Weekend Observations

After playing the course last weekend, I wanted to share a few observations.

The first thing I noticed was that the greens were still a bit bumpy and slow as a result of the aerification process that took place May14-16. The greens were on pace to be healed by Memorial Day, however, last week's heat wave sent the grass into survival mode as opposed to a growth and recovery mode.

The weather on tap for this week should help speed up the recovery process. To combat the delayed recovery, we were forced to increase our fertility rates going into the weekend. The increase in fertility expressed itself through an increase in growth over the weekend. The faster the greens grow, the faster they will heal, but this will slow down your ball roll. Once we have achieved a complete recovery,  I can begin to spoon-feed the greens at a maintenance level and avoid the growth flushes we are currently seeing.

Please keep in mind that most of our greens are young and it is important to find a balance between firm, fast, and healthy. The high number of rounds run through the course puts a lot of stress on a mature putting surface, let alone one- and two-year old putting surfaces. As with any greens renovation, the most valuable tool is patience and time.  To avoid some of the issues we encountered last summer,  we need to make agronomic decisions based not only on the playability but also the health of the golf course. There is a balance out there and I am charged with finding it.

Another issue I came across are the grooves left behind in the bunkers after our hand raking. This is the result of two problems. The first is the softness of the new bunker sand. It takes time for bunkers to settle and become firm. Precipitation plays a large role in this process and we have been very dry since last fall. The lack of winter and spring precipitation has slowed this process quite a bit. The second issue is trying to find the proper bunker rakes and routines. This may sound simple, but we have had issues finding a rake that doesn't leave a deep groove while still being aggressive enough to do its job. I have ordered two new bunker rakes and we hope to give them a shot next weekend. I would love to say "its just a bunker, its supposed to be penalizing" but we all know that is not the case anymore.

Take a look at the above photo. A research group tracked the steps that JUST ONE FOURSOME of golfers took while playing out their balls on a green. Multiply the number of steps by 50 and you have an average Saturday on the golf course. A golfer has a ground pressure of 8-12 pounds per square inch, which is 2-3 times that of our greens rollers. Please tread lightly.

We had a busy Memorial Weekend at the course and we all appreciate your patronage.