A Year of Firsts

The crazy weather this Spring continues with some cooler temperatures and extremely dry conditions.  Today we had to pressurize the irrigation system.  This is a first for the month of March.  The greens were becoming very dry and some of the newly laid sod was in need of water.  With no substantial rain in the extended forecast we felt it necessary to charge the irrigation system. 



Venting Greens

Today we took advantage of the good Spring weather to do some solid tine aerification to the greens.  Spring is the ideal time to promote root developement and this process allows oxygen into the soil which will help promote root growth.  This process is perfomed many times throughout the year without any disruption to the putting surfaces.  The process was actually performed at Oakmont Country Club five days before the USGA held the Women's Open there in 2010.

Ball Marks

Unrepaired ball marks continue to be a problem early in the season. With the lack of growth so far this season it is critical the we take some extra time repairing pitch marks. The topdressing that was applied before Winter is working its way into the canopy of the turf and we will soon be mowing greens on regular basis. The greens are not growing at this point like the rest of the golf course.

Course Update

The Green Department has had a very busy March preparing the golf course for the season. We are still operating with about a fourth of our normal peak staff. We should begin to have more people coming on board over the next few weeks. Once we are up to our normal staff size we will open the Willows. I would anticipate opening the Willows sometime during the first week of April. Next week we will begin setting the tee markers in their normal location. We will be mowing greens for the first time this afternoon. The Greens usually take a little longer to start growing as compared to the rest of the golf course. The sand that remains on the greens is making it difficult for us to roll or mow the greens during the early morning. The dew collects on the rollers and mowers and brings the sand to the surface of the greens. We apologize that there may be some mornings with dew on the greens but this should only be the case for another week. Our construction company, Hawk Shaw, should be returning by April 15th to complete the project. They are currently finishing another project in New York and will be moving equipment in as soon as that project is completed. As our staff begins to grow we will start setting most of the accessories on the golf course. Ball washers, benches, hazard stakes, and water coolers will be placed on the golf course sometime in early April. We anticipate opening the driving range the week of April 2nd. We will once again be utilizing the area in front of the tees during the early part of the season. We would like to take the chance to remind everyone to spend some extra time repairing ball marks and replacing divots. Divot mix will not be placed on the carts until soil temperatures warm up a little. Please remember to keep your carts on the paths when you are around a green or tee complex. This is a policy we are placing a high emphasis on this year. Also new this year we are asking that all bunker rakes remain in the bunkers. Our hope is to make the rakes more visible so members can find them easier. The USGA has no official policy on where to place the rakes and leaves it up to each individual club to make their own decision.

It has been a tremendous month of March and we hope this great weather continues. Rounds are up and we are getting a early jump on the season.

Course Update

The covers have been removed from the Old Course and the greens look to be in great shape. We plan on opening the North Course on Friday March 16th. We have also started to allow carts to cross the fairways. However, we ask for your cooperation in keeping the carts on the paths around greens and tee complexes. This is a policy that we will be asking for your cooperation with this season. The easy way of remembering this is if you are standing on a green or tee your cart should be on the path. We have invested a great deal of time and resources improvi ng the golf course and our goal is to protect your investment.
We would also like to take this chance to remind you to repair your ball marks and replace your divots. Unrepaired ball marks have been plentiful this week and we encourage you to take some extra time and repair them properly. Please keep in mind that we continue to operate with a very limited crew. Our goal is to keep the course playable and continue cleaning up from Winter. We will keep you updated on our progress throughout the month of March and early April. As more staff comes on board we will be able to get into a regular routine of maintaining the golf course.

Covers are Coming Off

The covers were removed today from the Old Course and I am happy to say the it looks like we made it through the Winter without any injury. The warmer temperatures this week should start to increase soil temperatures to initiate growth. As soon as the turf begins to actively grow we will be able to allow carts off the paths.

Course Update

The Green Department is currently monitoring the forecast and soil conditions to make a decision on when to open the golf course. Based off today’s forecast I feel we should be able to open the Fall’s nine on Thursday. We do anticipate a delayed start on Thursday. We estimate that we should be able to open the golf course between 11:00-12:00. We should have a better feel for an exact opening tomorrow afternoon. The extreme cold temperatures last night caused the soil to freeze solid. Once those soils have thawed on Thursday we should be able to open the course. The decision on whether to open or not will be a day to day decision. We should have no problem staying open Thursday and Friday. However, weekend temperatures are expected to drop with nighttime lows in the teens. Night time lows that extreme will not allow us to open the following day. We will monitor the situation daily and try to get the word out to the membership as early as possible. Please keep in mind this is not a situation like we have in the Fall with Frost Delays. Our concern with temperatures this low is frozen soil conditions. We monitor the entire soil profile. Not just the top inch or two. If the entire soil profile is thawed then we make the decision to open the golf course. If any part of that profile is frozen then we make the decision at that point to keep the course closed. The reason for this decision is to protect the root structure of our putting surfaces.

There are several things to keep in mind when playing this early in the season.

• The grass is not growing. Therefore ball marks and divots will not recover. We need to take extra effort in repairing ball marks and replacing divots.

• Cart wear areas and cart damage will not recover very quickly. Please obey all posted cart restrictions.

• The tee markers will be placed to set up the golf course very short. We will attempt to save the tee space where the majority of the membership plays from during the season. Please do not play the golf course any longer than where the tee markers are placed. You are free to play the course shorter if you choose. We will only be placing one set of tee markers at this time.

Look forward to seeing you out there,

Gregory Boring
Golf Course Superintendent