Pushing The Reset Button

As usual, this summer has kept the grounds department busy. Everything grows much faster this time of year plus this is when we do most of our projects. The most recent project underway is replacement of the retaining wall along the south side of the main parking lot. The old wooden wall was in extremely poor condition. A new vinyl wall, like the one installed on #5 last year, will be taking it's place. 

   Nice progress after just 3 days of work.

So far this summer has been hot and dry. June brought only 2.5 inches of rain. Most of that came in a 2-day period. We've had a little rain this week but we are still looking for a nice flushing rain to "push the reset button." The hot and dry weather has caused several dry spots on the golf course. A good rain will help these areas recover. A few of the greens have experienced hot spots as well. Most significantly, #14 green suffered some areas of wilt after encountering an irrigation issue. Unfortunately, paspalum greens take a long time to recover from drought stress. We will continue to promote recovery and restore these spots back to their normal pristine condition.

   Visible signs of drought stress

   Wilted areas on #14 green.

Another normal part of summer maintenance is weed control. We undertake a diligent spot-spraying regimen in the summer where we direct herbicide applications specifically to actively growing weeds. This sometimes results in the grass turning brown around the weeds sprayed. This is a short-term effect and the grass quickly recovers while the weeds die.

   Areas of grass following herbicide treatment.