Slit Seeding

In an effort to improve the conditions of the fairways and areas that have suffered, due to cart traffic, we have begun slit seeding. This is not typically the optimum time of the year to do this because of the excessive heat that we usually experience. So, you will also see a number of roller base sprinklers throughout the golf course ensuring that the weakest areas of turf remain wet enough for the seed to germinate and become established. We have also roped off many high traffic areas in order to enable these areas to heal. This process will continue throughout the rest of the summer. We realize that these un-manned sprinklers on the golf course will be somewhat of an inconvenience. However, our goal is to get the golf course conditions back to the quality that we have all grown to expect. Thank you for your patience and understanding. The long-term result of the work we are doing will be well worth the short-term inconvenience.

Slit seeding Hole #13 Fairway

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Traffic control to enable high traffic areas to heal

Roller base sprinklers spread throughout the course to help with stressed and newly seeded areas.

Hole #12 Tee and Hole #4 are Reopened Today

We have reopened the Tees on Hole #4 and Hole #12 after leveling and resodding. We plan to open the Tees on Hole #2, #5 and #18 the first week of July.

Hole #4 Tee Ready to Open

Hole #12 Tee- Picture taken a few days after resodding

Hand Watering!

With the warm weather and longer days, it is the time of the year when we begin to do a lot more hand watering of the golf course. The purpose of hand watering is to apply water directly to dry or "hot" spots on the golf course. Of course our first priority is hand watering any dry or hot spots that are on or near the greens, you will also see us hand watering tees and fairways, when possible. As always, we do our best to stay clear of all golfers when we are out working on the golf course. However, we do appreciate your patience when we are hand watering near the greens. I have instructed my staff to always give the golfers the right of way and do their best not to interrupt your pace of play. So, when you see us out hand watering, just know that it is a necessary task in keeping the golf course in great shape. From time to time, you might even see your friendly Golf Course Superintendent with a hose in his hand!

Dale Simpson hand watering!

Spring Aeration Update Part 2

Greens aeration went very well despite the little bit of rainfall the night before we started the greens. The rain after the greens were aerated was very helpful.

Hole#13 green- one week after aeration

Hole #13 green- close-up bird's eye view.

Fairway aeration is under way and we are moving along very well due to the warm and windy weather. We may even be able to finish by the end of this week!

Aerating Hole #2 Fairway

Sweeping Hole #3 Fairway

Hole #18- one day after aerating

Spring Aeration Update

I finally figured out how to make it rain. All I had to do was schedule a greens aeration. Even though we received a few sprinkles yesterday morning, we were still able to aerate 13 greens. However, due to the moisture, we did not topdress yesterday. We will finish aerating the remaining greens today and do our best to get all of the greens topdressed today as well. So, today we will have 18 temporary greens. Hopefully, we will have all 18 greens opened tomorrow morning. As always, thank you for your patience during this very important and beneficial process.

Aerating Hole #5 Green

Harvesting the cores from Hole #5 Green

Aeration holes

Practice Green ready for topdressing

Topdressing Hole #9 Green

Lake Maintenance

As I mentioned in my daily email to the Members yesterday, we are working on erosion control around our Lake on Hole #1, #10 and #18. We recently had some areas of the lake's bank restored and now we are in the process of trying to grow some grass along the bank in order to keep it from eroding again. First, we seeded around the bank and then we installed a burlap fabric over the seed in order to hold the seed in place, provide some shade for the seed and hold in the moisture so that the seed can germinate. Once the seed germinates the grass will grow through the burlap fabric and the fabric, over time, will decompose. We will also be topdressing the seed and fabric with a thin layer of sand to help in the process of growing new grass around the bank of the lake.

Recent Work On Hole # 12 Tee

As we are gearing up for the 2013 golf season, my staff has recently done some beautification work on #12 Tee as well as some needed repair near the steps leading up to the tee.

Back of #12 Tee landscape

#12 Tee

Concrete between the steps

Repaired pothole at the base of the steps on Hole #12