September 12

Here we are approaching the middle of September...we have not received measurable rainfall since August 22nd. In this time we have had 10 days since my last post of 90 degrees. Surrounded by more seasonable temperatures. The downside is that we have not had much in the way of rain...and the air has been very dry. Humidity levels around 30%. This coupled with the windy conditions has aided in drying the golf course out. Firm and fast is the best way to put it. The turf has held up very well. Pest pressures have been minimized and we look forward to aeration season which is upcoming.

Originally planned was tee aeration September 6th however we have moved that date back to the week of September 20th. Greens will be scheduled for that same week weather permitting possibly the week of the 27th of September.

Until then, I hope you enjoy the firm and fast conditions you are receiving. The weather has been great for playing golf!

August 14

Relief has finally come in the way of more seasonable temperatures and 1/2 inch of rain. What a response from the turf. Below are some pictures from last week. Aeration is being delayed until September to allow for root growth to stabilize the turf for this intense procedure. Please enjoy the great conditions at Twin Woods, firm and fast.

#3 Green

8 Green to fairway

7 Green to fairway

Close up of 6 Green and Approach

4 Fairway to green

August 4

Sorry it has been so long since the last update...we have been busy keeping your golf course in top shape during this difficult summer. There are no problems to report but I would like to post some pictures of the golf course.

#3 Green from above

#9 from above seeing 6 and 8

Looking down #9 Fairway

#8 green towards the fairway

Behind #7 looking up the fairway

June 10

Happy summer everyone. It has been a while since the last update...summer came early for us. The conditions are great and the course is busy. Since the last entry we have accomplished quite a bit of work. The second preemergent crabgrass application was sprayed, the fairways received their spring fertilizer application, the broadleaf weeds have been sprayed, and currently we are wrapping up the construction of a new forward tee across the pond on number one. Final grading and seeding was finished today. This is a great improvement for the beginning golfers and anyone who doesn't want to hit over the pond.

The course has been playing great and the greens are rolling real nice. We look forward to seeing you all out on the course! Enjoy some pictures of the course.

#7 tee

#7 fairway and green

#1 tee and fairway

#8 fairway and green from 9 fairway

#9 fairway

April 27

What a month...beautiful weaher and great conditions at Twin Woods. We received an inch of rain yesterday and the course accepted it very well. We are running riding carts today...no restrictions!!

Since the last update we have applied preemergent crabgrass herbicides and sprayed our dandelion population. The course is in great shape and we look forward to seeing you on it.

Attached are a few recent photos.

April 10

Wow, what great weather we have had the last 2 weeks. We received .7" of rain thursday night which we needed as the turf was beginning to really dry out. The next 10 days should be great with only one chance for rain.

This past week we applied our 2nd seedhead application and an insecticide. We also got the irrigation system up and running without any issues. This week we will begin our pre-emergent herbicide for crabgrass and a broadleaf herbicide for the pesky clover and dandelion.

We are running riding carts without restriction. Enjoy the weather and the great course conditions...the Masters is in the air!

April 1

Well it's no April fools joke...awesome weather to kick off the official start to the golf season. This might be the best weather in history for Good Friday and the Easter weekend. High 70's pushing into the lower 80's and bright sunny skies. I know the turf is jumping out of the ground now and I am sure you all are jumping at the bit to play golf.

We received 3 inches of rain between Sunday and Tuesday this week. The majority coming on Tuesday. The course is drying nicely and we will be running the riding carts for Good Friday. The golf course will be mowed and all the usual amenities will be on the course. Water fountains come on later in the month as we charge the irrigation system.

We look forward to seeing you out on the course tomorrow...enjoy the great weather and the golf.

March 28

Here we are ending March with yet more rain. A couple of inches to come thru Tuesday. We have over 5 inches of rain for the month and the average is 3. I hope you got to enjoy the great weather last week. The Easter weekend looks to be great, so if we haven't seen you out on the course yet, I hope to see you later this week.

We performed a very important agronomic task this past week. We applied our Proxy/Primo spray mix on the greens. As you will recall last season we reduced the poa seedheads on the greens. This was due to the very important spray this past Thursday. This program will require a reapplication in 3 weeks. For those of you keeping score, we made this application one week sooner than we did last year. The determination to spray is based on the average daily temperature, the high and low combined and averaged over the days since our snow melt March 6th.

This week we hope to get the golf course mowed and continue the clean up. All of the debris has been removed and we hope to not have much more after this next rain event.

March 19

Well it is almost spring and it sure feels like it. What a great forecast for the weekend, 70 and sunny. With the weather we have had all week the course is now fully open. The putting greens are open and riding carts are available. Tomorrow is the first day of spring and we look forward to seeing you on the course.

This week we worked the sand bunkers, de-winterized the ballwashers, and continued course clean-up. The course is coming out of winter as expected...very well. Enjoy the great weather!

March 16

Well the snow has finally stopped falling and we now are replacing it with rain. With the warm sunny days ahead, the greens should be open for the weekend. The forecast is calling for a chance of the wet stuff for Sunday, we hope they are wrong.

There was over 3.5 inches of rain between Friday and Monday. This has made for a very wet golf course. Currently the temporary greens are being used and riding carts are parked and locked in the garage. We did pull them out of hibernation and they are ready and waiting for you to use. Course clean-up is occuring where we can get to without causing damage. The focus is around the clubhouse and not far from the parking lots...around the pond which overflowed with debris, #5 green, practice area, and the enterance.

The golf course is open with temporary greens and the weekday rate is still $10. Weekends are $15. Winter rates are still in effect...and you can play until about 7:00 at night.

See you out on the course!

March 7

One week into March already and the course is unplayable due to remaining snow from February. What a month it was... We are finally finished digging out and depending on where you live, you can see grass. That is something we have not seen in exactly one month. In case you forgot we received 20 inches February 6th and never saw the grass since. I predict the snow will be melted by the end of the week when we will be getting a few days of light rain.

Needless to say it will be a while until we will have the putting greens open for play. Until then we invite you to get some excercise and try out all of your fancy new clubs from Christmas with the temporary greens.

Here is to a great golf season...think spring!

February 23

As I write this it is 36 degrees and a light rain. I was out checking the course yesterday and we had a good 8"+ of snow covering the greens. At the bottom I found there to be no ice accumulation. That was great to see. Prolonged ice cover traps bad gases suffocating the turf by not allowing it to exchange gas for oxygen. It has been 17 days since the first snow accumulation February 6th. Once we reach 45 days then I might begin to worry.

Until the weather changes keep watching the golf channel and stay warm. Spring is just around the corner. I am skeptical about the weather...

February 18

Here we are approaching the last week and a half of February and we have a golf course blanketed in 18" of snow and piles guarding the driveway and parking lot in excess of 8 feet. They say we are set for more snow Monday and Tuesday next week and again possibly at the end of the week...not one day this month has reached 40 degrees for the high temperature.

While we are working on keeping the facility open and working on indoor projects we are attending winter seminars to keep Twin Woods Best in Class. Thank you to all of our supporters. These seminars discuss how to increase our irrigation efficiency and what new pesticides are coming to the marketplace. These are topics that we all need to take in because we have to continue to be the best stewards of the land and be very protective of the environment.

Enjoy a couple of mid-summer pictures from the golf course... As we reflect on these hot days ahead we will be dreaming of the current snow covered landscape we currently have. Isn't it funny how we do this, when it's hot we wish it was cold and when it is snow covered and cold we wish it was mid summer.

The view from #1 tee

Looking up #3

Looking across #3 green from #4 tee

The approach to #8

Looking down #8

February 8

We have a winter wonderland out here. I don't know about you but by February I am getting ready for the golf season, but it looks like Phil was right, plenty more winter is yet to come. A foot of snow currently covers the golf course and we are under a winter storm watch for tomorrow and wednesday with the expectation of another 6-12 inches. I also heard of a possible storm for Valentine's day.

We are clearing the lots and driveway of snow for the time being and working on small projects.

February 4

The snow from yesterday has melted for the most part. We had almost 2" and the areas in the shade still have snow cover but the majority of the golf course is clear.

The golf course is open for play today with temporary greens.

We cut down the brush and scrub trees behind #9 white tee and along the side of the tees on #7 so we can now enjoy the babbling brook at these points.

February 2

Welcome back to winter. Currently it is 24 degrees and cloudy. The forecast is calling for some snow tonight and again later this week. The later storm has the potential to leave us with what we received the week before Christmas. We are under a frost delay and I don't know if it will burn off anytime soon since there isn't any sunshine.

Yesterday we had a busy and productive day. We resurfaced the cart paths at #1 tee and the bridge for #3 with the recycled blacktop. Thanks again to PennDot for the millings off of Orvilla Road this summer. You can see in the pictures above how it looked before and after at #1 tee. I really like how the other paths came out over the summer, #5 has set-up and feels very much like a paved surface. The only path we haven't resurfaced is the one connecting #1 green and #2 tee.

Today we are clearing the brush off the woodline side of the #7 tees and #9 white tee. We look forward to seeing you on the course.

With the snow forecast over the next week I am leaving the temporary green set up. Thank you for your understanding.

Update as of 11:00 the frost has melted and the golf course is open for play.

February 1

Here we are the first day of February and it is 30 degrees with plenty of sunshine. The forecast is for low to mid 40's most of the next week. Now that the golf course has firmed up with the ground frozen it is pleasant to play and to get around.

With that said we will be running limited riding carts and you will find the putting greens reopening in the next couple of days. Currently we ask that you play to the temporary greens.

All of the turf equipment has been serviced and is ready for spring. Now that the ground has frozen we are preparing for some tree removal, only the dead trees are being taken down this year.

January 26

We recieved .75" of rain according to the rain guage. It is very wet.

We will open the golf course with temporary greens for those who desire the excercise. The putting greens will be closed until further notice due to the saturated soil.

January 25

Now that the heavy rain and the gusting wind has ended we are set for the temperature to drop however clearing with many days of sunshine ahead.

With this weather we are closing the golf course until the ground becomes firm enough to play on. Thank you for your cooperation. In the meantime keep up with the grounds department activities right here on the web.

January 22

What nice weather we have been having, the sun has been strong. Forecast thru sunday is sunny and 40's. Rain movng in later sunday into monday making early next week very wet. If you are going to take advantage of the weather, it would be good to do so before sunday. Riding carts should be available over the weekend.

The grounds department is 80% complete with winter service of the equipment. After this work and when the ground refreezes we will be taking down a few trees and cleaning up a few areas of scrub trees and wild rose.

January 21

It looks like another fine day forecasted today and tomorrow. Mid 40's and sunny. This weather looks to continue through the weekend and we look forward to seeing you out on the course. If we stay dry the course might be firm enough to run riding carts for the weekend.

January 20

Another good looking January day...forecast 43 and full sun. Frost has been an issue here, it has been hanging around until 10:00. Please keep this in mind when coming out for winter play here at Twin Woods.

It looks like tomorrow should be much of the same as far as weather. We were out on the course yesterday and the fairways are not as wet as they were years in the past. This is a testament to our aerification programs and soil amendment applications that promote healthier soil. The deep rough continues to be wet, we will have to spread these programs into these areas.

We are finishing up with winter equipment maintenance now. This should be completed early next week.

Enjoy the milder weather we are open but we are not running riding carts until the course firms up.

January 19

Another nice day. High of 47 and sunny is forecast for today. The course is open but wet. No riding carts again today. Get in the golf while you can for the "January thaw". The weather and temperatures will begin to change thursday.

January 18 update

Here are a couple of pictures from #8 approach and the landing area of #9. The course is fairly wet but not much in the way of standing water or streams like we have seen in the past.

January 18

We received 6 tenths of an inch of rain yesterday on top of a frozen course. Currently the surface has thawed down 2 inches. We are open however not running riding carts.

January 15 update

I am posting an update as of 2:30 today all greens are now open. The snow has been removed from #1 & 5. See the supporting pictures, the snow has melted. These pictures are looking up #6 and the other is looking across #7, 8, and 9.

Tomorrow looks to be a great day. Riding carts will be running tomorrow as well as there will not be any restrictions.

January 15

Here we are, the middle of January and its forecasted to be 43 degrees however, cloudy. This is more seasonable weather for our area (average high is 39) and certainly much more enjoyable than what we have been seeing. Currently it is 32 degrees and we have a few pockets of snow out there.

#1 and 5 greens will be out of play another day due to snow cover. The riding carts are running today.

The grounds department will be continuing with winter equipment maintenance today and sneaking out on the course to get some fresh air. There are some miscellaneous items we still need to address now that winter has set in. As you may notice we brought the course accessories in when the cold weather set in. We will refurbish what needs attention for next season.

Email to blog

I have set up the blog by email...this is a test. Looking forward to warmer weather tommorrow.

January 14

As I write this the sun is high and bright. Forecast for the next few days is sunny and mid 40's. We might even reach 50 degrees. Snow is stll present on several holes however, we will be open asking players to avoid the snow covered greens. #1 & 5 are fully covered in snow.

It looks like the course will be clear for the weekend. The course is firm and we will be running riding carts Friday and Saturday.

Currently we are under a frost delay, 10:00 we should be open.

#3 Green, clear of snow by mid day.

Close look of the cut cattails at #1.
This will make sure nobody hits them when teeing off.

A look up #1, should be clear of snow for Friday.

January 13

The sun didn't stay out for long today. Looks like we will have some snow on the course for Thursday, January 14th. The course will be open but we ask that you keep off of any greens with snow cover.

We spent the day today cutting the cattails down to the ice throughout the pond on #1 & 3 as well as the creek at #4 tee.

Looking across the pond from #1 towards #4.

Looking up #1 Fariway from the tee.

Close up of the cut cattails looking up #1 Fairway.

Looking up #1 Fairway from the tee

before we cut the cattails.

First one

It's almost mid-January and we have had some very cold weather not to mention the nice snow at the end of December just to be melted away. It appears the warmer seasonal air is on its way. Currently it is 25 degrees and the sun is on its way out, forecast of partly cloudy. However we still have snow on the course, once melted we will be open for regular business. Stay tuned for more updates.

Looking up #3 fairway from the green.

Looking up #6 Fairway from the driveway