FYI 11/22/19

11/22/19

Golf Maintenance FYI

·         Tina Fry is the Manager on Duty this weekend and will be preparing for the Veterans Event 1 PM shotgun on Saturday. We will have USA flags and cup liners on Holes 9 and 18.

·         The Ladies One Day Invitational was a great success with the course and greens receiving many compliments. The decorative tee markers are used on Ladies Day to add a little extra color and flare to their events and it is greatly appreciated by the CLGA.

·         The microdochium, or Pink Snow Mold, disease found on the Tees remains persistent and is becoming noticeable in other areas throughout the course, in particularly the rough. Spot treatments of a labeled plant protectant will be applied early next week to the affected areas.

·         All bunkers were edged this week to eliminate turf encroachment and to provide a crisp definition around the perimeter of the sand. Our bunker appearance continues to receive many compliments from our golfers.

·         The weather continues to provide its challenges. Last weekend there was very little sunshine due to the overcast conditions coupled with dry and cold winds. As previously mentioned, our warm season Celebration bermudagrass does not respond well and begins to lose its dark green color, particularly in the rough where the higher height of cut makes it more susceptible. We will be applying a liquid fertilizer to the Rough this coming week to encourage new growth and improved color.

·         Drainage basins are being leveled throughout the back 9 Holes. Over the years, organic matter builds up and creates a noticeable difference from the top of the basin to the surrounding turf grass. It is a tedious task; however, the finished results provide for a substantially improved appearance and makes it easier for our mowers. Thank you to Luis Altuzar and Matias Andres for their work.

·         The new landscaping plants and annual flowers have been installed at the bathrooms on Hole 4 and 14. The improvements are significant and have already received many compliments from passing golfers. Please know that it will take some time for the plants to mature and fill in. Thanks to Green Committee Member, Helga Reynolds, for her assistance with the project. Compliments to my staff for their efforts this week.

The finished product on Hole 14

·         A new device has been installed on all putting green flags to assist in retrieving your golf ball from the cup. This device eliminates the need to reach into the cup with your hand or the dreaded ball retriever found on some members putters. Golfers simply raise the flag stick up to a height that they can then lift off their golf ball without bending over. Brilliant!

The addition of the device will help protect the integrity of the cup edge throughout the day.

The EZ Ball Remover in use on Hole 3

Hole 3 on November 22, 2019 – Blue Sky and 80 degrees – what a day!

FYI 11/15/19

11/15/19

Golf Maintenance FYI

·         David Forrey is the Manager on Duty this weekend and will be preparing for the Neighborhood Challenge 1 PM shotgun on Saturday.

·         The Men’s One Day Invitational was a great success with the course receiving many compliments. We did have the American Flag displayed on Hole 11 for Memorial Day which was greatly appreciated. Thank you to those that have served.

Hole 11 with the American Flag for Memorial Day

·         The microdochium, or Pink Snow Mold, disease found on the Tees has been retreated today with a natural mineral oil product to prevent a reoccurrence. Our greens remain in very healthy condition and are not showing any signs of disease pressure.

·         All greens were verticut last week to reduce leaf density and improve ball speed. This week the greens were edged, topdressed with dry sand, spiked with needle tines, brushed, rolled and fertilized. The spiking helps to relieve compaction, allow oxygen to penetrate the soil to improve root health and to allow water to penetrate the root zone. It is an extraordinary amount of work to have completed in front of play and I appreciate the efforts of our staff to get the job done.

·         Additional sod was installed along the lake bank at the end of Carraway Lakes to improve the appearance in that area. Sod was also installed throughout the common grounds in areas where the turf was declining. The pine straw application scheduled for this week has been delayed by the contractor until next week.

Hole 10 Greens perimeter edged to define the separation between the collar and the putting surface

Topdressing with dry sand on Hole 1 green

Spiking and rolling Hole 3 green

·         The weather has changed over the past week. Overcast, windy and lower humidity conditions have already impacted the quality and appearance of the turf. The higher winds coupled with the drier air desiccate the leaf tissue on the turf causing a discoloration, particularly in the rough where there is a higher mow height. Foliar fertilizers will be sprayed on the turf next week to help maintain the turf color, encourage new growth and provide quality playing conditions.

·         The new annual flowers, Sunpatiens, have been installed in the common grounds and around the Clubhouse. The vibrant colors will look fantastic over the coming months.

·         The plants for the golf course bathrooms have been ordered and will be installed next week to complete the bathroom improvement plan.

·         The front door of the Clubhouse was decorated with week with Fall colors. Thank you to Gail Pinault for her help – as always!

The entrance to the Clubhouse is looking colorful!

·         There was an incident during the week with one of the roofers falling off the roof in Sago Pointe. The individual was airlifted to the hospital where I am told he will be ok.

It is not every day you have a helicopter landing on your golf course. I’m glad everyone is ok.

·         The Green Committee is currently reviewing the Drop Zones on the Par 3’s. Several clubs in the area have installed permanent drop zones to eliminate inconsistencies and difficult lies in the turf. Maybe they should just be eliminated??

An example of a drop area at a local club

FYI 11/1/19

11/1/19

Golf Maintenance FYI

·         David Dore-Smith is the manager on duty this weekend and what a busy weekend it is going to be! Saturday is the first of the Men’s monthly 8:15 AM shotgun starts. Sunday there is a 1 PM shotgun for a Couples event followed by another 8:15 AM shotgun on Monday morning for the Ladies Interclub competition. Both Wednesday and Thursday are 8:15 AM shotgun starts totaling 5 Shotguns in 6 days. There is no doubt the golfing season has begun.

·         Charz golf event last Saturday was a great success! The golf course received many compliments from the participants, and I was fortunate to have enjoyed the course and the great food at the Clubhouse as a guest of Tom Leonard. Thanks to our staff for putting their best foot forward…again.

·         The weather continues to amaze me. Temperatures still within the mid-90’s has broken records for this time of year. Thankfully we have received some rain during the night hours and the golf course turf continues to respond well to the blue skies and warm weather. Our putting greens are healthy and are receiving many compliments for their condition, speed and consistency. All greens were top-dressed with dry sand on Wednesday to help keep them in top condition.

·         Golf maintenance staff remained busy this week continuing to detail the course. Grasses and shrubs are being trimmed in high visibility areas and weeds being removed from the natural beds in preparation for our pine straw application scheduled for December. All Common Areas will have pine straw applied beginning November 11.

·         All garden beds around the clubhouse, tennis courts and front entrance had fresh mulch applied during the week. Compliments to our staff for navigating throughout the busy parking lot to complete the job in a timely fashion. The finished appearance is a great visual improvement.

·         On Tuesday I was fortunate to play golf with Traci Bichalski and AJ Pasqual at Estero Country Club as part of a Superintendent event. It was great to see another local course and to share ideas with Traci and AJ that we can bring back to Copperleaf but to also feel proud of the conditions that we provide at Copperleaf.

·         I have observed some disease pressure on several Tees on the golf course this week. A sample has been sent to a lab to confirm the pathogen and the areas were spot treated with an appropriate fungicide to stop the spread and to aide in a quick recovery. I am confident that the disease will quickly be under control. As mentioned, with the high temperatures and humidity, the ingredients for disease pressure remain very high as indicated in my weekly weather alerts.

·         My presentation to the FGCU PGM students was a great success. Almost 40 aspiring golf professionals attended the presentation held at the golf maintenance facility. I was able to educate them on having a positive relationship with the golf maintenance staff, open communication within the Club, equipment used to provide the conditions members expect and the challenges faced daily. They were grateful for the experience.

·         Next week we will continue working on the landscaping around the bathrooms and improving the landscaping to the right of Hole 11 greens complex and lake bank as well as completing a sod project along the lake bank at the end of Carraway Lakes Drive.

FYI 10/25/19

10/25/19

Golf Maintenance FYI

·         David Forrey is the manager on duty this weekend although both Tina and I will be in on Saturday to help set the course for the Charz event. It should be a great day of golf.

·         The golf course was very busy this week with golfers enjoying the wonderful weather. The turf has responded well to last week’s fertilizer application and is showing great definition. Our greens remain in very good condition and are receiving plenty of compliments.

·         Thankfully we received 2 inches of rain last weekend which also raised the lake levels by almost 12 inches. The water level is now at 13.4 feet above sea level and is the perfect level as we enter the golfing season.

·         It was a busy week maintaining the golf course with all bunkers being edged, basins edged and grass around the bunkers mowed with our hover mowers. All tees were top-dressed with sand on Wednesday afternoon. This monthly cultural practice helps to dilute organic matter in the soil and keep the turf in excellent condition. Full compliments to our staff for such a productive week!

·         Due to the warm weather, fertilizer application last week and the rain over the weekend; our rough grass has really started to grow. In fact, it was so high that it almost became unfair to play out of in certain areas. With the Southwest Florida Travelling Women’s group playing an 8:30 AM shotgun start on Wednesday, I decided to come in at 4:30 AM to finish mowing the rough before they teed off. Although not common to have equipment operating at such an early hour, I am certain the golfers appreciated the extra effort. In fact, the rough was mowed two times this week to keep the growth under control and provide quality and consistent playing conditions.

·         We have begun the process of mulching the garden beds around the front entrance, tennis courts and clubhouse. The cocoa brown colored mulch creates a clean, fresh appearance and improves the aesthetics in these areas.

·         On Wednesday next week I will be hosting over 30 students from FGCU’s PGM program. Students will be educated on what it takes to operate a golf maintenance facility including cultural programs, machinery maintenance and member communications. It should be a great event and I am proud to have been asked to participate.

·         Next week we will be working on the landscaping around the bathrooms and improving the landscaping to the right of Hole 11 greens complex and lake bank.

·         On a personal note, I was recently featured in a promotional video for our Trimax Snake rough mower. It’s always interesting seeing yourself on tv 😊. If you are interested in seeing the video, click on the following link: https://youtu.be/FVciirtmeqY