This week for maintenance day on the golf course the Turfcare team focused on grooming the greens. A vertical mow was followed by a double cut and roll. The purpose of this program is to stand up any leaf blades that are thick and laid over. By removing these we will increase ball roll by reducing the friction these thick laid over plants provide. This practice along with fresh cutting reels should provide a good week of putting surfaces ahead.
General:
- Water management continues to be the focus daily. With all the watering that has been required, we are beginning to get the occasional wet area on the property. Considering the lack of individual head control the club’s Assistants are doing a great job in making daily watering decisions to keep the wet areas to a minimum. We will continue to water where we can throughout the day using impact sprinklers to supplement areas without coverage. At the same time, we are carefully watching water levels in the Seine River and in the ponds.
- Rough is beginning to slow down with the lack of rainfall.
- Cart paths are beginning to get rough with the repetitive watering. We will address these as time allows.
- We have some diseases beginning to pop up on fairways and tees. This is driven by the abnormally hot and dry start to the season. We are hopeful to begin to treat these this week. We will look after the front nine one day and the back nine the next when we are able to spray. This disease doesn’t usually appear until late July or early August as a reference to how above seasonal the start of the year has been.
- A reminder that on June 26th the resource advisory group for the Audubon program will be doing a thistle removal day around the clubhouse areas. A great volunteer opportunity and the ability to make a big impact on the visual presentation of areas around the clubhouse that day. We hope to see you there.
Course Etiquette:
- Please consider removing the flag pole to remove your ball once it is in the hole. This will aid in preventing hands from fraying the painted lip and assist in keeping the hole presentable for the duration of the day and for all members.
- Please rake all bunkers once played in. We have been finding way too many bunkers that are not being raked by membership and guests after use. We are raking bunkers daily Monday to Friday and should not find any footprints come morning. Another general rule of etiquette for any golf course.
- Please continue to keep carts to fairways and avoid driving through rough areas to search for a ball. Please be aware of your surroundings and avoid driving through any turf that is stressed from the early season drought.
Respectfully,
Shawn Major, AGS