COURSE UPDATE - June 5, 2014

It’s hard to believe that we are already a week into June!  Other than a few hiccups, the weather this spring has been nothing short of stellar.  We are very pleased with our turf health programs throughout the course and now that we are at full staffing levels we are able to focus on the finer details such as tree pruning, pond maintenance, weed control and hand-watering.  The long range forecast for this summer is calling for rather warm and exceptionally dry conditions.  We are confident that our maintenance programs will continually deliver playing conditions that exceed your expectations. 

The usual spring growth surge in the rough has finally begun to subside so you can expect to see less and less “clumping” from the rough mowing equipment.  We have been doing our best to minimize the impact on playability from the clumping with the use of blowers, but it is to be expected that there will still be areas that are quite messy this time of year.  As the growth rates continue to slow down, there will be less and less clumping.

We have been busy completing some tree pruning tasks on the course lately and the response from the golfers has been extremely positive.  The biggest impact from our pruning efforts so far can be seen at #12 green complex as illustrated below in the “before & after” photo: 

Crown-raising the cedars at the back of the 12^th green has not only provided aesthetic and playability improvements, it has also greatly benefited the turf at the back of the green.  We have already observed much healthier turf conditions due to the improved air movement and reduced shade.  Additional root pruning along the back edge of the green will also result in improved turf quality.  We have also completed some tree pruning at #6 and #11 green complexes and will continue throughout the course as time allows.  In addition, you can expect to see more dead, dying and/or dangerous trees being removed throughout the summer months.  The resulting stumps will also be removed as time allows.

Some lucky Turf Care team members have been spending time in some of the ponds throughout the course removing cattails that are affecting sightlines into some of the greens (i.e. - #5, 6, 12, 13 and 15).  The cattails and other aquatic plants provide some great benefits to our ponds by routinely filtering the water and helping to reduce algae.  However, sometimes they become too tall and selective removal is necessary.  Here is a “Before & After” photo of the removals at #15 green:

We will begin prepping the grass hitting area at the practice range on our scheduled Maintenance Morning next Monday, June 9^th.  This will include a solid-tine aeration, heavy overseeding and granular fertilizer application.  We anticipate the hitting area to be ready for use on Tuesday, June 24^th.  This is about 4 weeks behind our usual target date for opening it, but we hope that the later opening date will allow us to provide the grass hitting area throughout the duration of the summer.  There will also be more times designated for “mats only” this season to preserve the turf and promote sustainability, instead of just allowing it to be badly beat up for 5 weeks and then being forced to close it for the season.

Please understand that our grass hitting area is substantially undersized and we do not have sufficient space at this time to expand it.  An adequately sized hitting area allows for about an acre of actual hitting zone for divots to heal properly so the turf can be routinely cycled through time and time again.  At approximately 8500 ft², ours only provides about 20% of an acre, which simply does not allow for enough recovery time for the hitting zones to be ready for use again.  That being said, we politely ask that you please use it for warm up purposes only and not for hitting bucket after bucket of range balls.  You can also help us to provide the best possible grass hitting area by following the “Preferred Divot Pattern” seen below:

 

In addition, we will also be prepping a small grass hitting area tucked away near the practice bunker for the Golf Shop professional staff to conduct private lessons from.  This hitting zone will be quite small and for limited use so we ask that you please reserve this designated turf for the Golf Shop personnel only.

The turf covers in the landing zone of the practice range will likely be removed at the end of next week.  These covers have proven to be a great investment as they have provided ideal conditions underneath them to establish new turf with the use of aeration cores and some additional ryegrass seed.  The additional warmth generated by using the covers has resulted in rapid establishment and excellent rooting for the new turf underneath them.  These turf covers will be stored and used for some other turf establishment projects as well as to cover and protect some of our greens that do not react well to prolonged stretches of below freezing weather that we occasionally experience in the winter months (i.e. - #12 and #15 greens).   

Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to reiterate the importance of having our scheduled Maintenance Mornings.  This past Monday we were able to topdress, vent (solid-tine aerate), cocoa mat, fertilize and water the greens all ahead of the first scheduled tee time.  

Without the Maintenance Morning we would not have been able to complete this all in one day ahead of play.  The cultural practices that we are able to schedule and complete on these mornings are crucial for the overall turf health and in providing you and your guests with optimal playing conditions.

See you on the course!