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Post Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2019

GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT'S SPRING 2019 COURSE UPDATE Hello to all and welcome to spring! I just wanted to give a quick update on course conditions and where we are heading and where we have come from. First, I hope everyone is enjoying these nice temperatures and weather that we have had over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, we all know that these prime temps won’t last and we will be into hot weather before long. As for the golf course: Aerification went well this spring with a modified version of it taking place. No doubt, everyone is aware how quick the greens healed up this spring. This was done because of several factors. One being the weather we had endured. Two because of labor and three was time. This fall, we will revert back to pulling a core so that turf health does not decline. You will notice more topdressing this summer along with needle tine holes to keep the greens vented during the hot months. Pre-emerge has been applied to the entire golf course along with fertilizer in hopes of controlling weeds. Many of you have probably noticed that poa annua (annual bluegrass) has emerged in places. We will be trying to control what we can of that but the main focus will be on the putting surface. Seed head suppression is about all we can do at this time. We have gained a wet weather spring on #9. As many of you have noticed, it is extremely wet on the lower right side. My plan is to add some drain lines to move some of that top water away from the area and over to the creek in hopes of drying the area. Look for that to start in the coming weeks. Mowing heights have been established for the fairways. The height of cut will remain at .600 for the foreseeable future do in large part to the amount of rain we have had this year so far. We still have a shallow root system and fairways will be apt to burn up with lower mowing heights. Green heights are at .140 and will be going down to .135 soon. This along with topdressing will produce a faster smoother surface. Rainfall totals for the year so far is 32.29 inches. That is what we have collected at the shop since January 2019. Hopefully we won’t encounter another summer like last year with the rainfall we had. The driving range tee has been reseeded. The maintenance staff labor force has taken a hit this year. Many have probably noticed that we did not get any migrant workers due to the H2B visa cut backs. We are still looking for laborers to fill the vacant spots. However, the staff that is here is putting in a valiant effort to ensure the course is in the best playable shape it can be. Believe me, I do see everything that needs to be done and where we are lacking. Be assured, we are trying to get everything to a maintainable level by prioritizing job tasks for the golf course. Thank you to all for adhering to the no cart/ cart <> signs. This is just to ensure that we don’t wear out the turf in areas especially close to the greens. Please be mindful of any signage and or roped areas.