Crazy Weather Causing Problems

The crazy weather we are having is causing problems on the greens.  With the 4.5 inches of rain and the temperatures fluctuating from cool to warm every other day has caused an outbreak of Black Algae  to develop on the greens.  We started the correction process yesterday with an application of fungicide.  We mowed greens today, tomorrow we are going to spike and roll them to allow more water to flow into the greens sand base and keep more expected rain off the surface.  This may take a couple weeks to fix but it looks worse than it really is.  Hope you have had and continue to have a great Holiday Season.  Kevin

#10 Bunker Update

All the new surface drains and drain tile are in.  We have added two landscape areas in the bunker to add some contrast to the bunker.  All there is to do now is add the new sand.  The other major change in the bunker we have made is raise the bottom of the bunker about 12-15 feet.  Not only will the bunker be more maintainable but much more player friendly. You can now see the green from anywhere in the bunker.  We hope to have the sand in and the bunker back in play the first week of the new year.  Kevin

Temporary Cart Path Only Holes

After having a busy year there are a few holes that the turf if just won out.  We need to give them a break until spring when we can have a chance to aerate them and push them back with fertilizer to good health and playing conditions.  These are holes that have poor entrance and exit points causing the turf to be thin and week.  We ask you please help us and keep carts off the marked fairways.  Hope your getting to enjoy this awesome December Weather!  Kevin

Cart Path Only Holes

First part of #5, 8 11,14

Frost as seen in the eyes of the Superintendent

Frost is essentially frozen dew. Ice crystals visible on the outside of the plant can also form on the inside of grass blades. The grass plant, normally resilient to footsteps or cart traffic, becomes brittle and fragile when ice crystals form. Under the pressure of traffic, ice crystals puncture living plant tissues and rupture plant cells. Damage will not appear right away, but it will show up in footsteps and tire tracks the following days as the plant is unable to repair itself and begins to die. Frost damage can occur on any turfgrass mowed at any height but it is amplified when the plant is mowed low, as on a putting green. In a best-case scenario, damage will be limited to leaf blades only, which will eventually disappear once active turf growth resumes. However, if the plant crown, or growing point of the plant, is compromised, damage will be more severe and recovery could take months.     

Keep in mind, a foursome typically takes several hundred footsteps on each green, so even allowing just a few groups to play when frost is present can be very damaging to the greens, and the rest of the golf course for that matter. It is not completely understood when frost will cause damage, so the decision to keep traffic off the golf course must be made conservatively to protect the condition of the course. For this reason, golf facilities are wise to close the course to play or delay starting times until frost has completely melted.

Super Wet!

We are super wet and will be cart path only at least to the weekend!  Look back here or call the pro shop for CPO information.  Kevin