Club Championship went well.  The weather was perfect and the golf course presented a nice challenge.  Isn't it nice when the weather cooperates!  We continue to be a little behind in our bed maintenance but hopefully will be caught up in the next few weeks.  With the Memorial holiday we missed our Monday maintenance so this week is compacted with lots of catch up.

 

The driving range tee is back to grass now that the bermudagrass is growing.  We will play on grass Wednesday-Sunday.

 

 

The crew did some bang up work getting the course in shape for our championships. 

 

 

One area of concern is the inconsistency of our rough.  This photo shows clumpy tall fescue outgrowing the Kentucky bluegrass.  The bluegrass takes longer to get going in the spring.  Warmer temperatures and fertilization will help reduce this unevenness.

 

 

All fine turf areas are shining!

 

The wildflower garden is taking off this spring.

 

 

Our red-tail hawks have produced one chick it appears!  Here the adults keep a close eye on the nest.

 

 

Astilbes looking awesome behind three green.

 

 

 

We had our first outing of the year on Monday.  Even with a busy golf event we were able to fill divots in all the fairways, edge bunkers on eight holes and plant several beds.  May is the busiest month for us.  There does appear to be a light at the end of our tunnel though!  Memorial Day features our Club Championship so extra work will go into the greens to get them as true as possible.

 

Last week the rough was fertilized with a preemergent herbicide.  The rough is gradually filling in and has made nice progress since the beginning of the season.  Today all the fairways were fertilized. 

 

 

Annual installation on Monday.

 

 

The garden was planted last week.

 

 

Tomatoes galore for the Chef Francesco.

 

 

Finally getting the bunkers edged.

 

 

What a difference!

 

 

The cloudy, cool weather was perfect for an outbreak of Waitea Patch.  This is the sixteenth green.

 

 

One week later after a fungicide application but more importantly some nice sun and warmth and its just about gone.

 

 

Some excellent practice techniques going on. Thanks for this. 

 

 

The wildflower bed is looking awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty of rain since my last post.  Fortunately drier, warm weather is coming.  A recent article in the Washington Post discussed another rainfall record.  The last 365 days have totaled over 71 inches of rainfall breaking last years total.  So far we have received five inches the first two weeks of May.  Enough already!  The rain did help knock the sand down into the green profile after aerification and the greens are getting better every day.  Expect them to be rolling beautifully for our Club Championships.

 

The greens on Saturday and...

 

 

The greens on Tuesday.  Extensive rolling is helping true the surfaces up.

 

 

You think there has been a lot of rain?  Check out this bubble in eight fairway.

 

 

This is moments after it was lanced.

 

 

The driving range is about ready to move to grass.  This picture shows bermudagrass just beginning to form leaves in the middle of the divot from rhizomes (underground stems).  Warmer weather is necessary to enhance recovery.

 

Mondays continue to be our most productive day.  Here is clover curling from last weeks herbicide application.

 

 

Despite the rain on Monday we were able to cut up most of the downed trees near sixteen tee as well as removing tulips and mulching at the clubhouse.

 

 

Here's a nice success story.  We are using a growth regulator combined with additional fertility to suppress annual bluegrass on the practice green.  The sick looking turf is annual bluegrass with bentgrass beginning to spread into it.

 

 

All this rain is helping us find broken drain lines.

 

 

Crystal BlueLinks bent is really striping out nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Tuesday morning.  Greens aerification couldn't be going any better after a slow start on Monday.  After allowing the greens to dry we were able to aerify nine of the driest greens Monday afternoon and are wrapping up the rest this morning.  Despite the slow start the crew was able to work on mulching the new beds at the clubhouse, removing tulips, filling divots in fairways and spraying the rough for broadleaf weeds.  After Tuesday we will have treated 40 acres!  Continuing this productive work will surely show an improved golf course.

 

Monday afternoon-our first green aerated.

 

 

An hour later it looked like this!

 

 

It takes teamwork to clear the greens of cores.

 

 

Afterwards the putting surface looks like this.

 

 

Applying sterilized sand to the green till it looks like....

 

 

This!

 

 

Josh brushing in the sand.  Too much brushing is detrimental to the turf so the next step is back pack blowing to push the sand into the holes and profile.

 

 

After brushing three times the putting surface looks like this.

 

 

A closer view.

 

 

Monday morning mulch!

 

 

Pulling tulips and time for summer annuals.

 

 

Do you ever feel overwhelmed?

 

 

We certainly didn't need this.  Two trees down near 16 tee. Yikes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We received a beneficial one inch of rain on Thursday afternoon.  Unfortunately more is in the forecast that could put a damper on greens aeration scheduled for Monday.  If that happens we will go to plan B and aerify on Tuesday.  Just a reminder that the course will be closed all day to allow us to complete as much as possible.  Wish us success!

 

Seedlings between the 2nd and 17th hole beginning to fill in.  We will apply a combo fertilizer and  preemergent herbicide the week of May 13th.

 

 

Fairway plugs with fescue emerging at 8 tee with no standing water.

 

 

Bentgrass is just waking up.  Here it fills in some voids in the 1st fairway with some great lateral growth.

 

 

New sod near the 13th green.  The area in the foreground was built up to direct storm water to the swale in the back and on to the catch basin on the other side of the path.  The storm confirmed that it works.

 

 

Crepe myrtles, azaleas, and deciduous hollies were planted at the clubhouse entrance this week.  Once this is mulched it will be awesome!

 

 

It has been a terrible spring for annual bluegrass.  The light green turf is annual bluegrass or Poa annua encroaching in tall fescue/Kentucky bluegrass.  This is another "gift" from 2018.  Poa germinates in late September.  All the rain and thin turf areas allowed this to occur as it is always waiting for an opportunity to spread.  We will work diligently to reduce the population this season.

 

 

Picture of the year so far!