Started of early ( 5 am ) and chipped in and helped mow Fairways . We just got off the fairways in time for a members 9 am . shot gun. Then at 1 o'clock ,Member & Guest tournament will be on their way . Clubs been busy getting all their tournaments out of the way before we start core aerating greens on Monday . The New course has their tournament tomorrow . I'll be back in real early to run the carts we borrowed back for their 9 am start .
Over all the course looks reely good and manicured . Green HOC was dropped for the tournament and the few guys that we have left got everything mowed up in time . We powered on through our breaks and lunches and grab and go are food as we went .
The extra effort by all paid off .
Here are a few pic's just before tee off time .
Back of 9 green area . It was a field a few years back . View on the way to women's 10 Tee .
Hole #5 par 3
# 10 view from back of 11 Tee decks . Women's tee hit down the fairway , Men hit over the irrigation pond on the right .
#11 Men's Tee deck . Everyone has a pond to hit over on this hole .
View from the back of #14 green . You can see some of the bedrock out cropping's we have on the course . Par 4 , Tee deck hits over a pond and up hill to this area . This is the smaller fairway landing area . Past the bedrock there is a larger fairway .
# 16 Tee . City of Halifax in the background .
Hole #7 . Club house is behind the big tree on the right .
Looking down #1 fairway from # 18 green . The cut on the rough looks great as do all the other cuts .
# 7 green . The Members/guest are rolling in .
Our new Club Car Electric fleet are ready to go .
# 8 green is looking pretty good . We redid this one a few years back using cores from aerated greens on the course. It's starting to mature pretty well .
Right side of dog leg on #1 rough . It actually looks this vibrant .
# 2 Fairway . Another pic of bedrock protrusions we have on the course on some holes . Reely takes a beating on the Toro 5410 reels .
The assistant ( Sean ) just finishing up the finally touches with the pro force blower . Will be heading out early when the tournament starts .
I'm sure everyone on the east coast have had their prayers answered to get some rain . After having near drought conditions and the cooler evenings plus the rain the turf took an aggressive jump in growth . Like a lot of the courses on the east coast it's been a battle to get turf knocked back down again especially being short staffed and the timing of the last big dumping of rain .
One thing I did notice is that the 5 - 2 " line pattern from our 5410's were very noticeable after the first cut on fairways . The lines are defiantly from the jump in growth . I also wished they made a 10 blade reel for this model .I'm reely starting to think it is not cutting all the turf and that's why some of us are seeing this line pattern from being double cut in the area where the rear rollers are of a different length .
We are having another Member / Guest tournament this week . Yesterday we double cut fairways with the groomers engaged . It took care of the lines in a hurry . They look fantastic again .
All this rain also gave the culvert at the
New Ashburn a good work out . Worked great .........no problems .
Well it's been about 12 days in now and we have a small 2 foot x 1 inch section that may have to be replaced . I think if it were rinsed right after the spill with Dawn dish detergent , it would have come back .
Here are a couple of pictures . Pretty much gone now .
We inherited a few GKIV from our sister course the last few years . I was concerned about hydraulic leaks happening on these old machines since they are used on and around greens . Going with the Greens Care Bio oil paid off last Friday. We are short staffed this time of year , so I'm doing double duty and helping out on the course as needed . Friday I mowed approaches with one of the GK's and the steering line ruptured leaking about 5 liters of bio oil in front of 16 green .
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Old technology is never fun to repair in this situation . I was going to do a post on the repair but was getting a little behind .
The steering lines run down under the floor pan . The machine is a 2000 year model and over time the floor pan wore a hole through the Kevlar rap . Not an easy repair . Well it was easy but a lot of parts had to be removed for repair and it was a little time consuming .
Being way under budget last season I was able to get a basic Hydraulic line making kit . So far I have used it a few times making up lines as needed. I'm starting to get pretty good at it now .
This is the Bio Oil from Jacobsen . A lot of manufacturers have their own line .
After repairing the lines with a high quality replacement line I also notched out the floor pad and installed these hose guards from Lawsons .
A few pictures of the leak 4 days later .
Some courses will use Dawn liquid detergent and water right away to get rid of the Bio Oil streaks.
I have seen hydraulic leaks in the past from NON bio oils and the damaged area had to be removed and replaced with new sod . With this product, turf should look uniform again in a few weeks.
The lines are faint and my superintendent was impressed that no grass was damaged . He asked about what kind of hydraulic fluid was used in the machine . It was my first time seeing a Bio Oil leak and I'm very impressed . I may look into doing our Toro 3150 Q this winter .It is a little more costly and doesn't last as long as regular hydro oil. The damage may have been reduced a bit because the oil was spraying up on the floor pan first giving it a little time to cool off . The line also blew around 1.5 hrs. into the job.
Being a course on the fringe of the city of Halifax we occasionally get noise complaints . Where trying to be pro active and keeping away from certain areas on the course the best we can .
One of the noise culprits is our GK IV 3 cylinder diesel Kubota engine . The factory exhaust doesn't really deal with noise to much it is basically a short straight pipe .
So yesterday I had a little time and the go ahead to try to quite this one down .
Like I said it was an experiment so some of the pipe connections I made up from my metal bin .
I came right off the factory exhaust with my homemade 90 . the auto parts store sent over a cheap exhaust to try out . Ran out of pipe but made some thing up for the exit side so water wouldn't get in .
A small video .The phone as usually might amplify the noise but the operator was able to sneak up on me while I was using a flex 21 mowing greens this morning . Usually I can hear him coming from the previous hole .
Now that I know I can cut the noise down by at least half I'll get some custom pipes bent this winter at muffler shop . No noticeable power loss either .
A few more pics . Welded nuts to 3/8 rod for support bracket.
another pic of home made elbows for experiment . The 2005 on filter is when it's due for the next oil change .
Had taken some spacer sleeves off the tru turf roller spiker attachment that we don't use and welded them to homemade pipes so muffler could be clamped in place with clamps .
Has gone out twice now with no issues or power loss .
Recently I installed some medium duty mesh on the ROP ( Roll Over Protection )The sidewinder and rough units are always out on the course during play . My 5410 fairway units also received them , occasionally they will get caught by the members . The operators are always trying to look back to see where the next shot is coming from . When installing something on ROPs you have to zip tie or clamp items to it . You cannot weld or drill into them because you may weaken it possibly causing it to fail when / if needed . There are a few models that have factory threaded inserts for attaching items to them .
Heavy duty zip ties where the answer to installing them . Quick and easy .
I couldn't go right to the bottom and left a space so the bonnet can be flipped up for service . Still provided adequate protection . On the sidewinder the area from the bend down was left un zipped so the engine bonnet could be lifted up .
Had great feed back from the operators . They love not having to look back at play behind them . It will defiantly speed up the mowing .
Today was a non mowing day to let the course drain from last nights heavy downfall.
A good day to service the brushes belts on rear roller on the fairway units . I like to clean them up in mid season .For the courses that top dress fairways it may be a good idea to clean them up a few days after the sand settles in . It will save a lot of wear and tear on belts and idler pulleys .
Remove the cover and loosen the nut for the idler pulley belt tensioner.
Found this very handy magnetic tray . Great for holding parts and tools at any angle .
My older model (1600 hrs. + - ) had a couple of seized idler pulleys . A while back I had noticed them getting stiff and ordered a few for back stock . Some of them can be freed up with a good penetrating fluid .
Two of them were
not salvageable .
Remove any debris in the cover.
Next take a close look at the belt and pick out any sand particles embedded in the rubber . The pulleys I cleaned up with brake clean and also used a small pick to scrape the grooves out .
Reassemble everything in reverse order .
I had a few belts with many cracks . I always keep an extra 5 belts on hand . I may use a couple between both machines during the season. With regular service you can get the sand and grass clippings out extending the life of the wearable items . As far as the brush kits on these models have been virtually trouble free for the hours of use on them . If you have had bad experiences with other styles brush kits in the past and are hesitant in buying a set ,don't be . They are # 1 and a joy to work on when needed .
One of the big events this season held at the New Ashburn Golf & Country Club .
The weather conditions in our area can be to the extreme in either direction in any given year . This year we had a very wet spring which provide some challenges in getting the course ready for the event . Just prior to the tournament the course was drying out very well and everything came together in the end . Having a seasoned Superintendent can make it look seamless . There is a lot of preparation going on before the tournament to provide the best playing conditions to show case one of the Ashburn courses. The staff at the New Course did a great job !!
This is just a modest list .I've seen a few boards well laid out when I pop in too drop a few miss directed parts . Brian (Superintendent ) has all jobs ready to go for the staff so everything gets done in an efficient and timely manner.
Getting to be dusk at the course . The staff have been in twice a day to mow . Nice lines on the fairways .
All hands on deck , even the fairway divots are being taken care of.
Toro sidewinders doing the pre cut on fairways and surrounds on greens.
A shot of #5 par 3
The place is looking fantastic and ready for the final rounds . Greens are fast and true . # 13 I think looking from the back of the green .
There are three covered bridges on the course . This coming down from the back of #17 green .
This morning a full field of 168 golfers will tee off with the hopes of becoming the MCT Insurance Mid Amateur Champion. The three day event will be hosted by Ashburn Golf Club at the new course in Windsor Junction just outside of Fall River. The Mid Amateur takes the province’s best golfers who are at least twenty five years old.
The Mid Amateur Championship was first played in 1993 and was won by Brightwood’s Dave “Ducky’ Webber. In twenty championships that have been played since 1993 there have been thirteen different winners, Gerry MacMillan of Paragon has the most winning four titles between 1995 and 2001. There are four others tied with two tournament wins each, including Webber, Rob Collins, Leon Carter, and last year’s winner Aaron Nickerson.
Nickerson who plays at River Hills Golf Club won last year’s MCT Insurance Mid Amateur Championship by one stroke over Glenn Robinson of Ashburn at Berwick Height Golf Course in an event that was shortened to two rounds because of rain. Nickerson shot a 70-72 while Robinson was 70-73. Nickerson also won a title in 2008 at Clare Golf and Country Club. Below is a list of some notables to watch for during the three day event.
Glenn Robinson (Ashburn)
Last year’s runner up has had a solid start to the season. The Lower Sackville native was in contention all week at the MCT Insurance Amateur Championship at Northumberland Links finishing in a tie for fifth overall. Robinson was also sixth in last year’s Amateur Championship and should be in contention come Sunday especially playing his home course.
Leon Carter (Dundee Resort and Country Club)
You can never underestimate experience. Carter has plenty winning four Amateur and two Mid Amateur Championships. Carter’s Mid Amateur Championships came back to back as he took top honours in 2010, and in 2011. Watch for the River Bourgeois native to make it three titles come Sunday afternoon.
Trevor Chow (Ashburn)
Chow has won a Mid Amateur Championship in 2009 and has consistently been in the mix at various championships the past few years. Chow was the second round leader this year at the MCT Insurance Amateur Championship in Northumberland before falling off the pace in the third round and finishing ninth. With Chow having the home course advantage watch for him to make a move for his second title, and perhaps redemption from his disappointing finish at Northumberland.
Chris Evans (Ashburn)
Arguably one of the favourites entering this weekend the Timberlea resident has been playing some terrific golf this season. At the first NSGA event Evans and partner Sean Stuart lost in a playoff to Gerry and Chad MacMillan at the Four Ball Championships. Evans followed that up with a second overall finish at the MCT Insurance Amateur Championship meaning him and fellow Ashburn member Stuart had booked their trip to the National Championship. With back to back second place finishes Evans will surely be hungry to win and keep a very successful season on the right track.
The top three players in the event will earn a trip to the Golf Canada National Championship with the requirement of one team member being at least forty years old. For full results and information on the tournament please CLICK HERE
We will be live tweeting the final round of the event to see results follow us on twitter at @NovaScotiaGolf or by CLICKING HERE
CHOW OUT IN FRONT FOLLOWING FIRST ROUND OF MCT INSURANCE MID AMATEUR
Trevor Chow of Ashburn had a strong start finishing with four birdies and two bogeys en route to his opening round 70
CHOW OUT IN FRONT FOLLOWING FIRST ROUND OF MCT INSURANCE MID AMATEUR
Ashburn member fires a two under seventy at home course to take a two stroke lead into second round
It was eerily similar to the MCT Insurance Amateur Championship as Trevor Chow once again shot the opening low of an NSGA event, however this time it was the MCT Insurance Mid Amateur. Chow, who is an Ashburn member, fired an opening day seventy to lead the field by two strokes. "I felt very comfortable out there, on the front nine I played very well, on the back nine I had a couple lapses but avoided any bad holes" said Chow on his opening day of work.
Weather conditions were less than ideal as rain came almost immediately following the first pairings that were on the course. Chow said outside of some heavy downpours the rain was not a deterrent to his game "the course was really dry earlier this week so it made the greens soft and approachable, outside of fifteen or twenty minutes of heavy showers we escaped any kind of serious rain". When asked whether or not playing his home course was an added advantage for this tournament Chow said all Ashburn golfers have an advantage, "It's a course that has a lot of slope, as well as tricky greens. If you have an approach shot it's a definite advantage to have played it before, we all (Ashburn members) have an advantage this weekend".
Fellow Ashburn members also fared well as Kevin MacKendrick shot an even par seventy two, Mike Innes and Jeff Hovell both shot a one over seventy three. Thomas Barnett of Yarmouth Links was also one over at seventy three. Innes said the course was in excellent shape despite the rain "I thought the course was very playable, the rough was shorter than normal, and I thought it was a good day for scoring". Innes echoed Chow's comments that Ashburn members will benefit from playing their home course "it helps for knowing where to place the ball relative to the pins and that makes for easier putts". When asked what it would mean to play in the one of the leader's groups come Sunday Innes said regardless of the outcome he just really enjoys competitive golf "I love it (competitive golf), I haven't been able to play as much after junior because of work and family commitments. Perhaps I am at the right course at the right time to make something happen" said Innes on the prospect of having a strong finish this weekend.
Other notables in the field include Aaron Nickerson, Leon Carter, Jason Thibodeau, Mike Hebb, Gary Smith and Jordan Oakey all of whom form a log jam after shooting an opening day of seventy four.
HOVELL TAKES ONE STROKE LEAD INTO FINAL ROUND OF MCT INSURANCE MID AMATEUR
Leon Carter watches his tee off shot during the second round of the MCT Insurance Mid Amateur at Ashburn Golf Club
HOVELL TAKES ONE STROKE LEAD INTO FINAL ROUND OF MCT INSURANCE MID AMATEUR
Ashburn clogs up the leader board with the leader board's top five of six coming from the host club
Things are certainly tight at the MCT Insurance Mid Amateur following a hot day number two. With temperatures soaring to thirty five degrees it was Jeff Hovell's seventy four that allowed him to leap frog Trevor Chow and head into tomorrow's final round as the tournament leader. Chow, Mike Hebb, and Vivek Swamy all sit one shot back of Hovell as there is a log jam of golfers within striking range of the lead.
Hovell who is a member of Ashburn fired a one over seventy three during the first round. "I struck the ball well and my putting was really strong" said Hovell on his second performance. Hovell managed to score well despite the heat which took its toll on players in the field "I like the heat, it doesn't bother me, and I'd much rather play with it being warmer rather than cold" said the Fall River resident. When asked what it would mean to win or have a strong finish at his home course Hovell said it would be very special especially close to home "it's always nice being in contention, and to do it here (Ashburn) close to friends and family would make it even better". Hovell will enter tomorrow's round in an all Ashburn pairing with partners Trevor Chow, and Mike Hebb who will tee off at 2:10 pm.
Hebb who shot an opening day seventy four continued his strong play posting another two over seventy four to sit with Chow and Swamy. "You had to keep the course in front of you during the round, if you got behind the pins in most cases you had a difficult downhill putt so it was important to stay below the hole". Hebb who has battled hip surgery and a torn bicep muscle admitted he has not played as many rounds as he would have liked "I don't play as much competitive golf as I used to, I still play in corporate tournaments for work, but it certainly helps being an Ashburn member".
It has been a good tournament for Ashburn golfers who now maintain five of the top six, and seven of the top twelve spots on the leader board. "The course was certainly a little bit more challenging today, the greens were drying up, and there were some tough pin locations" said Chow on the course conditions for the second round. "I need to get off to a good start, I need to hit more fairways for greens, and set myself up for a good round" said Chow on what he needed to do to give himself the best chance at winning.
Other notables in the field include Leon Carter who sits alone in fifth spot two shots back of Hovell, Andrew MacPherson of Oakfield, and Glenn Robinson also of Ashburn who both sit three shots back. Greg Black of Oakfield Golf and Country Club, and Paul Coulson of Truro Golf Club sit four back well within striking distance.
The first tee off time will be at 7 am and we will be provided live updates via our twitter account on the three leader's groups. To track the updates follow us on twitter @NovaScotiaGolf
CHOW WINS MCT INSURANCE MID AMATEUR TITLE AND SOME REDEMPTION IN THE PROCESS
Trevor Chow accepts his award from MCT Insurance's Colin Brien during the awards presentation
CHOW WINS MCT INSURANCE MID AMATEUR TITLE AND SOME REDEMPTION IN THE PROCESS
Ashburn member Trevor Chow won his second Mid Amateur title with a three stroke victory over Glenn Robinson and Mike Hebb
Trevor Chow couldn't have scripted it any better, a provincial tournament win on his home course and in the process becoming a part of Mid Amateur history. Chow fired an even par seventy two to win his second Mid Amateur title by three strokes over Ashburn rivals Glenn Robinson, and Mike Hebb. Chow's win marks the second time he has won a Mid Amateur title as the Hammonds Plains resident and native of Baddeck took top honours in 2009.
"Going out today I knew it was going to be a shootout, there were a lot of guys within striking distance so I just focused on trying to play as well as I could" said Chow of his expectations heading into the round. Chow wasn't necessarily that strong out of the gates, three putting for bogey on number one before three putting on number two for par. "After three putting on the first two holes I was thinking here we go again because my putting had been off yesterday, I ended up sinking a thirty five footer on number five for birdie. Then I followed that up with another strong putt on number six and from there I was relaxed, and being relaxed is a key in golf" said Chow on his turning point of the round.
Chow said heading into the back nine he had a good idea he was the tournament leader and decided to focus on playing it safe "I really tried to make sure I was on the fairways, and not going specifically for pins just putting the ball in an area on the green I wouldn't get in trouble". The win was especially satisfying for Chow considering he had finished with two sub par rounds at the Amateur Championship in Northumberland to finish ninth after leading the first two rounds of the event. "I think its huge redemption, it's a huge relief and overall an incredible experience to win here at home" said Chow on winning at home while answering any doubts about his ability to finish off a strong tournament start.
Chow will join forces with club mate Glenn Robinson, and Oakfield native Greg Black, to represent Nova Scotia at the Canadian National Mid Amateur Championship in Spruce Grove, Alberta September 3-6. This will be the first time Chow has played as a member of team Nova Scotia at the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship, despite winning in 2009 as his son was born the weekend of the event. "My best year competitively was in 2008, and 2009, but since then I haven't played as well as I would have liked so winning and getting to go to a Nationals I think I can compete and have a shot at is very exciting" said Chow on the trip awaiting him in September. When asked what his expectations were heading to Alberta, Chow said on a personal note to finish within the top thirty, and he thinks the team has the ability to "represent the province very well".
Sitting three shots back of Chow were Glenn Robinson and Mike Hebb. Robinson entered the day at +6 and Hebb was in a tie with Chow at +4. Both golfers played well but could not match Chow's strong round. "It feels great, I had a solid first nine holes, missed a few here and there, but to go to Nationals with guys I get to play with on a regular basis it's certainly going to be a fun trip" said Robinson on his accomplishment. Hebb who had a wonderful tournament after coming back from hip surgery and a torn bicep finished second overall.
Despite him qualifying to represent Nova Scotia he was unable to attend meaning Greg Black and Jeff Hovell (Ashburn) had to play in a playoff for the last team spot. Black would win on the first hole after Hovell had a wayward tee shot, however both golfers will attend the Nationals with Hovell serving as an alternate.
Other high finishes included Leon Carter of Dundee, and Andrew MacPherson of Oakfield who both finished at +10 for the tournament. Three players tied for eighth with Steven Spicer, Vivek Swamy, and Darren MacPherson all finishing at +11.
The NSGA would like to thank MCT Insurance for their continued support, and also thank all the volunteers and staff at Ashburn Golf Club for making the MCT Insurance Mid Amateur Championship a great success!
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