Course Update 9/15/10

Course Expectations:

·         Opening day on Tuesday was dampened by the early morning rainstorm.

·         Carts were forced to stay on paths as water drained across the course.

·         The roughs and bunkers were not prepared as desired.

·         Presentation of the golf course did not meet all members’ expectations or the maintenance staffs’.

Focusing Forward:

·         Basically, we have two sets of greens on the golf course. On holes 3,5,6,7,9,11,12,13,17, & 18, little sod is present and the mowing height is at .135 of an inch. On holes #1,2,4,8,10,14,15 & 16, the sodded areas are being mowed at .165 of an inch. To eliminate scalping of the grass  by the mowers,  lowering of the mowing height will be a slow gradual process. The goal is to get all the greens down to .120” by the end of September, sooner if possible.

·         Lightly topdressing the sod on the greens will need to happen weekly. This effort will be a challenge since the next six Mondays are taken with Corporate Outings.  I will try to topdress a couple of greens a day throughout the week  as  the event calendar allows.

·         The roughs are thin or void of turf in many areas.  We are seeding roughs at every opportunity, weather permitting.  If the roughs are full by Thanksgiving, I would consider the seeding effort a success.  Like everything else, the time to seed is now!  We need to be completely seeded by the end of September. So, roughs will be very inconsistent for the remainder of the fall.

·         Bunkers are a hazard.  If we have a rain event that washes out the bunkers, we will focus on restoring  greenside bunkers first and then repair the fairway bunkers. If it is raining at the start of the day, we may not put any effort in the bunkers until they dry out a little.  

·         The maintenance focus will be prioritized as follows: Greens, Practice Range, Tees, Fairways, Bunkers and Roughs.

·         As the days get shorter, the course will stay wet for longer periods of time which may limit maintenance efforts to different parts of the golf course.

·         I would like to think that the acclaim and recognition that Shadow Glen has received in the last five to eight years was due in part to the focused efforts of the maintenance crew. We are a proud bunch with a relentless spirit. Our pride has been hurt but we have not given up.

·         Healing takes time.