Warm weather means progress

Windy day overlooking #3 Fairway

With what seems like the first week with sustained and consistent weather we have gotten some really nice productivity out of our Kentucky Bluegrass fairways.We are seeing several areas in the fairways begin to mature, and the areas that are thin, are showing signs of new growth.

Seedlings beginning to mature

For the first part of the spring the fairways were not mowed very frequently. This was due to the fact that the grass was not growing enough and did not need to be mowed, also excessive mechanical stress can hinder the growth of new grass and we trying to be safe and cautious.There were times on the course that you may have seen lies similar to this, where your ball landed next to a "bunch" of grass and the areas around that patch appear to be thin.

A golfers lie next to a patch of KBG

Once the grass gets mowed more frequently, it transfers its energy to grow more laterally and the grass begins to nit and fill in.

#13 Fairway

We will be continuing to push lateral growth in order to get golf ball lies tighter. Part of the way in which we will do this is through aerification. Aerification practices help alleviate compaction, by alleviating compaction it frees up soil space for the grass to grow into the aerification holes and the loosened up soil.

Tractor aerifying #8 Fairway

Close up of aerification holes

We are looking forward to some more warm weather and continued growth. If the weather cooperates and stays warm we should see these fairways fill in over the next few weeks.   

Respectfully, 

Nick Marfise 

Golf Course Superintendent 

First Substantial Rain

Standing water between holes #1 and #9

This weekends storm was the first substantial rain event since the bunker liners were installed on the front nine green side bunkers. We received a whopping 4.75" of rain over the last two days. With soggy turf and standing water in the fairways, our new bunkers came out of the storm relatively unscathed. 

Renovated bunker on #1

After significant rain events the newly constructed bunkers need to simply be raked after the sand was compacted with all of the rain, but that minimal raking is something that we do everyday during the course of the year anyways, with our daily golf course setup.

# 6 Green side bunker

Other holes on the course such as #6 and #9 green side bunkers use to hold water after large rain events. Since we fixed the subsurface drainage problems and installed the Capillary Concrete liners the standing water,post rain event have gone away. 

#9 Green side bunker

The other bunkers on the course did not fair very well, with washouts in almost all of the fairway bunkers and most if not all of the green side bunkers on the back nine, our staff will have plenty to keep us busy the rest of the week. 

Washed bunkers #16 Green 

The good news is that the washed green side bunkers will shortly be a thing of the past, staff has begun getting the back nine green side bunkers ready for liners. Hole #18 and #10 have already had the old sand pulled out of them. Our goal is to have the back nine completed by June 1st. 

Sand removed from the green side bunker on #10

Respectfully, 

Nick Marfise 

Golf Course Superintendent