Monday, November 30, 2020

 

PINE HOLLOW C.C. AERATION SCHEDULE

GREENS:

  • **March 3/22/21– 3/8” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (5%)
  • *Monthly (May to July) – ¼” Solid Venting Tine (no removal)
  • ***August 8/9/21 or 8/16/21– 3/8 ” Hollow Tine Aeration and Light Sand Topdressing (5%)
  • ***October 10/25/21 – ½” Hollow Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing (8%)
  •   ***December – 5/8” Solid Deep Tine Aeration w/ Heavy Topdressing

*    Minimal disruption to putting surface (healing time a few days)

**  Medium disruption to putting surface (healing time 7-10 days)

***Most disruption to putting surface (healing time 10-14 days)

Emphasis put on removing 20% of surface area per year

TEES:

  • March 3/23/21 - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing
  • August 8/10/21- 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing
  • October - 5/8” Hollow Tine Tee Aeration with Sand Topdressing

      FAIRWAYS: 

  •         March 3/1/21 – ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration (no cleaning necessary)
  •      March 3/24/21 – 5/8” Hollow Tine Aeration *may be delayed until fall*
  •     August -  ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration (no cleaning necessary) w/ Verticut
  •     October – Graden Dethatching of Fwys/Approaches or ¾ Solid Deep-Tine
  •     November - ¾” Solid Deep-Tine Aeration


      ROUGHS:

 Beginning March aerate all roughs for healthy turf green to tee then again in November since Aeration skipped in 2020





Tuesday, November 24, 2020

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 11/24/20


  • Aggressive sand topdressing on greens, tees, and approaches for firmer surfaces and for winter protection taking place until snow cover. Due to the heavy rains, we are continuing to dress our playing surfaces heavily until frozen ground or snow cover.
  • 2020 Aeration scheduled was amended from our original plans and with the exception of our roughs/lawns all work is complete. Once we see frozen weather approaching we will finish this process by deep tine aerifying our putting greens and pull cups for the season.
  • Winter soil amendments and plant protectant products to be applied.
  • Irrigation repairs, system adjustments, and winterization are complete.
  • Property Cleanup; leaves, plant material pruning, snow removal, parking areas, etc. continuing until completion
  • Tree Maintenance Plan implementation and specimen beautification will start once the growing season comes to a conclusion.
  • Equipment Maintenance for 2021 – performed by PHCC’s full-time mechanic. This work includes sharpening all cutting units, preventative maintenance to all our equipment, servicing, and repair work. 
  • Continued education to stay current with today’s agronomic issues and club business. Currently working on GCSAA Certification process, NYSBMP Certification, and taking online classes from The Ohio State University.
  • 2021 Budgeting/Ordering/Planning/Staffing.
Our final days with the 2020 staff are coming to a close here on the golf course and I wanted to thank the membership on behalf of my staff for another season of maintaining this property and your continued support throughout these challenging times. We are grateful to call Pine Hollow home with all of you and thankful for the Thanksgiving Turkeys you provided for our families. As we all look to the next year and the holiday sesaon for happiness, hope, and optimism I just want you to know that the Green Department is dedicated to continuing our reputation of excellence in Property Management and Country Club Service. Again from all of us thank you for this opportunity, be safe, and Happy Thanksgiving!




Thursday, September 17, 2020

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 9/17/20

 

  • GREENS - Mowed at .115" 7 times per week rolled 3 times, TEES/COLLARS/APPROACHES Mowed at .325" 3 times per week, FWYS Mowed at .375" 2 times per week, ROUGH Mowed at 2" 1 time.
  • Fall Aeration schedule will be reposted for your review and will help us build towards a great 2021 golf season.
  • Renovation work has started in roughs with sod and seed to repair areas damaged from the additional cart traffic, diseased varieties, and weakened grassy areas.
  • Plant protectant, growth regulator applications, and weekly to bi-weekly fertility application programs are in full rotation to provide healthy playing surfaces.
  •  Needle-tine aeration to greens bi-weekly with sand topdressing as time and weather permits. As a reminder, we did not hollow core aerate any playing surfaces this spring so this practice will help aid in the benefits of core aerification and diluting organic material accumulated until this fall.
  • Staff and Member safety is still top of our priority and all employees being provided masks, gloves, and disinfecting materials. I have also asked our guys to wear masks when in close proximity to members.
  • Our staff area sanitation practices are ongoing and continuos within our shop ensuring safe work areas and equipment. For example, every employee disinfects the break room/restroom after use and at the end of every day along with all equipment and community areas.
Cooler days and crisp nights are upon us bringing great grass-growing weather and perfect playing conditions to the Northeast area. These days are what we in the turf industry always look forward to as we prepare our properties for the following year by renovation work, aeration, and small projects. This time is also some of the best golf weather and an opportunity to enjoy time with friends and family playing the game we all love. This has been an incredibly challenging season not only in our daily lives but conditioning grass from a drought in June to the oppressive July followed up by three tropical storms in August. The positive takeaways are that all the hard work over my time here in 5 years paid off and that we have had a successful season providing an escape for membership and a golf course we can continue to fully enjoy. Please take some time to realize how fortunate we are to have such a great place to call ours and thank you for all your support this season and for years to come.









WINGED FOOT BEHIND THE SCENES PREVIEW



 https://youtu.be/chu9VWzytbg

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 6/9/2020


  • GREENS - Mowed at .120" 7 times per week rolled 3 times, TEES/COLLARS/APPROACHES Mowed at .325" 3 times per week, FWYS Mowed at .375" 2 times per week, ROUGH Mowed at 2" 1 time. Bunker Mow is only being performed at access points into bunkers and so that balls can roll into the hazards from fairways and approach shots. ***This mowing schedule is absolutely necessary to provide a healthy turf stand that is also aesthetically pleasing while providing good playing conditions.***
  • THINGS TO EXPECT - A dialed-in golf course inside the box, softer greens with speeds from 10.5 to 12 ft. measured by the Stimp Meter, the removal of our step-cut around greens and fairways, setup 5 times per week on greens (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday), bunkers raked as time permits during the week plus Saturday/Sunday, and lastly a rougher appearance and playability around our bunkers.
  • Plant protectant, growth regulator applications, and weekly to bi-weekly fertility application programs are in full rotation to provide healthy playing surfaces.
  • Weeding, mulching, and pre-emergent applications made to landscape beds and will continue until completion. We are currently trying to finish the bedwork for the first time and only have the garden areas leading to the pool to complete.
  • Week of June 8, 2020 some outside dining will be available so these areas will be detailed accordingly.
  •  Needle-tine aeration to greens bi-weekly with sand topdressing as time and weather permits. As a reminder, we did not hollow core aerate any playing surfaces this spring so this practice will help aid in the benefits of core aerification and diluting organic material accumulated until this fall.
  • Staff and Member safety is still top of our priority and all employees being provided masks, gloves, and disinfecting materials. I have also asked our guys to wear masks when in close proximity to members but with warmer temperatures on the horizon, these masks could be hazardous so I will not mandate these at all times of work.
  • Our staff area sanitation practices are ongoing and continuos within our shop ensuring safe work areas and equipment. For example, every employee disinfects the break room/restroom after use and at the end of every day along with all equipment and community areas.
Finally, tournament golf and access to some of our facilities have started after what has seemed like an eternity this spring. We will be welcoming members and guests back to the property we all love in hopes to give everyone some escape to what has been an extremely stressful and defining time in our country, businesses, and our lives. We are working to provide the safest and most satisfying experience for our membership as New York continues to slowly open from the battle with Covid-19 and its effects.
On the Golf Course, we have started to hit a groove in establishing some consistency in our setup, mowing practices, and have started to detail the entire property the past two weeks. We will be updating the Golf Course report as much as possible leading into our busiest and most important time of the year providing great playing conditions while keeping plant health at the top of our priority list. We will be hand watering as much as possible to supplement the overhead irrigation to prevent wet areas around the property from getting wetter while dry areas stay dry between rain events. This is a critical part of our summer month program to prevent turf decline from overwatering and helping to promote good playing conditions. Please keep in mind the added cart traffic in the summer months may beat up commonly used access points and to follow all directional markers and roped off areas.
It's great to be ramping up operations and club functions as we progress into the summer golf season and we are excited to move forward in what has been a challenging year.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 5/13/20

  • GREENS - Mowed at .125" 4 times per week rolled 3 times, TEES/COLLARS/APPROACHES Mowed at .325" 2 times per week, FWYS Mowed at .375" 2 times per week, ROUGH Mowed at 2.5" 1 time.
  • As of now, setup will be 2 times per week on greens and all accessories will remain off the course until further notice. Please note that we have installed rings to prevent the ball from resting at the bottom of the cup and ask all not to remove the flagstick.
  • Things to expect - a dialed-in golf course inside the box, green speeds from 10 to 11 ft, the removal of our step-cut around greens and fairways, bunkers raked as time permits, and a rougher appearance and playability around our bunkers.
  • Plant protectant, growth regulator applications, and weekly to bi-weekly fertility application programs are in full rotation to provide healthy playing surfaces.
  • Weeding, mulching, and pre-emergent applications made to landscape beds and will continue until completion.
  • Friday, May 15, 2020 our Driving Range and Tennis Facilities will be open.
  • Current Staff - 4 Union Full-Time on the golf course, 2 H2-B Full-Time for Tennis and Clubhouse Grounds, 1 Assistant, Mechanic.
  •  Needle-tine aeration to greens bi-weekly. As a reminder, we did not hollow core aerate any playing surfaces this spring so this practice will help aid in the benefits of core aerification until this fall.
  • Staff protection is at the top of our priority list with all employees being provided masks, gloves, and disinfecting materials. Our staff area sanitation practices are ongoing and continuos within our shop ensuring safe work areas and equipment. For example, every employee disinfects the break room/restroom after use and at the end of every day along with all equipment and community areas.
Thank you Pine Hollow C.C. membership for your donations to support our front line responders and also to provide meals to the staff. We can not thank you enough for your support during these stressful and uncertain times. We are here maintaining our great property, hope to see you using our facilities, and hopeful you are all safe. Thanks again!!! 



Monday, May 4, 2020

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 5/4/20


  • GREENS - Mowed at .125" 4 times per week rolled 3 times, TEES/COLLARS/APPROACHES Mowed at .325" 2 times per week, FWYS Mowed at .375" 2 times per week, ROUGH Mowed at 2.5" 1 time.
  • As of now, setup will be 2 times per week on greens and all accessories will remain off the course until further notice.
  • Bunkers initially raked out last Friday after continuous rainstorms over the past few weeks. As of now, we will only touch up rake once a week on Fridays before the weekend play. 
  • Plant Protectant, Growth Regulator Applications, and all Pre-Emergent Applications applied to all short cut turf, rough, range, and lawns. Our weekly application schedules will begin now that we are in the beginning of the actual growing season.
  • Weeding, mulching, and pre-emergent applications made to landscape beds and will continue until completion.
  • All golf course irrigation and tennis irrigation on, repaired, and operational. Clubhouse grounds irrigation parts ordered for repair week of 5/11/20.
  • All tennis courts re-surfaced and being rolled/groomed daily. During the week of 5/4/20 windscreens will be hung up and detailed work will be completed to have our courts ready once restrictions are lifted.  
  • During the week of 5/4/20 all driving range detail, mowing, and preparation will be made to have our practice areas ready once restrictions are lifted.
  • Finish work will also begin around the new air conditioning unit at the halfway house. New landscape to screen the unit will be dug up from around the property and finish detail to be completed by the week's end.
  • Current Staff - 4 Union Full-Time on the golf course, 2 H2-B Full-Time for Tennis and Clubhouse Grounds, 1 Assistant, Mechanic returned 4/27/20.
  •  Needle-tine aeration to greens bi-weekly during the wet spring has lead to great rooting across all our playing surfaces. We did not hollow core aerate any playing surfaces this spring so this practice will help aid in the benefits of core aerification until this fall.
I hope you all are safe and healthy as we all continue to battle the unfortunate shutdown and pandemic affecting our daily lives. We've had a great couple work weeks since the last post, working between rain events and with limited staff getting our property cleaned up from damaging winds, mowing our surfaces, and making the critical spray applications to set us up for a successful growing season. As you will all notice in the coming weeks we have and will be making adjustments to our maintenance practices as we continue to phase more labor into the operation and build to what our full staff will look like in 2020. You will notice us removing the first cut around fairways and greens, adding large out of play no-mow/native rough areas, and will allow some areas around bunkers to grow to limit hand mowing around our hazards. We will also be scaling back setup and bunker raking to once or twice a week compared to normal years as the mowing and spraying will take priority until we ramp up operations. Our plan for workweeks and detail will be modified and most likely will be changing on a daily basis as we do our best to give a great product while we get thru these tough times. With the challenge ahead as grass cutting becomes more of a necessity other modifications may be necessary or more staff will be added to address our necessities or expectations. 
As always we are here to promote our great game and the property while we battle the uncertainty of the current events and happy that Pine Hollow can provide the sanity we all need. Be safe and see you on the course! 



Saturday, April 4, 2020

IN MEMORY OF SALVATORE ANDREOTTI 1958-2020

Obituary of Salvatore Andreotti

Andreotti, Salvatore of Glen Cove, NY passed away on March 31, 2020 at Age 61.  Beloved son of the Late Michelina and Mario.  Dear brother of Luigi (Lee) and the Late Felicia Costantino.  Loving uncle of Angela, Michelle, Jessica and Victoria.  Adored great-uncle of Madelyn, Cristian and Jonathan.
A great man and a dedicated employee at Pine Hollow for over 20 years. Sal and I have been friends since my first day at Pine Hollow in 2003. We have worked together for 12 years and he always had a better way to do things, but that is why we loved his work and his dedication. He was incredibly loyal to his family, his friends, and to his craft which was to make this property better than it was yesterday. Our daily conversation about politics, grass, golf, and family will be greatly missed and he will always have a seat in our breakroom. Rest easy my friend until we meet again.

RESPONSE FROM THE EMPIRE STATE & GOLF COURSE UPDATE 4/4/20

Submitted on Saturday, March 21, 2020 - 8:53am Submitted by anonymous user: 173.245.52.86 Submitted values are:

    ==Intake Form==
      First Name: Brent
      Last Name: Peveich
      Name of Business: Pine Hollow Country Club
      Email Address: bpeveichturf@gmail.com
      Phone Number: 5165821684
      Region:  Long Island
      County:  Nassau County
      Topic:  Business counseling
      Comments / Questions: As a golf course Superintendent and looking
      ahead to next month we have critical course plant protectant,
      growth suppression products, and early season insect and weed
      applications that need to be addressed and therefore it is
      critical to apply even with the mandate. Along with these
      critical applications in the coming weeks we will need to begin
      mowing, watering and addressing our turf stand daily as it is a
      perishable product and with the warmer weather approaching our
      property is about to break from winter dormancy. Please consider
      Golf Course Superintendents and our Assistants to be Essential
      Skilled Contractors to keep our properties alive and viable once
      normalcy returns. Thank you!

Mr. Peveich,

Thank you for contacting Empire State Development. Private golf course operations may continue, however, dining is only available for take-out and delivery.  The point-of-transaction to pay to play on the course can remain open in-person or, if the option is available, may be conducted online or over the phone.  Any in-person element of the business shall abide by social distancing and cleaning/disinfecting protocols

To stay informed and get nightly updates from New York State with the latest news on our response to the pandemic, sing up at https://now.ny.gov/page/s/coronavirus-updates.

If you still have questions, please visit the.COVID-19 FAQ section of our website at https://esd.ny.gov/novel-coronavirus-faq-businesses.

Sincerely,
Empire State Development


GOLF COURSE UPDATE 4/4/20


  • GREENS Mow 4x per week at .125 Rolled 3x per week, TEES Mow 1x per week at .325, Fairways Mow 1x per week .375, Rough currently slowly growing and not necessary to mow as of 4/3/30.
  • All mechanical work is being done on a need be basis. Checking quality of cut, small repairs, and mower grinding. (Mike Greco/Brent Peveich)
  • Golf course cleanup continues slowly with only two course employees.
  • Irrigation repair on the golf course, tennis courts, and clubhouse grounds continues and should be wrapped up week of 4/6. (Assistant Mike Greco)
  • All tees and fairways were sprayed with initial plant protectant application on 3/30/20 to treat early-season patch diseases and knoeck down early season inoculum. (Mike Greco/Brent Peveich)
  • Seedhead Suppression applications made to our greens. This early season spray is designed to keep greens healthy by forcing our Poa Annua greens not to flower which keeps the plant's energy geared towards root development not seeding. This process also keeps the playing surfaces smoother and less likely to decline in the coming months. (Brent Peveich)
  • Two of our H2B workers have returned and started cleaning beds around the Clubhouse Grounds and rolling tennis courts in preparation for the 2020 season. 
We currently have a very small staff due to the mandate in place and are only performing essentail work around our property. On the Green Department we are all pitching in and Mike and I are doing our best with our limited staff to provide you with the best product we can under the circumstances. Please be safe and practice social distancing while enjoying our great property from a different point of view. Be well and see you soon.




Saturday, March 28, 2020

DIFFERENT WAYS TO ENJOY OUR GAME AND GOLF COURSE UPDATE 3/28/20

Due to these unprecedented times, we are asking our membership to enjoy our property in different
ways. While practicing social distancing the open space our property has is great for winter rules golf, exercise, and getting to know the property from a different viewpoint. Please be safe and cautious during these times and abide by all the rules and regulations under the Executive Orders in place for our safety. We can't wait to return Pine Hollow to the club you all know and love, so that is why these weeks are critical to flatten the curve of Covid-19. Below we have some information to help understand where the state of golf is currently and a brief update on the golf course operations. 


GOLF COURSE UPDATE 3/28/20

Our Golf Course is starting to break dormancy and with that comes spring mowing, plant protectant applications, and cleanup work to get us ready for once our lives get back to normal. We currently have a limited staff due to the Executive Order but thankfully we are deemed Essential during these times to preserve our golf course. Every area Superintendent I've talked to is exercising caution with our staff and we are all doing our best to prepare and maintain our Club's Greatest Assets. Currently, my crew has initially cleaned leaf debris, tree litter, and the mess left by non-migrating geese while this past week my Assistant and I have pressurized the Irrigation System and made repairs necessary for when we need to begin watering. Our plans for next week will be to mow all shortcut playing surfaces and make the first of many important fungicide and insecticide treatments setting us up for a great 2020 golf season. Looking forward we will be mowing and rolling greens as necessary and re-setting the golf course as play and time dictate. I will do my best to keep you posted with information from our Associations and look to keep you posted thru our blog as much as possible. Please stay safe and see you soon.

Monday, March 16, 2020

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC & GOLF COURSE UPDATE 3/16/20

Until further notice, we will continue to stay open for golf and you are encouraged to get outside to play our great game. Due to the current situation, water coolers will remain off the course, bathrooms will remain closed, and all golf course accessories will remain in storage. We ask all members to leave the flag in on greens while playing and strongly suggest walking instead of taking carts.
It's certainly moments like this that will make normalcy feel that much more worth cherishing once it returns, so please be safe and we will see you soon! 

Information about the Pandemic below - 



Be safe from my family to yours!

Monday, March 9, 2020

GOLF COURSE UPDATE 3/9/20


All greens will be officially opened for the 2020 season on Wednesday 3/11/20 except #1 Green. The work at the first green complex has healed in great and with the mild winter we are on pace to open for the first men's event in early May. As you know early March weather can be unpredictable but our staff returns next week and we will begin bunker detail, aeration, and placing golf course furniture for the season as weather permits. Cart availability will be determined this week once initial treeline cleanup is completed and forecasted rain events become more clear. Also as a reminder, please use good Driving Range etiquette and practice from the mats until our grass tee is made available.
 Welcome back and we're excited to ramp up for the 2020 season!

Friday, February 28, 2020

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND ADVOCACY

A lot of important work was done the past few years to develop the New York State BMPs and lead to the creation of the New York Golf Course Foundation you will see below. Please follow the link and take some time to learn how our profession positively impacts the environment while promoting the game we all love. I recently attended New York's Lobby Day to advocate on behalf of the Long Golf Course Superintendent's Association and New York State Turfgrass Association to help educate our Representatives on the importance of our profession managing our properties and how vital this open green space is to the area. Our game is constantly under attack in Albany even though good science and research is available emotional decisions and agendas towards environmental issues are firmly in place. That is why the BMPs are so important and our work locally with Nassau/Suffolk water districts, Cornell University, and the New York State DEC should not be taken for granted. These efforts have only been funded by the local Superintendent Associations, so please understand the time is coming for the Club Managers Association, the PGA of America, and Private Club Membership to get more involved with issues that could be devastating to Club business. Among these issues being pursued or actual bills introduced are; property tax assessments for highest or best use rather than current use, cutting funds to the Turfgrass Environmental Fund, Nitrogen application restrictions, Legislative Bans of Pesticides leading to fewer tools, and growing concerns with our access to water. As professionals, we support promoting sound agronomic programs while being environmentally sensitive daily and fully support the use of science and research to help shape our future waterways, green space, and our great game.
The below link has great information about what we are currently doing and along the right side of the blog I have other avenues to access other Associations. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. We are all in this together for the good of the game and to preserve the environment for our kids. Thank you!





Friday, February 7, 2020

GOLF INDUSTRY SHOW & GOLF COURSE UPDATE 2/7/20

  • Winter Deeptine Aeration w/ New Weidenmann Deeptine Machine- Tees 3/4 solid 6" deep (1x), Fairways 3/4 solid 6 to 8" deep (2x),Greens 1/2 solid 8" deep (1x), #1 green is the exception (bayonnet tines instead).
  • Working to expedite drywell installation with Longo Excavation and Town of Oyster Bay to clear up drainage issues with neighbors.
  • Finalizing DEC Chemical Reports for 2019 and Program for 2020.
  • Preventative Maintenance work on all equipment and grinding on mowers continues.
  • Cleaning/Painting/Staining all tee markers, ball washers, and golf course furniture.

Over the past few weeks while enjoying some vacation time with my family and playing golf with friends in Florida, I also attended the Golf Industry Show in Orlando. This event isn't just a social gathering of Superintendents, but an industry wide event with architects, builders, and facility owners. During my time along with walking the trade show floor, I attended workshops to continue my progress of certification, listened in on the latest product developments, and discussed ways we as Superintendents can be better and keep the game sustainable. As a Government Affairs Ambassador, I also met with Former Speaker of the House John Boehner at a breakfast speaking event to discuss ways how we can more effectively lobby locally and nationally. Golf is currently under a tremendous amount of pressure in Albany and Washington for environmental issues and the workforce availability so if we can't stay a viable business than our purpose of providing a great game and experience will be lost.