The condition of the golf course continues to
improve with warm temperatures and sunshine. This past weekend we saw some
germination of seed on #2 and #13 green. Last
fall we slit seeded our putting surfaces 2 directions and that practice is
paying off as seed is filling in dead areas of poa. We
will continue to add seed to thin areas of our putting surfaces to enhance
recovery.
Soil temperatures are one of the most important
factors in speeding up recovery. Because
of the late cold spring, soil temperatures remain cool. To increase soil temperatures, we topdressed
all of our greens with black sand to heat the surfaces to increase the likelihood
of germination and during cooler periods we cover the greens on #2 and #13 to use it as a blanket. These tactics work at getting recovery to
happen despite the cold spring we have been experiencing.
To increase density of our putting surfaces we have
fertilized with ammonium sulfate which has a nice green color. I bring this up
because many have asked why the putting surfaces are so green.
Storm
Damage
As you are all aware 3 weeks ago an ice storm did a
fair amount of damage to trees on the course. Monday we finally finished with clean-up
of the downed branches. Once the ground
hardens up we will get a boom truck to cut and remove severely damaged branches
that are too far up to cut from the ground.
What’s
Next
Right now our main focus shifts from storm cleanup
to getting the putting surfaces up to peak season playability. Along with that we are fixing and repairing
low areas and depressions on the course.
Very shortly we will be charging up the irrigation system and fixing any
immediate problems. Also we will be
going through each sprinkler head and make the proper adjustments.
Long-term our focus will be the drainage behind #13
green and fixing water seepage on #6 fairway.
Green
Edge
In spring it can be difficult to tell the putting
surface from the collar. To alleviate
this problem we have painted blue dots every 8 feet defining the green edge. I hope this helps the golfer determine whether
or not they are on the green. It also
helps our crew so they can get a crisp clean-up cut on our putting surfaces.
Sod
Lines
Many have asked what the sod lines are on greens. Some thought they might be newly added drain
lines, they are not. Last fall we cut
out low areas of greens with a 2” sod cutter to improve water movement during the
winter months. Before we opened the
course this spring we put the sod pieces back into place. Just as in the XGD drainage project, these
sod pieces will take a couple weeks to blend in and get an established root
system. We did not add any drainage to
these putting surfaces; although they could all use some that is best left to
the XGD professionals. Please keep checking the blog for weekly updates.
