Finally some decent weather.  We are trying to get caught up on just about everything as the rain has put been our foe the last three weeks.  In some respects we feel fortunate to have accomplished as much as we have.

Warm temps and sunshine have allowed us to finally open the grass tee.  The bermudagrass tee is open Wednesday through Sunday weather permitting.

All the rain has been hard on many of our sycamore trees.  Here a diseased sycamore by the third tee is almost defoliated. 

The disease is called anthracnose and leaves a mess.

Fortunately sycamores have the ability to produce new leaves and can recover.  This is called adventitious growth.

Just a reminder that when we restrict carts to the paths there is a reason.  This is damage behind the third green that occurred months ago and still hasn't recovered.

Josh spreading compost to weak fairways.  This work was scheduled right after fairway aeration but then it started to rain…..

Plant material is finally being installed in the pollinating garden behind fifteen green.

Bluebird activity has begun to finally pick up after a slow start.  Here five babies are just about to fledge.

Assuming we can mow fairways this Friday it will mark the first time this season we have mowed fairways our standard three times per week.  Thank goodness for growth regulators!

We have had anything but ideal conditions to work and play golf in the last two weeks and counting.  Fortunately we know better weather is coming and when it does let the party begin!  We have slugged through this cool wet period and feel lucky to have accomplished as much as we have.

Speaking of slugs this guy found our greens to be the best place to roam until our mowers arrived.

An unfortunate mishap that shouldn't last too long.  Hydraulic leaks are always a possibility and small ones are difficult to see.

Julio and Cayatano are creating some beautiful plantings.

The welcoming entry bed.  These flowers are called Alternathera and a member favorite.

Aerification of collars is taking place when its dry enough.

Once aerified the collars are rolled to smooth and tighten them up.

Why we aerify.  Check out the roots in the second green following the channel created by deep aeration  back in March.  Dick looks like a proud papa!

Here's a real success story.  The picture on the left is the first fairway this time last year.  The picture on the right was taken this week a year later.  We are not there yet but our annual bluegrass reduction program is working as planned.

No Quincy and look what happens.  Geese beware cause Jack is coming!

Our northern water snakes are in abundance this spring.  Please do not harm these beneficial reptiles.

When the sun comes out the course really shines!

Too dry and now too wet in one short week.  Such is the roller coaster world of weather in the mid-atlantic.  Aeration of greens, tees and fairways went great.  Timely rain afterwards has allowed all turf areas to recover rapidly.  But enough already!

Fairway and green aeration were performed by outside contractors to expedite the work.  Here six tractors with aerators and core collectors work on the tenth hole.  This work is completed in an eight hour day.

Dry Ject aeration in the early morning.  All the greens were completed in one day.

A finished green before our guys get to work on the sand.

Excess sand being blown off the green.

After we are done the greens look like this!!

During course maintenance we also had some tree work performed throughout the course.  Here a weak red oak near the 11th green is removed.

Making quick work of a dead flowering plum on hole seven.

When possible we leave the main lead standing for woodpeckers to work on.

It has been a very good spring for weeds and it has been extremely difficult applying herbicides because of too much wind and now too much rain.  The mild start to winter allowed winter annuals to really get a foothold early.  This is chickweed starting to fade out.  Dandelions and clover will persist and will be treated.

This is our pollinating garden about ready for some new plantings.

The tulips are gone and summer annuals are on the way.

Year two of Springfield honeybees has begun.  Let's hope for better success this year.

Finally a little rain to start the weekend.  We have a busy week ahead as all greens, tees, and fairways will be aerated.  Greens and fairways will be contracted out to expedite the process.  Play will be available on a limited basis so please check with the pro shop before venturing out.  The driving range will remain open.

It has been a difficult period with wind and tree pollen.  Here oak flowers litter the thirteenth bunker.  Oaks produce both male and female flowers.  The male flowers are called catkins and much larger and when they drop are a royal pain!

Oak catkins on the thirteenth green.  All fine turf areas must be blown before mowing.

Bunker sand was added to some shallow bunkers this week.

Covering sterilized greens sand for aeration.  This sand must be bone dry to spread properly in the DryJect equipment.

Spring Dead Spot disease on the driving range tee.  This disease affects bermudagrass and is difficult to control even with preventive fungicides.

The bermuda is just beginning to grow so it shouldn't be too long before we are able to hit off grass.  The light green turf is perennial ryegrass and the blue is the bermuda just starting to grow.

Cross cutting fairways for the first time this season.

Adding mulch around the old oak trees!

Dead annual bluegrass weevil adults and a successful insecticide application.

Beautiful tulips about to wrap up for the season.

The course continues to be in a very dry state.  This will pass as one of the driest springs in a long time. And what about the wind?  The wind continues to howl and makes one think we are on the coast.  Hopefully we will receive some rain soon as this will help the course heal from next weeks aerification.

All our new tees are now open and ready for play.  No more bending it around the trees on thirteen!

Annual bluegrass weevil monitoring using a soap flush on the fourteenth fairway. The soapy solution is applied to the turf and causes beetles to come out from hiding and are then counted.  The soap doesn't 

hurt the grass.

Annual bluegrass weevil.  All fine turf areas were treated with an insecticide this week.

All fairways are now being mowed with triplex cutting units.  We will be purchasing two mowers soon to allow us to efficiently mow fairways.

We have seen some minor disease on some of our greens.  This is called Waitea Patch and is an almost annual event on our greens.

Annual bluegrass seed head suppression on our greens was pretty successful as demonstrated by this photo.  The perimeters of the greens were not treated as the chemical can be harsh to bent collars.  Not bad control!

New sod installation at the clubs entrance.  The center area with turf was sprayed with Roundup and will be mulched soon.

We have had an excellent display of tulips this spring that is unfortunately about to end.

Tulipmania!