Another month is over and cool weather continues to be the norm.  Soil temperatures are still in the low 50's and the turf shows it.  Greens aerification takes place next week so we are hoping for temperatures to rebound and enhance recovery.  New sod is knitting in fine but seeded areas are struggling.  We have pushed back installation of summer annuals because the tulips have been so late and long blooming.  Additionally our grower is having a difficult time getting annuals to market size because of the cool cloudy weather.

 

The bentgrass is just beginning to grow.  This is an area infected by pink snow mold that has almost fully recovered.  Bent prefers warmer temperatures.

 

 

The mowing height for our fairways is now set at 1/2".  Here Richard mows the 14th fairway.

 

 

This ball sits up nicely at this height.

 

 

We have begun applications of Cutless growth regulator for suppression of annual bluegrass in our fairways.  The annual bluegrass is in flower at this time and at its worse!

 

 

Seed suppression of annual bluegrass was quite successful as illustrated by these photos.  The whitish area is untreated.

 

Another photo of a "check plot."

 

 

We solid tined aerified all the greens on Monday.  This type of aerification is not disruptive to play.  Core aerification begins on May 5th and is quite disruptive to the putting surface but necessary.

 

 

This fellow is enjoying the sun by the bridge on hole five.

 

 

Our tulips were spectacular this spring.

 

 

Did Billy Graham pay us a visit?

The cool start to spring has allowed our crew some time to play catch up but that may soon be ending.  The turf has begun to grow and it is only a matter of time before most of our energy will be geared towards mowing.  We have opened the fifth tee and expect the third hole to follow in about three weeks.  Hopefully carts will be allowed on the course before too long and everything will be back to normal.

 

We recently completed deep tine aeration of all the greens and tees.  This will help promote better rooting as well as breaking up the heavy subsoil.  We did this a month earlier last year.

 

 

We did some final sod work throughout the course.  This is a large repair on the fifth hole.

 

 

The rough continues to fill in.  The cool spring has slowed down germination of much of our spring seeding.

 

 

An application of pasteurized chicken manure will help!

 

 

The course received 2.5 inches of rain last week and was very playable the next day.  I think we can all agree the drainage work throughout the course has been a huge success.

 

 

New yardage plaques are to be installed in all the fairways.  This requires building a frame and placing them is a bed of concrete before moving to the fairway.

 

 

Teamwork!

 

 

This browning is from our annual bluegrass seed head chemical application.  The turf will gradually grow out of it. 

 

 

After some trepidation the bermudagrass on the driving range tee is beginning to grow.  We will open it some time in May.

 

 

Five tee is open!  What a difference.

 

 

Three fairway is almost ready.  It should open in about three weeks.

 

 

The tulip display this spring has been amazing.  Enjoy!

 

What a marvelous time of year.  The golf course is really beginning to flourish.  We have plenty on our plate and continue to play catch up.  We have seeded weak rough areas and are just now seeing some germination.  Finally!  We are also installing more sod in some critical areas before hot weather arrives.

 

Our application for annual bluegrass seed head prevention looks good so far.  This shows some seed heads on one of the greens but they are few and far between.

 

 

If you have played the course these patches may have been observed on several of the fairways.  This disease is called pink snow mold.  Cool wet weather is necessary to get it going.  Fungicides were applied last fall and again this spring once it was observed.  The bent will grow out of it.

 

 

We have added a step cut around the collars of the greens.  This should help all of our scores!

 

 

The fresh smell of pasteurized organic chicken manure will soon be in the air.  Here a truck fills our silo with 24 tons. 

 

We rented a tree root pruner and have just completed this operation.  Tree roots steal water and nutrients from turf.

 

 

A close up of the blades.

 

 

Sod has been flying.  Here the gold tee on 14 is repaired.

 

 

A low area at the front of the fairway bunkers on hole 15 after a nice rain.  No more standing water!

 

 

This is a nice sign.  Cutting rough for the first time.

 

 

Spring has sprung!

 

   

We hope you have been on our renovated golf course. It sure looks pretty but boy is it wet.  We received over two inches of rain over the weekend and it is difficult getting a whole lot done.  After a tough winter we are in catch up mode so bear with us as we slog along.  Let's hope we have some drier weather in the days to come for golf and work.

 

The turf is starting to grow in the fairways.  Ah, the smell of fresh cut grass.

 

 

Doug our detail specialist extraordinaire edging sprinklers at the chipping green.

 

 

Julio cutting back clematis vines at the first tee.

 

 

We are sodding weak areas throughout the course.  Here Rony and Juan remove the old turf near the first green.

 

 

Eighteen pallets of sod to lay.

 

 

More sod work.

 

 

This was Monday morning after the heavy rain.  All the bunkers that we rebuilt drained perfectly and were ready for play.

 

 

We took plugs from the driving range tee and made miniature greenhouses to check the health of the bermudagrass...

 

 

After two weeks the turf is coming back to life!

 

 

Soil temperatures are still cold.  This is from the twelfth fairway.  We need soil temperatures to get above fifty degrees to get the turf moving.

 

 

Greens were sprayed on Tuesday to prevent annual bluegrass seed head formation.  Proper timing is absolutely critical with this application. 

 

 

Bluebirds have begun their spring nesting.