It has been awhile since the last post and a lot has happened on the course. The season is in full swing and we are mowing everyday.
On April 7 we aerified and deep tined the greens. The deep tines went to almost 10 inches and we pulled cores to about four inches. The healing process is always quick this time of year however, we have a broom that does not do as well as the broom previously used in the past. The better broom was borrowed and did an excellent job on filling the holes and getting the excess sand off the greens. The old broom still fills the holes in but it is inefficient and causes significant bruising. Additionally, the green's mower has to pick up the sand as it mows. That process is slow and hard on the equipment. We are actually mowing lower than our normal height. The aerifying height is 3/32" and the normal height is 1/8". The reason it is "fuzzy or scruffy" is a direct result of the poor broom that we have. The green's mower has to pick up the sand before it can effectively mow the turf. We are mowing the greens every chance we can but the greens must be dry. When the sand is mostly picked up, the mower will naturally start mowing the turf and then we will switch back to the normal height and the greens will be as good as new. Please be patient; it will pay off. Forcing the issue will make it worse.
We are also doing a lot of spraying this time of year. I am controlling the broad-leaf's now,applying pre-emergence, spraying preventative fungicides, sprayed for seed head control, and the weekly fertilizer application.
We had a unusual and serious vandalism incident as well. The spruces on the corner of #13 were cut to head level. There were four trees that the vandalism occurred on. Personally, I think it ruined the hole. Those trees are meant to block the view of the green and someone decided to take it upon themselves to cut the limbs off. Keep in mind, any alterations done by any individual aside from the employees will be considered vandalism and the authorities will be called. If there is an issue then take it to me or Ken. We can decide or take it to the green's committee to decide. Never take any action upon yourselves or there will be consequences. I was very upset when I came across this because we are always available for comment or discussion.
With all that being said, we hope the course is meeting all the patron's standards and will continue to do our best to provide an excellent golf course.
