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The Future Looks Greener than Ever at The Dunes in Kamloops!
Kamloops, B.C., February 24, 2005. A dose of winterkill is no match for the golf course Kent Gilchrest of the Vancouver Sun called, “The best conditioned course in the province” in 2002!
The Dunes Profile Page
The Dunes, a popular course located on the pristine North Thompson River in Kamloops, has made a full recovery after a devastating bout of winterkill that affected a number of courses in the interior of British Columbia. After a carefully implemented recovery program that included shutting down for the entire month of May, The Dunes was back in full, lush green form by the end of July.
Greens Superintendent Terry Smith saw indications that there might be problems as early as February 2004 when the ice was really thick and temperatures in the region plummeted. When the damage was assessed it was determined that on the first green, which was hit the hardest, 99% of the grass had died. The best of the greens lost 50% of the grass and the fairways were 60% affected. Smith, who has been with The Dunes since day one, had dealt with winterkill conditions before in Alberta, but this was the first time the problem had become so serious in Kamloops.
Head Golf Pro Mike Porco gives full credit to the grounds crew for managing the situation. “They were on top of the problem right away and knew immediately what needed to be done.”
Winterkill, a common occurrence on Northern courses, has many causes and is still not completely understood. Much of the damage at The Dunes was caused by an unfortunate series of events. “The symptoms may have shown up in the spring,” Porco explains, “but problems began in October and November. After a long, hot and very dry summer with ongoing forest fire threats, the Interior experienced a warm fall. With little warning the temperatures dove from around 14C to -12C, almost overnight. The grass,” says Porco, “didn’t have a chance to prepare for winter by strengthening cell walls and building up stores of carbohydrates.”
Without adequate frost to prepare for winter before the temperatures dropped, the grass, already stressed from the dryness and heat of summer, was left with no defences. The Kamloops area received large snowfalls followed by warming and then freezing cycles in January and February. This saturated the grass and then essentially suffocated it below a six inch layer of solid ice. Under these conditions, the stage was set for winterkill.
Although the course lost an estimated $340,000 in revenue from the May shutdown and a decrease in visitors as a result of lingering rumours about poor course conditions, the decision to close was necessary if the greens were to recover. Smith and his crews needed a lot of hard work and patience as they re-seeded and waited for the soil temperatures to warm up. Their efforts were rewarded when the greens began to come back to their former splendour. “It took longer than we expected because of the cool spring temperatures,” Smith admits, “but the greens came in like new. They caught well and filled in very quickly. By mid June they were about 95%. By July,” he explains, “we were pretty happy with them and now I can honestly say the grass has never been healthier.”
It wasn’t just the ground crew that were working hard, however. “We did an extensive communications campaign to our customers,” Porco recalls. “We were fielding calls on a daily basis and sending out updates, including before and after photos, to people and groups who had booked with us. We wanted them to know exactly what the conditions were and what we were doing about it. I think our golfers were impressed with that effort, and they were impressed with the quality of the greens when they arrived.”
Even though winter is not yet over the snow is gone and the greens already look promising. Porco & Smith feel that the worst weather is behind us and look forward to an opening with lush greens by mid-March. “Except for 2004 we’ve had some of the best greens in the province for the past eight years, and we hope to be on top again in 2005” Says Porco.
The Dunes already has a number of large events booked for 2005, including the annual Recchi Doan Charity Classic, hosted by local NHL favourites Mark Recchi and Shane Doan.
Since the day the course opened, staff and management at The Dunes have taken pride in conditioning the course to be tournament ready every day. In the spring of 2004 they proved that while they can’t control the weather, they will do whatever it takes to keep the greens at The Dunes among the best in the country.
The Dunes, located on the shores of the North Thompson River in Kamloops, achieved a Platinum Award ranking by Canada’s Golf Ranking Magazine in 1998 and was named runner up for the Best New Canadian Course by Golf Digest Magazine in 1997. Designed by renowned Canadian Golf Course Architect Graham Cooke, the 7,131 yard par 72 course has been a favourite among golfers from across Canada and the United States.
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