April 2017 Meetings - Grounds & Board

April has been a highly productive month for us, both in our meetings and around the Canal Shores grounds.

The April Grounds Committee meeting focused on two main topics:

1. A report from our Superintendent Tony Frandria on the course infrastructure issues that need to be addressed, specifically drainage, irrigation, agronomy, and equipment.  Tony shared with us his initial impressions, as well as his belief that the optimal path to solving our problems is through a renovation, rather than incremental improvements over time. 
2. Tony's report segued into a discussion about possible approaches to the renovation and the pros and cons of each.  Many questions were raised and will need to be addressed in the planning process, but the majority opinion in our Committee is that renovation is the only viable path to long term sustainability for the facility. 

We also got great news from Tony that he worked with the rep from John Deere to get us a proposal for the lease of a new rough mower and a new sprayer, within our budget.  These are pieces of equipment that we have greatly needed to improve the playability of the course.  Tony's equipment proposal was approved at the Board Meeting.

As always, we welcome guests to attend our meetings to participate and stay informed.  Click here to read the meeting minutes prepared by Steve Neumann.

From a Greens & Grounds perspective, several important topics were covered at the April Board meeting:

• In addition to the new equipment lease, Tony updated the Board on both his overall equipment plan and the assembly of his new team.  Tony has hired John Lee as his Assistant Superintendent, and several solid team members.  We are now in great shape to be able to provide quality conditions for our players going into the season.  Click to here read the Superintendent's report.
• We were joined by Lisa Quinn, the Executive Director of The First Tee of Greater Chicago.  Lisa shared an overview of the great work that her organization is doing for youth golfers in Chicagoland, and also expressed her desire to partner with Canal Shores.  Click to view Lisa's powerpoint. 
• A resolution to go forward into a formal planning process for a renovation was discussed, and passed.  Although this is just an initial step, it is a very important step in committing to pursuing a brighter future for this course that we love.  Click here to view the Board Resolution that was passed. 

Outside of the April meetings, we also held several volunteer sessions.  Stay tuned for upcoming posts on the continuous improvement efforts of our army of volunteers.  For future volunteer dates, check in regularly on our Volunteer Page.