Tree Stumps

Why are there tree stumps with white paint on them?  Over 100 stumps throughout the property need to be removed and have been marked with white paint. The paint makes it easy to see the stumps during tours with contractors who are bidding on the work.  Once stump grinding begins the contractor will move through the property in the most efficient way possible, so please be aware that they will be working in play.  After the stumps are ground the maintenance staff will cleanup the debris, fill the holes with soil, and either seed or sod the area depending on the location.

Aerification Update

It's only been five days since the putting greens were aerified, but I am pleased with the healing thus far.  The two rain events and summer-like temps last week certainly helped, and the mild weather forecasted for next week will make up for this weekend's cold spell.  Speaking of next week, the greens will be mowed once we see enough turf growth to minimize the amount of sand picked up by the mowers.  While the greensmowers are parked, lightweight rollers are being used to smooth the putting surfaces and move sand into the leaf canopy. 

Time To Punch Some Holes

The equipment is ready to go and the weather forecast looks good for greens aerification on Monday. We are using slightly smaller tines than previous aerifications, but are still pulling a core and backfilling with sand.  The reason for using a smaller diameter tine is to reduce the amount of surface disruption which allows the putting surface to heal faster.  I anticipate a full recovery of the greens in two weeks, unless a stretch of really cold weather settles in.  Additionally, the golf course will only be closed on Monday for aerification and will re-open for play Tuesday morning.

Colorful Putting Greens

The putting greens are a mixture of Bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) and Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua).  They typically have a blotchy or patch-like appearance this time of year given normal weather patterns, but the color variation is not an indication of poor turf health.  Bentgrass is the slowest to come out of dormancy, and tends to take on a darker appearance during the cooler months.  Poa on the other hand is first to break dormancy, and is further differentiated based on whether it's a perennial or true annual biotype.  Similar to Bentgrass, the perennial biotypes tend to have a darker appearance, while the annual biotypes appear more lime green.  Some of what you're also seeing is old leaf tissue from last season, which makes the putting surface appear white or tan.  That tissue will be removed with each successive mowing as the plants resume their active growth and produce new tissue.  With a few more warm days and a little rain, the turf will "wake up" and the color variations should be less noticeable.  Thinking back to last season, the variations were not as noticeable because the turf never went completely dormant due to the mild winter and the early, warm spring.

Course Update

Although the calendar says it's Spring, I would argue that Winter had us in a death grip for too long this year.  But that looks to be changing today, as the forecast calls for temps in the 50's and a steady warmup over the next several days.  We'll still have cold mornings and frost delays are very likely this time of year, but the maintenance staff are just as excited as you are to be back outside.

Until now our focus with the full-time staff has been on refurbishing equipment, snow removal, and tree work.  This week a few of the seasonal staff returned and began the annual ritual of course cleanup.  It will take several days to get through the entire course and clean all the playing surfaces prior to the first mowing.  In addition to the cleanup, new hole locations have been cut, and tee markers and bunker rakes have been set out.  Speaking of bunkers, the plan is to begin prepping them next week.  It may take up to a week to clean out the debris, fix washouts and move sand that settled in the low areas from the long Winter.  The other thing I'm sure everyone will start asking about is greens aerification.  As of now, our plan is to begin aerifying on Monday 4/15.  We may need to remain closed on Tuesday 4/16 to complete the process, but that decision will be made next week.



Check out these pictures of the machine used during tree removal to the left of 9 green.