We tried another crack at fairway aeration and ran into more rain.  Only two fairways were completed before rain interrupted our work.  We will be back at it on Wednesday to complete.  We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused to your golf game.  This may be the most difficult core aeration I've encountered. 
 

 

Tuesday morning aerating the 2nd hole.  We aerated the driest fairways first.  The cores must dry before they can be drug and then collected.  This process begins almost two hours after the fairway is aerated.

 

 

Dragging the course in with harrows.  This is done twice.

 

 

Collecting the remaining cores and thatch.

 

 

This is not as neat as we would like.  The fairway will need to be drug again and then blown for final cleanup.  Unfortunately only two fairways were completed before it got too wet.  We have nine fairways that are covered with aeration cores that must wait for drier conditions before completing.  There are six holes remaining to be aerated.

 

 

The rain is helping wash the sand into the profile.  All greens were sprayed with a liquid fertilizer to enhance recovery today.

 

 

The tees were sprayed as well with a little light irrigation added to knock the insecticide off the leaf blades.

 

 

Check out our two trimmer specialists!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A rainy Friday but just what the course needs after aeration to wash the sand into the profile.  Weather permitting we will aerify the fairways on Monday.  The course will be closed for the day while we perform this important cultural practice.  In case it is too wet aeration will occur on Tuesday.

 

Back pack blowers in mass working the sand into the holes on Tuesday.

 

 

A convoy of carts-one for every man as required during the virus.

 

 

Rolling the putting surface following the blowers.

 

 

Brushing the surface after seeding.

 

 

Friday morning.  The greens will be fertilized on Monday to encourage healing.

 

 

What do we do on a rainy day?  Edge sprinklers in the fairways.

 

 

The guys also completed raising the low areas in the Audubon garden before the rain followed by mulch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We received a break from the weatherman and were able to core aerate all the greens on Monday.  Perfect conditions allowed this work to be done as efficiently as possible.  Lucky us!

 

Francisco aerated twenty greens.  That's a lot of walking!

 

 

After the green is aerated the crew blows the plugs to the perimeter of the green and then picks them up.  This is time consuming and labor intensive.

 

 

Reggie and Ian joined the party.

 

 

Jon Seward helping Luis on the 13th green.  All hands on deck!

 

 

This is what the putting surface looks like when they are done.

 

 

Once the green is clean sterilized sand is added.

 

 

After the green is sanded Josh brushes it into the holes.

 

 

After brushing the green looks like this.  The crew will come back with blowers and force more sand into the holes.  I'll have pictures of that tomorrow.

 

 

Last week we sliced all the fairways.  This is done to reduce lateral growth and promote more stolons.  Stolons are above ground stems.  The end product will be a denser turf.

 

 

We are behind in our bed work but where Julio and company have been is stunning.

 

 

Bluebird eggs in one of our houses.

 

 

Sweet William beginning to bloom in the wildflower bed on hole three.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Heavy rains ruined our aeration party this week.  Nearly 3 inches fell and made more work for us.  We have rescheduled fairway aeration for Monday April 27th and 28th if necessary.  Greens aeration is scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday.

 

This was the rain gage before our lunch time storm.  We tried to give it a shot but just too much rain.

 

 

Four lake is a little over its banks.

 

 

More work for a undermanned crew.  Not good.

 

 

These guys are good!

 

 

Areas in our pollinating garden that need to be raised.  Almost done.

 

 

Fairways are beginning to grow.  Aeration will help them immensely.

 

 

Putting surfaces are starting to shine.

 

 

What a difference weeding and fresh mulch make.  We are so far behind!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a quick update on Saturday morning.  We completed all tee and collar aeration this week.  On Monday we are scheduled to aerate all fairways.  Rain is in the forecast so this work will most likely move to Tuesday if conditions permit.  The course will be closed for the day to allow work to be performed efficiently.  Happy Easter.

 

We are all helping out during the COVID-19 outbreak.  Look who is changing hole locations and rolling greens!  Josh is helping us on Wednesday mornings and Ian on Mondays.

 

 

There are a lot broken tees left on the tees right now.  Please pick up your broken tees and deposit them in the trash receptacles.

 

 

We don't need any extra work right now.  Half of a pine tree came down on Thursday afternoon in the high winds.

 

 

Friday morning the guys about knocked it out. 

 

 

We are way behind in our bed work but are making progress.  Here we have raised some more of this bed before mulching.

 

 

No Gill can't walk on water.  The pond on 11 is so shallow it appears she can though.

 

 

Thursday morning!

 

 

 

 

 

Two great days of work on the course.  Perfect conditions allowed us to aerate all the collars on Monday.  On Tuesday all the tees with the exception of holes 3,4, and 5 were aerated, cores drug back into the surface, cleaned and topdressed.  Expanded collars were todressed as well.  Only a late day storm kept us from finishing.  This work will be completed on Thursday.
Annual bluegrass weevils have begun their migration from the rough to the short grass.  They are most active on warm days and we will be monitoring to determine the best time to apply an insecticide. 

 

Sunrise aeration special!

 

 

The course has some of the best roots we have seen in a while.

 

 

After aeration the cores are drug back into the surface.  This separates the thatch from the sand.  After dragging the thatch is then blown into the rough where it is then picked up.

 

 

The only thing left is a nice coating of fresh sand.  This went so well we didn't need to brush it in.

 

 

A closer look.  A nice rain helped work the sand back into the profile.

 

 

Expanded collar aeration after picking up the cores.

 

 

Topdressing expanded collars. 

 

 

Soil temperatures are rising. 

 

 

The turf is starting to jump.

 

 

The wildflower beds were aerated, seeded and drug on Monday.  The rain that followed was perfect!

 

 

Using a bunker rake to work the seed into the soil.

 

 

Waitea Patch has been prevalent this spring.  Fungicides have been applied and the turf will gradually grow out of the infected areas.

 

 

This is damage to the practice green from a player standing in the same spot repeatedly.  Please don't do this!!!

 

 

One of the best tulip displays we have had.

 

 

Club entrance bed.

 

 

18 green bed.

 

 

SGCC bed.  Enjoy them because they will be gone soon.