On Monday the Turfcare team performed a minor aeration practice on the greens. The greens received topdressing with this practice. Green speeds will now slow up as will mowing frequency and rolling as we prepare the greens for winter. Since the new greens opened the club has been on pace for a record number of rounds even greater than last season. With the continued rain events this summer the greens require some stresses to be removed and some additional cultural and fertility practices to take place to assist in ensuring a successful winter and centennial year ahead. The focus moving forward is on turf health and the playing conditions from day to day and green to green will change.
Fairway and tee aeration also began with the greens on Monday. This practice will continue through the remainder of this week until we are completed. If you come across the fairway aerator in progress please acknowledge the Turfcare team member ahead of playing your golf shot. This process is time consuming and with your cooperation, we can complete this process quicker. The aerator will continue to move as long as you play your golf shot and hole.
Tee box locations will begin to move around. Many areas are in poor condition after another busy summer on the tee sheet. On certain days your tee may be placed on a different deck and not set in the usual location. This practice is common in shoulder seasons and will continue this fall to ensure we gain as much turf recovery and growth as possible ahead of next spring.
The driving range deck is now closed for the season. The mats have been set up for use to finish off the golf season. Much like the tee boxes on the course the need for recovery on the range deck is significant. We have aerated the deck to promote recovery and we will sand/ over-seed the deck in the weeks ahead.
Frosts will begin in the near future. When we experience frost delays it is important for members to keep off the turf. Frosted turf can die instantly when walked on and will not recover. Frosts will also create delays in maintenance which in turn will delay start times. The Turfcare team always reduces its preparation on days of frost to accommodate the membership and get as many people on the course as possible. On certain occasions, if we have repetitive frosts there is a need to complete maintenance tasks and the delay can be longer.
The last day for golf this season will be October 10th Thanksgiving Monday. This will allow the Turfcare team time to complete all necessary tasks required ahead of winter. This includes removal of all accessories, numerous product application, blow out of the irrigation system and installing all covering systems.
We are hopeful that the next few weeks provide the club with some sunny, dry weather for both the game of golf and course maintenance.