Cart Path Only Wednesday

Due to the storms that moved through yesterday and last night, we will be on the path for Wednesday.  Thank You

Cart Path Only Wednesday

     Due to the quarter inch of rain this morning, we will be on the cart path today. Thank you.

Carts on Path

     The thunderstorms that moved through last night and this morning dumped almost three inches on the golf course.

     This means we will be on the path for the next couple of days.  Thank you for understanding.  

Golf Cart Accident

     Sunday was an eventful day here at Prairie Highlands.  We had a small accident with a golf cart.  Apparently the golfer parked his cart on the bridge but didn't straighten the wheels.  The next golfer jumped in and hit the gas.  Needless to say he wasn't quite ready for what happened next.

     Luckily everyone is alright.  The cart has seen better days, but should be fixable.  Hopefully everyone is careful out there when driving their carts.  Be safe.  

Off Path For Now

     We will be off the path for today.  There are more thunderstorms moving into the area this afternoon, so take advantage while you can.  Thank you.

Cart Path Only Wednesday

     It is still very wet out there from the thunderstorms that moved through Monday evening.  We will stay on the path again today.  Thank you.

Happy 4th of July

     If you haven't been to Prairie Highlands lately, this weekend looks like a great opportunity.  The greens our rolling 11 on the stimpmeter.  Come celebrate America with us, you won't regret it.

Off the Path Wednesday

     Even though storms moved through the area last night, we will be off the path today.  Thank you

Cart Path Only Friday

     Last night's thunderstorms brought almost another inch of rain to the course.  This means we will be on the path for Friday and probably Saturday.

Happy Fathers Day

     It's time to celebrate all the golf dads this weekend.  I know from experience that fathers who introduce their children to the game of golf will create a bond that goes much deeper than the golf course.  If you are a child of a golf dad, thank him.  Show him that the lessons you learned on the course helped make you who you are today.  

     I know I would like to thank all the golf dads out there.  Keep introducing the game to the next generation.  And have a happy Father's Day, from mine to yours.  

Path Only for Saturday

     By my calculations, we have been on the path more this year than any of my previous 3 years combined.  I must inform everyone that we will be on the path again today, and probably tomorrow.  Thank You.

Rain Gear

     When you don't have rain gear, improvise.  When you are out on a mower and caught in the rain, how about a trash bag rain suit?

     This little ensemble is good for a day on the mower as well as a night on the town.  You will certainly turn heads in this little number.  And no trash bag rain suit is complete without a stylish head band.  We sell these in maintenance for just three easy payments of $34.99!  Make all checks payable to Austen Gearheart.

Water Logged

     Is anyone sick of the rain yet?  Does it seem like we may be cart path only for eternity?  If it does, you are not alone.  It does look like Friday will be a washout, but we will do what we can to get this place playable as soon as possible.  Thank you for understanding.

Sunday -- Still On Path

Due to the amount of rain over the past week, we will still be on the path today.  Thank You.

Saturday - Cart Path Only

The course is still saturated from recent rains. We will need to stay on the path. Thanks for understanding.

Cart Path Only

     Another round of rain brought almost 1/2 inch of rain.  We will be on the path for another few days.  Thank you for staying on the path.

Saturday - May 23rd - Cart Path Only

We had quite a bit of rain overnight so we will be on the path today. Thanks for understanding.

Cart Path Only Wednesday

     Another storm dumped almost an inch of rain on the course last night.  We will be on the path again today and possibly tomorrow.  Thank you.

Overnight Thunderstorms (Cart Path Only)

    I'm sure that everyone has noticed that we have been the recipient of some pretty good rain showers over the past few days.  Here at Prairie Highlands we got almost three inches in the past 72 hours.  It looks as though we will be cart path only for the next couple of days.  Thank you for your patience.

Saturday - May 16th - Cart Path Only

Due to the course taking in a lot of rain the past few days, we will still need to be on the path. Thanks.

Course Improvements

    We have been working on a few things around the course over the past few weeks and would like to update everyone on the progress.  First, we have finished renovating the last of the six bunkers we started last fall.  In this process we took out all of the old sand, installed new drainage and inserted new, USGA spec sand.  

Greenside bunker #4 before new sand

Greenside bunker after new USGA spec sand

#11 Bunker after new USGA spec sand

      We also finished bunkers on holes 2, 8, 9, and 14.  We plan on renovating the greenside bunker on #15 in the next few weeks, as well as adding new sand to other existing greenside bunkers.
     We also added a walking path  behind the right greenside bunker on #4.  This will provide easier access to the back of the green, without having to walk all the way around the bunker.  

Walking path behind #4 bunker

Walking path behind #4 bunker

Cart Path Only Thursday

     We will be back on the path again today.  There is a good possibility we will be on the path tomorrow as well.  Thank you for understanding.

Back off the path

     The course is still a little on the wet side, but I think we can resume traffic on the fairways and rough.  Thank you.

Cart path only Sunday

Due to the amount of rain we received over the last couple of days, we will be on the path here at Prairie Highlands until further notice. Thank you.

Cart Path Only for Friday

We will be path only on the course today.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  Thank You.

Driving Range Closed Tonight

     We will be closing the driving range down from 6pm tonight until mowing is complete tomorrow morning.

Back off the Path

     The course has had time to dry out over the last two days and is ready for cart traffic.  Thank you for your patience.

Cart Path Only Sunday

     Due to the rain over the past couple of days we will be on the paths for today and tomorrow.  Thank you.

The Life of a Superintendent

     On a day to day basis, you never know what you might run into out on a golf course.  But on Thursday morning I encountered something that I haven't run into before.  At approximately 7:45 my assistant received a phone call from one of our seasonal guys.  I knew it was bad by the look on his face.  The seasonal had told him that he got the mower "wet."  We promptly drove to the scene of the crime and this is what we drove up on...........................

     The most important thing that came out of this is that no one was hurt.  After pulling the mower out of the lake on number nine, we towed it back in.  I guess there is plenty for our mechanic to do for awhile.  

Tuesday Off Path!

I know everyone will be happy to hear that we are back off the path today.  Please stay on the path on the par 3's and numbers 2 and 12.  Thank you.

Monday - April 13th - Cart Path Only

 Due to the large amount of rain yesterday, we will still be on the cart path today.  Thank You

Frost Delay Friday

There is a light frost on the course this morning.  We will be experiencing a delay.  Thank you for your patience.

Saturday, April 4th - Frost Delay - Course & Practice Facilities

Saturday, April 4th - The golf course and practice facilities are under a frost delay.  Thank you for your patience.

Cart Path Only Friday

     Due to the rain over the last two days, we will still be on the cart path today.  Thank You

Cart Path Only

     The thunderstorms that rolled through the area last night dumped almost a half inch of rain in just a few hours.  This will force us to have the golfers on the path today and possibly tomorrow.  Thank you.

Monday Frost

There is frost on the course this morning.  With the higher winds it should break by mid morning.  Thank you.

Frost delay

We will be experiencing a frost delay this morning.  The delay could last until mid to late morning.  Thank you.

Aeration

     It is time to talk about every golfers favorite word "aeration."  At Prairie Highlands we punched our greens on Monday the 23rd and Tuesday the 24th.  The crew completed holes 1-12 as well as all three practice greens on Monday.  The remaining six greens were completed on Tuesday.  

     The question that I get asked most often about aeration is "why?"  Trust me, if superintendents could avoid aeration they would.  But without those little holes filled with sand, the greens would eventually die.  Aerification has three important objectives:  relieving soil compaction, improving the soil mixture and preventing excess thatch.

     Here at Prairie, we first pull the cores to the surface of the green with the aerator.

The next step is to sweep the cores of the green.  This requires lots of man power.  It takes a crew of four guys 25-30 minutes per green.

After all the cores have been removed we then verticut the greens two directions.  This process cuts tiny slits in the green, helping to provide a healthy root system all season long. 

Now the greens are ready for sand.  We apply enough sand to fill the holes with a topdresser.  

After enough sand is applied then we begin to drag the sand into the aeration holes using specialized drag mats behind our carts.  

With the holes filled we then apply fertilizer and water them in.

 Now that the aeration is complete we will begin to remove excess sand by mowing and blowing off the surface of the greens.  I would like to thank all the golfers for being patient with us through the healing process.   

 

Our mechanic

     We had a head gasket blow on our John Deer spray unit at the very end of the season.  Our machanic, Mark Gaither, is one of the hardest working guys in the industry.  Not only does he take care of our entire fleet of equipment, he also services Hillcrest's (our sister course) entire fleet as well.  Here he is installing the rebuilt engine into the unit.

     It's rare when you find someone that likes what they do as much as Mark does.  He has lived in Kansas City his entire life.  He is also a former Lakeside champion driver and team owner.  He currently lives in Kansas City, Kansas, with is wife and daughter.  He tells me he only took the job for the free golf but I think it might be something else.  

     We are lucky to have a mechanic as good as Mark, and we wouldn't trade him for anyone else.  

About me

     This blog is intended to inform Prairie Highlands members and the Kansas City golfing community about the maintenance taking place on the course.  My name is Austen Gearheart.  I was recently promoted to head superintendent after spending 3 years as the assistant here at Prairie Highlands.  I am a lifetime Kansas City native.
     While in college I completed an internship at the National Golf Club of Parkville, Missouri.  I obtained my Associates of Applied Science degree from Johnson County Community College in December of 2011.  I began working at Prairie Highlands in the spring of 2012.
     I have spent my entire life here in Kansas City and love raising my beautiful daughter here.  My wife of 6 years is a preschool teacher in Kansas City, and she loves working with children.

     I am looking forward to the 2015 golfing season with great anticipation.  I hope everyone has a great season and "Hit 'em Straight!"