With the end of August comes the return of studies and many of our Turfcare staff have begun to leave us for the summer. We would like to thank the team members for their efforts this summer and wish them all the best with their studies. With the reduction in staff, membership can expect course conditions to change. We have gone from a team size of approximately 20 per day down to 12 depending on the day. It takes 15 people minimum to mow all prime play areas not including items like spraying, watering and rough mowing. Bunker raking will now be minimal. This is a great opportunity for membership to show their course care skills and assist the course conditions by ensuring that you rake the bunker once you have played in it. We will be lucky to rake bunkers in their entirety once or twice per week moving forward. There will be few opportunities to rake them ahead of golf and they will become a secondary task.
Details such as bunker weeding, string trimming and hand mowing will be reduced. These items will become reactionary and secondary to prime play areas. Rolling frequencies will be reduced and at times we will alternate mowing and rolling practices to accommodate other demands on the property. Greens will continue to be priority and we will work our way through the rest of the property when time allows on other items. With shorter days and cooler weather on the horizon we are hopeful that the mowing demands created by ample August rain will slow which will allow us to focus on other details through the remainder of the season.