Course Update 5/10/18

Greens:  Aerification holes have healed and we will start lowering the height of cut next week.  Poa annua seedheads have emerged so verticutting will also begin next week, followed by a light topdressing.  The seedheads are what cause the greens to be bumpy and slow this time of year.  Several verticutting and topdressing applications in the spring helps remove the seedheads and makes for a faster, smoother putting surface.

Tees:  Grove tees were core aerified on Monday 5/7.  Lakes tees are scheduled to be aerified on Monday 5/14, with Orchard tees immediately following.  The new tees on Lakes 6, Orchard 9, and Grove 9 are open for play and receiving fantastic reviews.  The new tees on Grove 2 & 3 require a little more time to mature and stabilize, since they were completed so late last season.  Once all the tee sod is fully established we will apply topdressing sand and aerify with 3/8" diameter solid tines to work the sand into the turf canopy and fill any remaining sod seams.

Fairways:  Core aerification was completed last Wednesday and the fairways look great.  This is the first time in many years that spring aerification was performed, but it is a necessary practice that will be done twice per year going forward.  Now that aerification is complete, we can finish the drainage projects on Orchard 5 & 6, along with addressing some other areas of poor turf quality.  Soil moisture levels have dropped to allow cart traffic, but please observe the 90 degree rule and keep carts on the path near greens and tees.

Rough:  Each day, 5 mowers and 3 blowers are trying to keep up with the usual springtime flush of growth.  We haven't fertilized yet, and the rough should start to thin out in another couple of weeks.  Broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, clover, and thistle have emerged and we started spraying herbicides this week to control them.

Bunkers:  Regular maintenance has begun which includes raking, edging, checking sand depths, and adding sand when necessary.

Stump Grinding:  A contractor has been on-site grinding stumps to the left of Grove 6 before the pond.  He then spread the piles of debris that have accumulated over the years in preparation for seeding.  He will be grinding stumps in close proximity to greens/tees/fairways first, then address the stumps along the outer edges of the property.  The ground material will be cleaned up and removed, and topsoil will fill the cavity.  Seed or sod will be used depending on location and weather conditions at the time of repair.