FYI 4/26/19

4/26/19

Golf Maintenance FYI

·         All Bunkers were edged this week along with drainage basins throughout the course. Cart path edges will be trimmed next week.

·         I will be working Saturday and Tina on Sunday this weekend.

·         Greens were Verticut on Tuesday and top-dressed and fertilized on Wednesday. They remain in very good condition although there are a couple of greens with some dry areas on them. We have been hand-watering these localized dry spots to encourage deeper roots.

·         Tina Fry, David Forrey, Luis Altuzar and I had some additional training on our moisture meters this week. The unit not only measures moisture, EC, Surface Temperature and Salinity but also ca be used to map sprinklers and other features of the golf course. It is an impressive tool.

·         I have started reshaping the fairways and approaches on the course. The changes will be subtle, but you will see orange painted lines for a few weeks as the grass is mowed at its new height. 

·         I attended a Superintendent educational event on Thursday to get caught up on the industry news and research. There are many things going on but perhaps none as important as the ever-increasing Fertilizer blackouts and fear of Round Up. A county north of Tampa, Alachua, just passed an 8-month total ban on fertilizer applications.  Unfortunately, politicians are ignoring science, which recommends applying the right amount of fertilizer when the plant is actively growing (the summer months) and are making decisions on emotion. In June, the City of Naples will be voting on their fertilizer ordinance and will be making a similar recommendation. Is Lee County next? 

·         Annual flowers were installed this week and look great. They will soon be displaying purple and pink flowers.

·         We have started work on improving the landscape along the southern maintenance area fence. This will help the residents of Sago Pointe by blocking the chain-link fence and providing a cleaner appearance. 

·         I have spoken with Jason and suggested looking into Tuesday shotguns as this then would provide a continuous day and a half to have the course closed. As it currently stands, the course is closed Wednesday to complete projects and cultural practices, we then get the course ready for the Thursday morning shotgun and then the course is closed again that afternoon. Jason will look at the numbers and see if it is possible to have Tuesday shotguns in June and August. Either way, I am thankful for trying this approach.

·         Compliments to Ray Houle who, as usual, was very helpful diagnosing and fixing an electrical issue at the pump station. Thank you Ray for all you do!

·         Overall, everything continues to be very good.