FYI 5/17/19

5/17/19

Golf Maintenance FYI

·         3.6 inches of rain fell on Thursday last week. The golf course handled the water, but the bunkers did not fair well at all. We spent 6 hours Friday morning repairing the front 9 bunkers.

·         3 inches of rain fell on Friday night. Again, the course handled the water very well; however, all bunkers were severely washed out again. With a limited weekend crew, we were only able to repair 3 holes on Saturday and 4 holes on Sunday.

·         Bunkers were deemed “GUR” on Monday due to their condition. We had all available crew members fixing bunkers and they were completed at 3 PM. These washouts confirm the discussion regarding replenishing our bunker sand earlier than first scheduled.

·         It has been a challenge maintaining satisfactory green speeds over the past week due to the heat, humidity and rain. Greens were double verticut and top-dressed on Wednesday last week however, the excessive rain on Thursday and Friday caused a surge in growth. Greens were double cut with sharp reels on Tuesday and again on Wednesday to increase ball speed. They are all in very good condition. All greens will be top-dressed and aerified with small tines next week.

·         Fairways and Approaches have been re-shaped and are starting to show some impressive definition. Some areas were scalped down to the new height while other areas have been left to grow taller.

·         Roughs have been lowered from 1.5 inches to 1.25 inches. Where the turf was “puffy”, typically in out of play areas, it has been scalped to the new height. The 1.25-inch height provides a very consistent playing surface and greatly eliminates the “cauliflower” appearance. We have applied a growth regulator to the rough this week to help control excessive growth, eliminate the scalping and reduce clippings. The GPS sprayer that was purchased last year has been invaluable to accurately apply the product.

·         We are scheduled for the Curfew application on June 4. Dick Hockman and I visited a local golf course as they were applying the Curfew to observe the impact to the turf. Overall, the application is not as aggressive as I have seen in the past; however, I am certain there will be some turf damage due to buried rocks and debris and where the implements lift out of the soil. The course will be closed June 4, 5 and 6.

·         We continue detail work around the maintenance building including completing the conference table, landscaping, connecting the air compressor and installing a water heater in the Chemical Room.

·         We continue work on improving the irrigation along the concrete fence of Hole 6. All sprinklers are being raised to the top of the fence and attached to the posts. This will greatly improve irrigation coverage and allow for new plants to be installed.

·         All golf course sprinkler heads are now being edged monthly. This helps with visibility during cultural practices. We will continue to edge them throughout the summer.

·         We have been improving the landscaping between golf maintenance and Sago Pointe and anticipate completing this task next week with the final plants being delivered Tuesday.

·         Greens perimeters were edged this week.

·         All cart paths were edged this week.

·         Tees were de-compacted this week utilizing solid tines.

·         Fairways have had their height lowered from 0.5 inches to 0.45 inches and were circle cut this week. They will be raked and circle cut again next week.

·         Collars around the greens were verticut this week to reduce thatch and improve playability.

·         I am still observing Mite damage throughout the course and will continue to spot treat these areas. Thankfully the grass is out competing the mite damage in most areas due to the surge in turf growth.

·         We are continuing to battle weeds in the landscape beds. The weather conditions are perfect for weed growth and the recent rain events not only postpone herbicide applications but also, due to the need to repair bunkers and washouts, our staff that usually spray for weeds have been utilized elsewhere.

·         Overall, everything continues to be very good and we remain extremely busy both on the golf course and common grounds.

·         I took my staff to Buffalo Chips for lunch on Thursday to thank them for their hard work. The Copperleaf White Tee Group provided the funds for lunch which was greatly appreciated.