Course Conditions
We firmed up things nicely for the Men's championship. The rain was timely which enabled us to firm up the greens slowly. The water level in the irrigation pond has risen which makes me feel much better.
Greens
We never stop learning and the greens have taught us another lesson. This year the greens have been very healthy, probably the best year to date. In this case to much of a good thing can create a problem and what I have seen is excessive organic matter accumulate in the top of the profile. This is the leading cause for the scalping which has plagued us on 14B lately. Difficulty in maintaining a consistent green speed is also affected by this. This year we have utilized a new greens fertilization program which targets root and plant health, not just green and pretty grass. In doing so the greens have become much healthier and are producing a lot of growth. We should have been a little more proactive and adjusted the nitrogen levels accordingly. Also, topdressing could have been a little heavier as well. We will be adjusting our N levels as well as increasing our verticutting frequency in conjunction with heavier topdressing throughout the rest of the season.
Tees
We have actually been over watering a few of the tee boxes which are starting to show some soft areas. We will adjust the water accordingly.
Fairways
As I mentioned under course conditions we were able to get a little more water on the fairways with the cooler weather lately. The fairways are still playing real fast which is a great thing and rewards the golfers with some extra distance.
We have only been watering the dry spots in the morning and have been able to bank quite a bit of water in the last few days. We have been using some of the extra water to give the rough a drink or two.
Rough
With the small amount of rain that we received the rough has demonstrated it's ability to recuperate quickly. It is nice to see the green grass come back so quickly.
We have been re shaping some of the bunkers which has caused to inconsistent conditions. Much of the sand has sloughed down from the banks and we have been pushing it back up. When we do that it obviously softens the sand which creates the fried egg lie. They will firm up with rain and time. Just so you know in case you get complaints about it. We hope to get them all done before the winter rains hit us.
Projects
We will continue to work on the pushing the bunkers this week. We will start flail mowing the tall grass as well this week or soon after. We will start with the outer areas and finish with the middle of the course. It would be great to be able to burn it to take care of the weed seeds but I don't think that would go over to well with the fire department. We will try to spray the broad leaf weeds this fall so it will look much better in the spring.
Equipment
Starting with the ball field mower, it had an electrical problem which we can't seem to duplicate here at the shop...go figure. The greens mower that flipped over the weekend seems to be alright. It will cost us around $200 for a new muffler and bracket. Other than that it seems to be running alright. The seat got a little tweaked but I think we can bend it back and make it usable for now. Good thing the new mowers are on the way. Speaking of which I am still hoping to hear from the County regarding the PO.
Ball Field
The summer doldrums have hit and there isn't too much going on. Fields are being aerified today and topdressed tomorrow. The weather is perfect this year and shouldn't see the damage we experienced last year.
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