#3 Waste Bunker

You will notice big changes on #3 along the cartpath. We have removed the path along the right side where the tree roots have heaved the asphalt. We have also sprayed the grass under the trees with Round Up. This area will become a waste bunker capable of also handling cart traffic. It should be aesthetically pleasing and a much smoother ride! The sand mix for the bunker should arrive next week for installation. Until the work is complete, please play this area as Ground Under Repair. 

Hurricane Hermine Update

The total rainfall from Hurricane Hermine as of Friday afternoon was 14.25 inches. While there are a number of tree limbs and palm fronds lying about, no sizable trees were lost. As expected, there is standing water in many areas. Heavy rainfall washed the sand off of every bunker face which will require many man hours to repair. For the most part, the course weathered the storm pretty well and will now begin putting it back together.

The Storm Isn't Even Here Yet!

Isla has experienced a tremendous amount of rainfall since early this morning. As of 1:00 Wednesday afternoon, 7.6 inches of rain has fallen. With Tropical Storm Hermine headed this way we are forecast to receive much more rain over the next few days. Below are some early morning photos of the flood waters.

   The water on 7 is over the wall

   You might need a kayak if you want the morning paper

   This photo gives some insight into the difficulty of maintaining #8 Fairway.

   The lake on #18 almost over the wall and onto the green

   Looks like #3 can't be cart path only today (unless your cart has pontoons) 

   Heavy rains wreak havoc on bunkers

The Aftermath

While I had plans to finish verticutting fairways this week, Mother Nature had other ideas. Tropical Storm Colin brought us two days of wet, windy weather. At the end of it we had accumulated 8.75 inches of rain and 2 downed trees. There is still a fair amount of standing water but the guys worked hard to clean up most of the debris today. On the bright side, the greens loved all the rain and the holes from last week's aerification are starting to close. Delayed by the weather, we were finally able to get out and perform a verticut and mow on the greens this afternoon. They look really healthy and should be back to normal soon.

The crew continues to clean up piles of thatch left behind from the fairway verticutting. We hope to get out and complete the process as the golf course dries out. The summer annuals have also arrived this week so we can look forward to seeing new flowers over the next few days.

   Fallen palm on #16

   #10 Green after mowing

Aerification Complete... Almost

The golf course was closed four days last week so the Grounds Department could perfom the first of two core aerifications this summer. The crew put in long days working sun up to sun down in many cases. The greens were aerified in the same aggressive manner that we have successfully used the past four years, pulling A LOT of large cores. Tees, collars, approaches and walk-up areas were also aerified. The benefits of aerification are a reduction in thatch, relief from soil compaction and an increase in water/air movement in the soil profile. All of these things translate into healthier turf and ultimately better playing conditions.

The fairways underwent an aggressive vertical mowing last week. This process removes thatch while also encouraging an upright growth of the turf and reduction of grain. This is a time consuming process due to our expanded fairway acreage with approximately 15 acres still left to complete. The holes that have been completed still have a lot of the grass clippings still needing to be cleaned from the fairways. Everything has been put on hold due to the inclement weather but should resume in the next day or two. 

On the bright side, the rain should aid the recovery of the greens and fairways that have been completed! 

   Jackie pulling the first row of plugs on the Practice Green

   Large roller smoothing #12 Green

   Brand new healthy white roots are a direct result of the aerification

   1 of 2 piles of thatch removed from #9 Fairway

   Plugs spread on thin spots on #8 Fairway

National Golf Day 2016

Last week I had the opportunity as part of the GCSAA Government Affairs Committee to attend National Golf Day. This annual event included participants from the We Are Golf coalition comprised of members of golf's leading organizations including the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, National Golf Course Owners Association of America, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, LPGA, USGA and several other engaged golf entities. While the term National Golf Day sounds like a great day to get out and play golf, we were actually hard at work taking to Capitol Hill to educate our lawmakers on the importance of the game and expelling the notion that golf is just beneficial to the priveledged few. Conversations also included asking for help with legislation affecting environmental and labor regulations that have a direct relationship to how we run our business.

Some notable benefits of golf:

Economic - Golf contributes $68.8 billion to the American economy and impacts 2 million jobs. One in 75 jobs in the United States is impacted by the golf industry. Golf is a bigger job creator than spectator sports, performing arts, and the amusement and recreation industries.

Charitable - Golf raises more money for charity than all other sports combined. Annually, the game generates $3.9 billion for philanthropic causes, almost all of which are unrelated to the golf industry. 

Environmental - Golf courses are responsible uses of green space, providing wildlife habitat, a filter for runoff, and a cooling effect on developed areas.

Health & Welness - Golf is an excellent source of exercise. Playing 18 holes of golf burns roughly 2,000 calories when walking and 1,300 calories when riding in a cart.

A Game For All - Nine out of 10 golfers play at public-access facilities, 76 percent of golf is played at public courses, and the median cost of a round is just $37.

   Meeting With Congressman David Jolly

Greetings From Isla Grounds Department

It's been business as usual with the Grounds Department. After 5" of rain on May 4th the grass has really taken off growing and mowing has become a priority. We are actively spraying summer weeds trying to stay ahead of any major infestations. This past week we also applied an insecticide aimed at preventing insect infestations, especially mole crickets. Finally, we are working towards completing a much needed drainage project for the tennis courts.

Upcoming over the next few weeks we will be receiving delivery of our summer annual flowers. As soon as they come in we will be chaning out all the annual beds with fresh flowers.

Please note that the golf course will be closed May 31st thru June 3rd for the first of two aerifications. The second and final planned aerification will be August 16th thru 19th.

 

What's Left of The Weeds on #2

Triple Crown is Fast Acting!

The Views Aren't Limited to Just The Golf Course. Isla is a Beautiful Place!