Course in Transition

Several frosty mornings over the last three weeks have forced the zoysia into dormancy creating a nice contrast with the bluegrass roughs on the golf course. Windy days with mild temperatures have encouraged golf activity to continue at a steady pace as the golf course prepares for winter.

The course endured the heat wave of the summer very well. A six inch rain on August 29th raised Shadow Lake to within two feet of full capacity.  Since the August rain, three small storms provided nice slow soaking rains that caused minimal bunker erosion.  Currently, we are still about fourteen inches below our average annual rainfall throughout Kansas City.

The crew has been busy prepping the course for each day's play and making small improvements at every opportunity.  Several bermuda contaminated areas in the roughs on holes #2, 6, 10 and 11 were killed in July and August and seeded in early September.   The new grass establishment has gone well and the areas have been returned to play.  Bermuda grass growing into several bentgrass collars required some plugging of bentgrass from the range nursery to remove the undesired grass. 

Bermuda grass dying  after second herbicide application on #10 left rough.

Newly seeded grass on a bermuda kill area along left rough of #10.

Digging bermuda out of collar #2 green

New clean bentgrass planted back in bermuda contaminated collar on #2 green.

Greenside bunkers on #18 and #17 have renovated with a new liner material and new sand. A fairway bunker on #14 and two on the left side of #17 fairway have been renovated with new liner material and quality sand salvaged from the greenside bunkers on #17 and 18. The main bunker at #16 green is being renovated right now with plans to restore #14 greenside and #12 greenside bunkers before year's end.

Left bunker at #18green refurbished with new liner and sand.

#17 greenside bunker with new liner installed



#17 green probing depth of new sand addition

This week is the last week for our seasonal staff. The crew size will drop from 15 to 7 by the weekend. So, the remaining full-time staff will have our workload increased significantly as the mild weather continues through November. Our numbers may have dropped but our expectations to improve the course have not dwindled.  We will keep marching on....