Winter Morning

I am sitting at my desk in the Longwood clubhouse basement. No one else is at the club so it is very quiet except for the clubhouse sounds. There are creeks and noises that no one can explain, kind of like being in the movie the "Shining"

There is a lot going on in the grounds department besides listening to the clubhouse grumble.

Hiring for 2010 is complete, with a well rounded crew set to start in March.

Lots of continuing education happening in the next two months.

2010 capital projects are being planned.

As you can see in the picture from this morning, it is cold and gray outside but delivery of the clay court topdressing is only 2 1/2 months away!

Poa anuua

We write a lot about the type of grass we have at Longwood - Poa annua.

Click on the title above to read a fun article by Dr. Huff of Penn. State. about Poa down under.

Paul Noonan and the 2009 World Series

Paul is the tennis host at Longwood. He spends a lot of time welcoming players and assigning courts. With over 1000 members, this is not an easy job.
Paul is also a big sports fan and sometimes we can get him away from his duties to do a little sports commentary for us. Here is his pre World Series interview. Note: the Yankees won the World Series in six games.

Winter is Here

Winter is here at Longwood. The coyote decoys are working well - no sign of geese!

Some Pictures From 2009

The LCC Grounds Crew (and special guest, Kevin Dodge) took a trip for lunch on the final day of the 2009 season. We got on the T Green line and went to Arlington Street station. From there we walked over to Cheers and met our host, Tom Babson. Tom helped out Tenacity with their gala at Longwood and was a member of the Cheers cast. Good food and a fun time!

Fall Aeration

Yesterday the grass courts were "deep tine aerated" The machine inserts a 3/4" diameter solid tine, 10 inches deep. The machine also kicks the tine behind it so the the machine is producing a hole and fracturing the soil beneath. This produces space for deeper roots and better drainage.

Charlie!

Charlie going into a catch basin to check an incoming pipe. The drainage/catch basin system at Longwood is over 100 years old. Throughout the year it is maintained so that the system still functions like it did in 1909 - really well.

Charlie On Sodding

Office Reorganization

After a week of cleaning, prep and painting the grounds tool/work room and office have a new look and are ready for 2010.


Steve is amazed at the office paint job!

2009 Movie First Try - resolution & music need work!

Nice sunrise and new court clean up

Tent Floor

The floor of the tent was made of 4X8 plastic pieces from Duradeck. The Duradeck has a honey comb bottom and the plan was to put it directly on the clay. With rain predicted the night of the event plans changed. Stringers or boards were placed under the whole area to raise the floor 2 inches. This way the rain water could run underneath the floor and not rise up into the tent during the event. There was a concern that with all the weight the stringers would sink into the clay - but the clay held up well, with little damage.

Tenacity Take Down

The Tenacity event take down. The toughest part from a grounds management perspective - removal of the flooring and tent.

Cricket Prep

Nets and fences came down today on the pool and porch rows in preparation for Sunday's cricket match.

Tenacity Event

Final clean up- Charlie scrapes up dirt.

Let the party begin...

Tenacity Progress

Much of the work for the Tenacity event is being done at night so that there is minimal member disruption. Work continued into Saturday night with Sunday an off day. The tents and flooring are complete. Next lighting and Audio/Visual.

Thursday's Tenacity Progress

The guys worked all day to put up the tent's beams and covers. They also began to install the flooring on the courts. Not bad for a 16 hour work day!

Wednesday Morning Video

Last night beams for the tent were laid out. Work has been suspended due to rain.

Tenacity Event

Tenacity is holding their tenth anniversary dinner/celebration at Longwood on October 15, 2009. 850 people will be visiting the club for this event. I will attempt to document the events progress on this blog. The six new clay courts will be the place for the dinner. Tent assembly for the dinner and catering began yesterday. The grounds department removed the center fence between the two rows of courts, irrigation heads, nets posts and electric boxes. Beams for the huge tent were delivered to the property and a generator was set up for construction. Electricity was also set up for temporary event bathrooms.

Click on the title "Tenacity Event" above for more information on Tenacity

Sunrise Earth: Longwood Cricket Club

Clay Courts and Rain

After rain (we had 3/4 of an inch late last night) we open the clay courts fairly quickly. The drying process is sped up by using towels to sop up puddles. Lots of brushing increases surface area for drying and any dents or scrapes in the courts are patched.

Verticutting and Aerating

A film by Andrew Walsh.

Verticutting first, then going right over the dethatched area with the aerator. We then blow the plugs into piles and pick up. All the plugs are composted and reused several years later as topdressing. Longwood has been doing this for years so it's soil usage has been self sustaining for decades.

Finis

Checking Up

Director of Tennis, Larry Wolf - making sure Tim is keeping the lines straight!

Interview with Tim on Mowing Nets and Fences

New Shrubs

In 2008, the red maple tree in front of the garage died from a root fungus. It would be great if we could replace it with another maple, but unfortunately the fungus is probably still there and would infect the new tree. So we opted for something different. A small dogwood and two mountain laurels now fill the space. They have interesting leaves and their flowers will add some color to the area in the spring.

Clay Courts

Construction pictures - clay courts 2005-2006

Charlie Rolling the Grass!

85 and 90 Grass Court National Championship

Pictures of mowing for the tournament and some of the action.

Thatch

Firm courts and good ball bounce. That is our goal and one of the ways we achieve this is by removing thatch.Thatch is dead organic matter such as old roots and shoots that create a spongy mat between the surface and the soil. The thatch does not compress and acts as a cushion. It is vital for a well playing lawn tennis court to have minimal thatch.Beneficial microbes in the soil break down much of the organic matter, but they need help. In these pictures we are assisting by mechanically removing thatch.The machine we use to do this is new to Longwood and is manufactured in Austrailia by Graden. The little machine is very efficient - as you can see it pulls out a lot of material and six courts were dethatched in 2 1/2 hours. It has vertical blades that cut grooves in the turf and pull up dead organic material. Following this process the grass is topdressed with soil.

Topdressed courts