It is a wet day on the course.  The golf course received two inches of rain last night and Tropical Storm Andrea has not yet arrived.  Hopefully we won't get hammered today. Here are some current pictures from our week on the course.  

 

 

Bunker washing out on #8. The sand will be pushed back tomorrow.

 

 

Storm water on 4 green this morning

 

 

We solid tined aerated greens on Tuesday. Here Francisco is venting the green.

 

 

Erik is rolling the green immediately after aerating.

 

 

The completed green ready for golf.  Notice how smooth the surface is. We try and do this every two weeks during the summer.

 

 

After a poor showing in 2012 our purple martins have returned in abundance. Here is a house full of martins on the 15th hole.  They arrived in April and will remain until early August.

 

 

Our bluebird nesting boxes are also doing quite well after a late start.  Here five young are eagerly awaiting their next feeding.  They will fledge within the next ten days.

 

 

 

 

 

The golf course is having a nice week.  Here are some random pictures during the past week.

 

This is a hole plug from the first green.  Notice how the aeration holes are completely filled with sand as well as the nice white roots extending below the plug.

 

 

This is a picture from the practice green on Memorial Day.  Those brown spots are foot damage caused by standing in the same spot over and over again.  Please refrain from this type of practice.

 

 

Cold temperature damage to annuals on May 25th.  Unbelievable!

 

 

We are adding additional bentgrass to our fairway nursery to test a variety of bent for our fairway conversion this fall. Here Mark and Kiv are adding soil prior to seeding.

 

 

The seedbed is complete.  Richard watering immediately after seeding.

 

 

Our greens have bounced back from aeration quite well.  We are now concentrating on trueing up the putting surfaces so get ready as they are going to change rapidly over the course of the next few weeks.  Today we groomed and will do this again on Thursday followed by rolling.  Grooming is similar to vertical mowing except it is much less aggressive.  Grooming allows the plants to grow more upright and will provide a smoother putting surface.  On Friday we will reduce the height of cut slightly.  The fertilizer that was applied after aeration was a fast release type that should begin breaking down shortly.  The guys have been "bailing hay" of late! 

 

A grooming reel

 

 

Julio and Oscar completed this bed today.  Magnificent!

 

We recently completed aeration of all the greens.  Our staff finished this task in one day so kudos to them for getting it done so efficiently.  Unfortunately the greens must recover from this work by growing through the sand topdressing which means slow, bumpy putting surfaces.  The recent rains along with some warmer weather will enhance recovery.

 

Our crew detailing sand into the putting surface.



 Topdressing perfection.  The holes are all filled and sand is evenly spread.

Seeding the green

 

Followed by fertilization

 

Watering the green prior to opening.

 

Tulips are now available to the membership.  They may be found in the upper parking lot near the pro shop.  Allow them to dry and cut off the leaves.  Store in a paper bag in a cool, dark area and plant in November.  Leave a reminder for yourself!

The cicadas have arrived!! Saturday May 11th.



The practice areas are all open now that the grass is growing and has a chance to recover.  We have some suggestions on the best method to practice and take care of the turf. 

The following repairs apply to the chipping fairway.  This picture illustrates what not to do when practicing.  This area was played on last fall and still hasn't recovered.  Try and avoid wearing out large areas like this.  Instead take individual divots or follow a narrow line as shown below.

The turf can heal much faster taking divots this way.

Another look with aggressive lateral growth filling the divot.  This type of practice applies only to the chipping fairway.  The driving range tee can be divoted to the max as the bermudagrass is able to recover much faster because of it's extensive root system and aggressive growth habit.  Have at it!

We recently completed landscaping at the 1st tee.  These are carpet roses and they should bloom all summer and into the fall.

The Wonder of Spring

 

Spring is finally here! Things are happening fast with each passing day.  Here are some current pics of the course.

 

Tulips in mass at the club entrance





The sweet fragrance near the first tee is from these viburnums

Rose pushing new growth

Ugh! Poa annua in the practice green. Since removed




Best pansies in the area!



The wow factor!  Peony type tulips at the 18th tee.

Red tail hawk's nest on the 12th hole.

Solid tine aeration of greens.  Hollow tine aeration is scheduled beginning May 6th

 



This week on the course

New trees between #1 Tee & #18 Green

This past week featured snow and more cool weather.  Despite the weather we continued to get the course ready for the upcoming season.  Rough aerification has begun and with dry weather we expect to complete this week.  New trees were planted on holes 1, 5, 9, 10 and 17.  Any trees with red flagging will be played as mandatory ground under repair.  We also mowed fairways for the first time on Friday.



Rough aerificaiton



Poa annua seed head. (middle of picture)

Spring is the time that annual bluegrass (Poa annua) produces a seed head in its growth cycle.  The seed heads are especially troublesome on greens by causing the golf ball to roll off line.  While in a perfect world there would be no Poa annua it is an important part of the turf on most of our greens and our management is centered in keeping it alive.

We apply a growth regulator in early spring and when timed correctly most of the Poa is unable to produce a seed head.  The production of a seed head uses up carbohydrate reserves in the plant and generally causes
a much weaker plant.  Plants that don't produce a seed head are able to retain these carbohydrates for other important growth characteristics such as increased rooting.  Sounds complicated?  You bet it is! 

New asphalt cart path #6 tee complex.