The Work Continues...

At the end of day two of the course closure we have completed pulling cores from the greens, more fairways were verticut and we began aerifying tees and green surrounds. 

Today we are working on incorporating sand into the empty holes on the greens. We continue to aerify tees and surrounds and verticut fairways. Assistant Superintendent, Chris Hewitt, is working on renovation of the Red/Gold tee on #13. In between all of this the crew also begins the cleanup efforts to haul the debris removed during the fairway verticutting. 

   Sand on #14 green ready for incorporation into the holes

   #9 tee following aerification

   Here lies the pile of thatch removed from #1 fairway. That's a lot of loads to haul! 

Turn the Radio Up? Aerification Day #1 is Complete!

For those who listen to SiriusXM Radio, I will be a guest on PGA TOUR Radio on Katrek & Maginnes on Tap at 6:00pm this evening, August 19. You can find PGA TOUR Radio on Sirius #208 / XM #92. I will have the opportunity to speak with Brian and John about current regulations impacting the golf industry and look forward to being their guest.

Yesterday was day #1 of our aerification. It was a long, hot day for the maintenance crew but they managed to get a good start. While it's not fun for anyone, aerification is a necessary practice for the long-term success of turf management, especially on putting greens. Serving multiple purposes, aerification is primarily performed to create space for air, water and nutrients to move into the soil as well as thatch removal from the green surfaces. This promotes healthy turfgrass and superior putting surfaces throughout the golfing season.

   Arturo is happy to be on his last green for the day.

   #9 Green has been aerified and the fairway verticut.

   #9 fairway following vertical mowing.

Grounds Update

Towards the end of last week there were a few greens that experienced some drought stress. Yes, we've recently received some significant rainfall but greens are built to drain quickly. Irrigation on these stressed greens most likely occurred just a few hours too late. A program has been put into place to promote recovery. What doesn't readily recover will be repaired following aerification.

Speaking of aerification, the golf course will be closed August 18th thru August 21st for the second of two aerifications this summer. Greens, tees and surrounds will be aerified and the fairways will be verticut. While not popular amongst golfers, aerification is a necessary practice for maintaining a healthy golf course. The golf course will reopen August 22nd for play. Please expect a couple of weeks for full recovery.

Finally, due to the significant rainfall the past few weeks we have been "cart path only" several days. As a result it appears that there are a few more unfilled divots than normal. It would be greatly appreciated if you would take the time to fill any divots you may come across. Thanks!

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

A couple of weeks ago we really needed rain and finally received some. Then we we received some more, and more and more! July brought us a total rainfall of 12.55" with 11.75" coming during the past two weeks. It has rained 14 of the last 18 days with more heading this way. Fortunately, the forecast is calling for a return to a more normal summertime pattern later this week and it will be welcomed.

With all this rain it is obvious that the golf course is wet. We are very fortunate that we have received less rainfall than many of the neighboring courses to the north. I'm aware of some courses that have been closed for the past two weeks and some even have greens completely submerged under flood waters! We are also fortunate that Isla drains very well. With all that being said, we are definitely waterlogged at this point. We've done well to eliminate many of the areas for standing water by installing drainage last year, but now the soils simply are saturated. Because our soils are sandy, once we stop receiving precipitation we should dry out quickly. In the meantime I appreciate all of you for understanding when we have cart restrictions to drive on the paths only. I know it is inconvenient but we are looking to make short-term sacrifices for the long-term success of our golf course. The grounds department surveys course conditions and communicates the appropriate restrictions to the golf shop. While some areas may be dry enough to operate golf carts there are many areas that are prone to rutting and possibly getting carts stuck. While sometimes it is possible to restrict cart traffic on just a few holes, there are other times when the problem areas are too widespread to do so. While you may have played a few holes and not encountered many wet areas in the specific areas you have travelled, the grounds department has surveyed the entire property before making their decision. It is our goal to minimize any inconvenience to you while at the same time protecting the golf course. I'm pleased to say that I have observed minimal violations of our recent cart restrictions. Thank you for being so understanding and cooperative!

   Another round of showers rolling in this morning.

Consider The Reset Button Pushed

June and early July had been relatively dry as far as rainfall goes. While we were sufficiently maintaing with irrigation, I was asking for the reset button to be pushed in terms of getting some good, flushing rain. Consider that button pushed! We've experienced over 8 inches of rain in the past week and more rain is beginning to fall at this moment. 

   Rain rolling across #1 fairway

Included with the summer storms comes lightning. Sometimes it's too close for comfort. A recent lightning strike hit a couple of our Washingtonian Palms on #1. Keep this strike in mind when deciding whether or not to keep golfing or take shelter.

  Notice the peeling bark streaking down the tree

The grounds department continues to progress nicely on the new retaining wall along the parking lot. The construction should be complete within the next 2 weeks leaving just the backfill and landscape work remaining.

Scottish Crows

Waiting for these crows at The Open Championship to fly off with a golf ball. Evidently, they are not related to Isla crows!

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.