Annual Greens Report for 2009

Given at Annual Membership Meeting

June 26^th 2010 By Gayland Archibald

The Greens Committee started with meeting the newly hired Greens Superintendent, Mr. Kurt Richmond. He was selected from many qualified candidates and hired by the Board of Directors. Before they could even get acquainted Havoc broke out up Greens Canyon.    

Spring started out rough for our new superintendent. He had barely got started work when the first major problem hit. Heavy spring run-off high up in green Canyon washed out an existing dirt and rock bank. This caused heavy amounts of sand, dirt gravel and rocks across to wash across our screen on the pipe we get irrigation water from.

This caused massive amount of dirt, sand and small rocks to be injected into the pipe and then  flowing downstream. Down the canyon the pipe opens and dumps into a concrete house that is designed to remove this material before it continues down the pipe and the canyon. This de-sand house is about twenty feet deep to the bottom.  However, the de-sanding house is now filled up with dirt and sand. It can no long settle the heavier material out. So the contaminated water continues down to a huge filter that was designed to remove this dirt. There was so much dirt now the filter is totally plugged and now no water is flowing below the filter house. The rain has stopped by now and the Golf Course is drying out and needs water bad. Time line was the last of June.

Kurt cleaned the filter several time a day. It would plug up again and stop the water. The problem upstream was found and then volunteers went to the top of the canyon and hand carried boulders and large rocks where the wash out was occurring. They “Hand Placing” each rock or boulder in the correct place to stop the dirt bank from caving in again. These volunteers save the day. Then Kurt, employees and many volunteers spent days in the de-sanding house cleaning it out. They lifted buckets of sand out of the below ground level de-sanding house with a rope and a pulley.  There were two men in the pit and two men on top lifting and dumping these buckets of wet heavy sand. This went on for several days. Finally it was cleaned out. Then we hired the folks that installed the filter to help. They were able to fix the filter on the line to work as designed and get the water flowing again. . Kurt removed and repaired several Pressure relief valve to get the water to where it was needed. Then some of the sprinkler heads on the course were plugged also and required fixing as they stopped working. They did not cause the major problems as they had up stream. But required many man hour to correct the problems that started way up to the top of Green Canyon. Don’t remember ever having a major problem like this before. BUT…..;By the fourth of July thing were up and running as planned.

Other problems that we ran into but I won’t go the details. Two greens damaged by Vehicles driving across them and turning while spinning the tires. Flagstick being stolen and Graffiti being spray painted in the common areas. A reward $1000 dollar award was offered. 

The Greens Employees spent the summer mowing, trimming and completing some project to improve the looks and playing conditions of the course.

Kurt Applied the fertilizer left in the shed from prior years and applied fertilizer again this year on all three nine holes courses. You can see the results as you play the course this year. The courses are in excellent shape this year as a result.

There were also two large projects that I would like to mention. The J.R. Simplot Company, Smoky Canyon Mine, donated two rolls of pond liner material so we could line the pond on #18 Fairway. They also provide two employees to help seal the liners together and assist our employees to pull it into place in the old pond.  Estimated cost to the Association if we had to purchase this liner was over $6,000. Thanks Simplot. We are still hauling rocks to line the pond as time allows but it adds a nice touch to Cedar Creek and the finishing hole.

The other project that I would like to mention is that we took the money that the golfers pay into the Trail Fee fund and use $25,000 of the $34,000 we took in the build new golf Cart paths on the Courses. The balance of this money goes into the Association General funds.

 The Greens Committee selected the locations and bids were let. One asphalt path and three paths were constructed and are in use today. This adds value to our Courses. Jeff Earl Concrete Company was the low bidder and the Greens Committee feel he did a great job.  There is a project now underway to complete several other paths also this year.

As my Board Term expires today I would like to thank all the members of the Greens Committee and especially the many volunteers who came to our rescue several times. Volunteers also complete projects like digging up the past two years, over 1000 pounds of the noxious weed Dyer’s Woad, and donated the money to the Ranch Youth Programs.

They helped with dead, downed or wind damaged trees. Cleaning the Courses of hazards caused by the dead trees and branches.  They help with building Cart Paths to keep the costs down and sprayed weeds and thistles. They also cleaned up after the mouse and vole damage and help when asked.   A volunteer also  paid to put the fountain back in the fish pond on #8 Aspen Hills.  Another Volunteer also clean all the brush and mowed around the pond so you could enjoy the view over the lake.

Again thanks to all the volunteers involved. 

And last but not least thanks to all the other board members I served with this year. I really don’t think unless you’ve been there you’ll ever know how much time is spent getting things done. And a special BIG thank you to Curtis Cheshier, our Association President, for all his hard work keeping me and the others in line.  I think we may have made a dent in where we want to go in the future even if we didn’t all agree at all times. That completes the Greens Chairman report.