Winter Storm Vol. 2 (Oak Removal)

Here is some pictures to illustrate the removal of the Oak tree that had fallen against the clubhouse.  It was quite a project. The crane carried the guy up to get in place to begin making strategic cuts for the crane to lift pieces off of the tree and reduce the weight of the tree.

It was a tedious job and took most of the day to position the crane and make the proper cuts.  To give you an idea the tree weighed rough 60,000 lbs and the crane could safely lift around 2000-3000 lbs at a time.
The trunk of the tree measured about 12 ft in circumference at the base.  A guess at the age of the tree was roughly 150 yrs old.

If you have any questions or comments about the tree removal or would like to know about the clean up that is happening on the golf course over the next few weeks please contact me.

Justin Ruiz, CGCS, MG

Justinr@indiansummergolf.com

Winter Storm Vol. 1

The winter storm we just experience left many people out of power for several days. The aftermath has left the state in need of clean up and repair. The club was no exception. The snow storm hit and then an ice storm followed.  The added weight to the already snow covered branches was the culprit. The added weight broke the branches near the top.  The weight the branch could no longer hold was transferred to the next branch down the tree and so on.  There are some trees with just the trunk that remained and all the branches were sheared off.

We are left with a lot of clean up and some repair. There will definitely be some different looks to the course once we can open for play.  Please bear with us while we try to remove the debris and cleanup the course.

Although the course is covered with snow and closed, the restaurant and grill are open.  You are always welcome to visit us.


 Here are some pictures of some of the damage that we sustained during the storm:




The Cherry Trees around the clubhouse were all heavily damaged.











The range net was pulled down by the weight of the ice.














A 100 year old White Oak fell onto the back side of the clubhouse.  This tree will hopefully be removed with a crane this week.

The Maple tree on #12 had a large branch split off of the side.  This will make the hole look a little different next time you are able to play.






If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me.

Justin Ruiz, CGCS, MG
justinr@indiansummergolf.com

My 1st Week

My first week here at Indian Summer was kind of frustrating due to the snow covering the turf on Wednesday through the weekend and still hanging around on the next Monday.

Dan has done a great job showing me around the property and explaining how things are layed out on the golf course. It has been a lot of information to digest in such a short time. With Dan's help and cooperation from the weather, I can get my bearings and start to figure out the course layout.

This last week was also frustrating for the crew. With the snow coming down and not much to offer for projects on the course, the crew was able to clean up our maintenance shop quite a bit. The organization helped give us an idea of what we have that is usable and what is no longer needed. Unfortunately the crew had a short week making my introductory period a little longer. I am very happy with the friendly welcome that everyone has given me at Indian Summer. The knowledgable and friendly crew has helped during my transition and I am grateful to be able to join such a great group of people.

I understand now why Dan has received the manager of the month award from Oki Golf because of his professionalism and outstanding work ethic. His hard work these past months have made my transition that much easier.  When I started last monday he explained the history of disease to me and the results that were given recently from Washington State University Extension Office which came back positive for pythium infection on a couple of the greens. This "cool weather" pythium is a relatively new problem in the Northwest and can be devastating as you have seen. Dan reacted appropriately and applied a plant protection product to avoid severe damage. Although 10 and 11 greens are a little thin, without Dan's quick reaction it could have been much worse.  I am excited for this upcoming season and to be able to work with a talented Assistant Superintendent like Dan.

I hope to meet each and everyone of our members over the next few months and as the weather gets better. Please feel free to stop me on the course, email or call me with any comments, questions or concerns.

Justin Ruiz, CGCS
justinr@indiansummergolf.com
Direct Office: 360.459.3772