mowed a lot of green and tee banks. Vic has a lot of passion and desire for Juniper Hill Golf Course and takes a lot of pride in what he does as this golf course has become a second home to him. He has been a blessing to have of my staff, as he is very dependable, hardly ever misses a day, and can be counted on to get a job done, no matter the task. Vic has and will always be an assest to this course.

Staff Profile: Adam Curry

Born and raised in the City of Frankfort, Adam Curry has been with Juniper Hill Golf Course since August of 2003. He started out repairing the irrigation system, doing nightly watering cycles, and and filling in where needed. When I started in Feburary of 2008, Adam and I immediately began a great working realtionship and both had the same vision for Juniper Hill Golf Course. During the summer of 2009 Adam was given the title of Irrigaiton Technician even though it has become his baby since day one. With working on the irrigation system being a full time job, Adam wanted to learn more, so we squeezed in time to help him learn how to operate every piece of equipment we had and he has excelled at every turn. And during all of this (2003-2009), working a night time job. This proved to me how devoted Adam was to this golf course. In the spring of 2010, thru hard work and a passion for his job, Adam was given full time status thru teh City of Frankfort and I promoted him to Assistant Superintendent. Since then Adam has begun learning how to maintain the turf, learning all facets of the chemical side of golf course maintenance, and how to manage a crew. As I look at it, Adam will only keep succeding and is the greatest asset to Juniper Hill Golf Course.

1st Annual Greens Keeper Revenge

Last Friday we held our first annual 'Greens Keeper Revenge Scramble'. 22 teams showed up in support for Juniper Hill Golf Course and had a great time. All the money collected ($3027.00) went straight to the golf course to help continue the improvements that have been made over the past 3 years. PGA Professional Kirk Schooley happily donated the golf course in support of the cause. I personally would like to thank everyone that came out to support the golf course and I also would like to thank Bill Bell and his staff of helpers for putting this event together, as it has been a months in the making. To those who didn't play, I hope you can make it out next year and to those who couldn't play but still donated money, I thank you and we missed you on the course. I hope this will become an annual event because this golf course is a big part of City of Frankfort and it's community. Without you all, this course would not exist.

Aerification/Seeding Finished

Finally, finally, finally. Aerification and seeding of all the fairways and tees are offically done. Now we are irrigating them so we can get some germination for green grass on the tees and fairways to play off of for you winter golfers. It was a long process, the crew worked hard on it, and thanks for everyone to had patience during all of it. We now we can start working on some winter projects like adding some more irrigation, putting some drainage in, touching up the tees and fairways markers, and working on some equipment. On a different note, the new blog posts this winter will be dedicated to the grounds crew who worked all summer long and tried to give everyone the best playing conditions possible in one of the driest summers in history. You see them everyday on a machine, running the irrigation, etc. I will post a picture of them and a brief history so you can get to know my staff better, and know who is taking care of your course. I appreciate everyone's understanding and patience during our maintenance programs this season. So in turn, this will be my last post concerning the golf course until sometime next year. And as always, we'll see you on the course.

Aerification Finished

We offically finished up the aerification process yesterday with #16 & 18 fairways. We still have to seed and topdress #8 - 18 fairways and slit seed #8 - 18 tees. Due to waiting on the seed to arrive, it put us behind on being totally finished. I was hoping to get the tees done as we closed the holes down during aerification, but with the high demand of seed this fall from everyone, it put us behind. So hopefully we can come back in and do this without disrupting any play. Though I ask you to please be aware of anyone working in the fairways and let them get out of your way before you hit your ball. It is easier for us to finish out the path on the fairway rather than stopping mid way through it. As for the tees, we will try our best to accomodate the players and alternate the tee locations. We are overseeding the tees at a heavy rate this fall due to the stress of the season and the amount of play we got this summer. Again, I thank you all for the patience you showed during this process.

Aeration: A breath of fresh air for greens

Aeration: A breath of fresh air for your greens
9/28/2010
Aeration is a common practice on golf course greens, and although it has benefits, it can also disrupt golf play. In this video, Dr. Larry Stowell explains to golfers what aeration is, why it is conducted, and how it is almost always a worthwhile practice, despite its downsides.

Aerification Update

Aerification is going very well. We are on schedule with the process as the front side was finished today. We are also slit seeding the tees that we shut down the fairways for aerification. Due to waiting on more seed to be delivered, we have not seeded #8 and #9 tees and fairways. We will continue with the aerification process this week thru Thursday, and finish up on the following Monday. Hopefully the seed will come in and we can get caught up on those fairways and tees. This delay will cause a little disruption in play in order to catch up with the closed fairways but please bare with us. The pro shop will let you know what holes will be closed for the day along with postings of the closings throughout the clubhouse. This is a necessary maintenance practice that in the long run will help improve the soil conditions which will lead to better turf conditions. If anyone has any questions regarding this, please stop me at any time. And as always, we'll see you on the course.

Aerification Schedule:

September 20th, 2010
Front 9 closed!
#1 – 9 greens and tees will be aerified.

September 21st, 2010
Back 9 closed!
#10 – 18 greens and tees will be aerified.

September 22nd, 2010
Holes 1 – 4 will be closed for aerification.

September 23rd, 2010
Holes 5 – 7 will be closed for aerification.

September 28th, 2010
Holes 8 – 9 will be closed for aerification.

September 29th, 2010
Holes 11 – 12 will be closed for aerification.

September 30th, 2010
Holes 13 – 15 will be closed for aerification.

October 1st, 2010
Holes 16 – 18 will be closed for aerification.

September 24th and 27th are not being used due to scheduled events already on the calendar. Please have patienc during this important maintenance practice.

Governor's Open Weekend!

I just wanted to say that I wish everyone in the tournament the best of luck. The staff and I did what we could to maintain the turf and give the best conditions possible considering the type of season we are having. I hope everyone enjoys the food and entertainment each night, the Men's Association always puts together a wonderful weekend. Also, please take the time to thank the women of the Women's Assoication who volunteer during this weekend. They take time away from what they could be doing in order to make the Governor's Open that much more enjoyable. I hope all the golfers enjoys the course and the experience that Juniper Hill puts on for this awesome tournament.

#3 Green Growing in Nicely

Just wanted to keep everyone updated on the new #3 green and show you how well it is growing in. We will have to do some small reseeding this fall and some next spring on some thin areas, but overall, it is growing in wonderfully. I mowed it for the first time on Tuesday, which will help the bent grass to start creeping out rather than growing more vertically. The picture is from the following day. Hope everyone has enjoyed the cooler weather these past few days, though we would rather take some rain. The Governor's Open is this weekend, and the crew has been working hard to keep the turf alive and trying to finish up on some detail work. Hope you all can get out and support this great tournament and watch some of the great amatuer players from all over the Kentucky and the surrounding states. We'll see you on the course.