Monday, November 7th, 2011

Already the first week of November is under our belt. So far this fall has gone pretty much as expected with a few frost delays, some rain, some fog, and a fair amount of sunny days. One thing for sure, this fall has brought us some cool, but actually pretty nice golfing weather. We are still managing to get through the rough each week but it we are having to take extreme caution when navigating around the soft areas. We got the rough done early last week which enabled Pearce to get around the course with the trim mower on Friday which really put a nice finish on the course for the weekend.

We were finally able to get out our last Redox fertilizer application on the fairway for the season. We added less than .20 lbs of Nitrogen which should give the grass a boost going into the winter. In doing so it really gave me an opportunity to see first hand how the fairways are holding up. They are definitely getting wet, especially the back nine. I have asked the pro shop to restrict the carts to the paths on the back when we are allowing the carts out. In order to avoid further damage we will have to skip mowing a few areas until the conditions allow us to mow safely.

A reminder if you are golfing with a handicap flag on your cart. Please continue to obey the signs. We have placed "Wet Area" and directional signs on the course to make it easy for you to identify troubled areas. Many times the fairways will be firm and just off in the rough you may find your cart needing a tow to safety so please stay alert and watch where you are going.

We are beginning to see some disease on the tee boxes. This photo was taken from the black tee on number six. We have a few small patches here and there and will keep a close eye on it. On this particular tee we treated it locally instead of treating all of the tees on the entire course.

Speaking of pesticide applications, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has announced a new Clean Water Act permit requirement for certain pesticide applications in, over, or near waters of the State of Oregon, effective October 31, 2011. This new permit – a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) pesticide general permit – is required by a Federal Court order and is implemented in Oregon by the DEQ under an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I cannot give advise to other golf courses other than I would suggest downloading and printing off a copy of the Pesticide General Permit and reading through it thoroughly. In a nutshell, the permit regulates how chemicals are applied in and near the waters of the State of Oregon. It will probably take some time to understand the complexities as it relates to each property. I am sure this will be a subject at the Oregon GCSA's Environmental Meeting this Tuesday, November 8th, at The Oregon Golf Club. Greg Lyman from the GCSAA will be there to help clarify the permit as it relates to our industry.