Spring Breeze

The strong southwest jet stream has pushed temperatures upward and literally blew open buds on trees and shrubs in the last week.  Everything is transitioning very quickly. I hope we don't get a hard freeze.....

Greens are starting to fill-in with the density and color of the sod improving daily. Right now, we are mowing the greens three times a week and rolling one to two times a week.  The ball is rolling fairly true with speeds ranging in the high nines to low tens. I plan to keep two holes in the green until the week of March 28th.

 Seasonal employees are starting to trickle back with each passing week. By April 4th, the maintenance team should be reaching near full capacity.  The conditioning of the greens will become more consistent as the staff numbers increase over the next two weeks.  In the last week, the crew has been adding sand to a bunker in the left rough of #2, changing out poor performing sprinkler heads on hole #1, cutting native grasses, making sod repairs along cart path edges on the front nine and  repairing the deteriorating rock wall around a storm drainage pipe in the left rough of #1. The staff harvested rock and placed them along a storm runoff ditch along the left side of #10 fairway in an effort to slow down the rain water and keep tree litter off the fairway.

 Erosion repair along drain head wall- #1 left rough

 Backfilling with soil and tree root pruning in preparation of sodding.

Sod repair complete

Renovation work in progress at maintenance shop

Over the next 10 days, we need to apply pre-emerge herbicides and fertilizers on the roughs, tees and fairway edges.  The presence of poa annua in the zoysia aprons around greens will warrant a herbicide spray application on Monday, March 28th. In order to accomplish this treatment safely around the greens, I need the wind to be slight to nothing and I need to eliminate golfer traffic. So, based on the weekend weather forecast for Monday, I may close the course to play and keep the range open if the weather cooperates.

The erratic weather fronts of March have been favorable to the golf course. At this point, I would say the course is ahead of schedule and as usual we are behind in our efforts to make restorations throughout the golf course. The things to do list never ends..........our efforts just get redirected with each weather event.

Erratic weather patterns are the norm for this time of year. Currently, the course is thawed out but still very wet from last Sunday night’s rain storm. Golf carts will need to stay on the path until we experience a couple of windy sun filled days. When golf carts are allowed off the path, carts should be driven in the rough only for the next two months.

Maintenance activity continues to focus on improving the growing environment around green complexes. Locating drain lines for the front nine greens, providing access points to the green’s drainage system, installing electrical service to greens #2,3,11 and 15 for future fans, trimming surrounding tree lines and analyzing sprinkler performance and coverage have the highest priorities after the staff  grooms the course for daily play. Bunker repairs are the next priority and the variable weather scenarios may allow for restorative work to be done to a couple of bunkers.

Work in Progress

·        Tree trimming and under story thinning work at #1 green, left of the cart path.

·        Changing out nozzles in greenside sprinklers to improve coverage and performance.

·        Installing new drive mechanisms in greenside sprinklers.

·        Posts have been placed between #1 and #9  and behind #9 green to identify future tree locations.

·        On March 28^th, the greens will be verticutt, dethatched and topdressed with topdressing sand.

·        On April 11^th, the greens will be aerified and heavily topdressed.  The greens will take at least seven days to return to a reasonable putting surface.

In three weeks, Spring will officially arrive and warmer temperatures will become the norm as  day length continues to increase a few minutes  with each passing day. The golf course looks to be in good shape as it wakes up from a hard winter. Some thin areas in the roughs  will still need some recovery time but soon enough the rough will be growing like a weed and catch every errant shot. A new golf season is just around the corner………..

 #6 fairway bunker wash out, contaminated sand shortens life of bunker

 Cleaning out the muck

Exposed gravel contaminates sand

 4 Future tree locations between #1 and 9