Happy New Year. The course is now open for play again.
Snow, frost and slush are gone. Today, Sunday, the course was dry and playable, but of course marked by the fact that it is January and not June.
The course has benefited from the Christmas peace and has not been damaged by fungal attacks under the snow. This bodes well for the new season even though winter is not over yet.
After almost two months of the mat requirement, it is very clear that this intervention has spared the course. The fairways look almost untouched and on the tees, only the twist marks from feet and various broken tees indicate that there is activity. All members and guests seem to have caught the message and it is fantastic to experience the support and positive understanding for the mat requirement. We are no longer a sleepy golf club without games on the course in the off-season. There is plenty of activity, but then we also have to keep up and take care of the course. And you do. Thank you very much.
Now it may be a while before there are any course closures again. Temperatures are on the plus side and only the amount of precipitation could have a negative impact on the game.
As always: Straighten your tee shot and bring a few other tee shots. Greens are soft and unstraightened tee shots are bad for the grass and can encourage weed growth and fungus.
Keep your distance from the greens and green surroundings. White lines around the greens will be re-established, so keep your cart outside the marked areas.
It has become winter in the greenkeepers' yard and most of the greenkeepers are home on vacation and time off. This also fits perfectly with the amount of work that is done on a course like ours. We are not allowed to cut down trees or clear bushes. The work is concentrated on supervision and minor repairs on the course. Holes on the greens and teeing ground blocks are moved as needed. If we experience particularly good conditions with sun and several days of dry weather, both the greens drum and the flag may well be found, but this rarely happens in January. That month is just about getting through it quickly.
Enjoy the game of golf.