Good afternoon. I wanted to provide some updates about the course conditions and some upcoming events in golf course maintenance. If you have any questions please let me know.
Course Update:
--Over the past two weeks we have been spiking the tees, approaches and fairways. We have also reapplied wetting agents to these surfaces as well. What we were seeing was that the wetting agents we had applied in the Spring had run their course and the surfaces were starting to seal off and not allow any water to penetrate. This resulted in too much water sitting on the surface in the thatch and concrete like conditions underneath. The result was poor playing conditions and stressed out turf. We are already seeing the difference these processes are making and conditions will only continue to improve.
--The new rollers are here and have already made an impact. The crew is getting used to the new units and we are starting to see smoother, faster greens as a result. A big impact from these units will also be evident in the quality of the turf around the greens. For years we have been using a triplex roller that had to turn in the fescue surrounds. The new rollers never leave the green and we will see much less wear on the green surrounds as a result.
--#9 fairway. We saw some heavy cart damage on #9 fairway on August 14th. This was the result of wetting agents running out, an irrigation shutdown on Thursday, the controller not working properly for 2 or 3 days and very hot and dry conditions. Since the damage occurred we have spiked, fertilized and watered with both sprinklers and hoses. The areas are continuing to improve and should be back to normal fairly soon. During this recovery process we will keep the carts on the paths to eliminate any additional stress on the plants.
--The practice approach is really getting some use and abuse. Please take the time to replace any divots you take to help speed recovery and keep the approach in the best condition possible. I am looking at adding some containers with the fairway divot mix as well so you will be able to topdress the divots once you have put them back in place.
Upcoming Events:
--Aerification of all surfaces is right around the corner. We will begin with the tees next week and move right on to the greens the following week on September 9th and 10th. Following greens aerification we will hit the approaches next. Aerification of the fairways is contracted out and I am still working out the dates for that. As soon as I have the dates, I will send out an update. We will also begin aerifing the roughs the first week of September. Mother nature has kicked us around the past two years with the rough aerification, so I am starting earlier this year to make sure we get this knocked out.
