Update!

It's been a couple of busy weeks on the course, so I have a couple of things to update.


Slowly but surely.
  

Last week we aerified all the greens. I have good news and bad news. The good news is, virtually all the holes are full of sand. The bad news is, a week after they still look like we just punched them. The healing process is really slow. A combination of cool night time temps and a seedhead growth retardant has really slowed down growth.  An additional fertilizer application will hopefully wake them up and get them growing.

 

 

We've started testing the irrigation system after it's been shutdown all winter. The system is getting some age to it and needs quite a bit more maintenance to keep it running efficiently. If you come upon sprinklers that are on, please be patient, we are trying to fix a problem and the water will go off shortly.

 

 

 

 

 

The range is finally starting to show some signs of life. With the cold nights and morning frosts, it's taken a bit longer to emerge than I hoped. As I've been saying all along, once the temperatures warm, the grass will grow and we will open the tee for use. Just be patient, it's coming, it's just taking it's sweet time.

 



 

 

 

Am I seeing spots?

 

The quick answer to the title of this post, yes. Today we painted these red dots around all the greens. The reason for these dots are for a visual aid while mowing. Over time, the width of the collars can get inconsistent. The dots let who's mowing greens know that they are keeping the proper width. Over time the paint will go away.

 

 

 

The dots also served another purpose on the new greens expansions. Today we were able to get a dry mowing of the new greens sod. Since all the sod was the same, the paint allows us to differentiate what will be collar or approach and what will be putting surface. The picture above is from #8. In the picture, going from right to left, you can see the existing green, then the new expansion, next the new collar and fairway approach. While the green expansion is not all the way down to the same height of the old green, we are working that way.

Just as a reminder, we are aerifying  next Monday and Tuesday, April 14 and 15. We are using the smaller tines like in the past. With any luck and cooperation from Mother Nature, we should be healed in 10 to 14 days.

#1 tee.

On Monday morning the course maintenance staff removed the black walnut tree from the tee complex on the first hole. The decision to remove this tree, and any other, is not something that is taken lightly. Before a decision to remove a tree is reached, it is discussed with the greens committee and a consultant, either the USGA or in this case the course architect.

There are several factors that go into the decision making process. While the tree was not a safety hazard and was in good health, it had a major impact on playability of the golf hole and on turfgrass quality. As evident from the picture above, players were forced to get the ball up in the air quickly in order to carry over the tree. Also, when it is fully leafed out, the landing area is blocked from players view. The turf quality was impacted both directly and indirectly. The grass beneath tree in the drip line was thin and it also caused shade issues on the two lower tees. The placement of the tree forced most players to use the left most portion of the teeing ground. This was in an effort to avoid the tree, thus reducing the usable area of the tee. With it being removed, it will allow players to use the right side of the tee without fear of hitting tree.

 For more information on tree work click ( here ) for an article from the USGA.