May 12 - Golf Course Project Update

We are officially 2 weeks into our renovation project here at Isla Del Sol. If you are here in town, you most certainly have seen the activity. The steps taken so far include:

• Removal of sod around greens on holes 1, 3, 8 and 11 as well as 17 tee
• Completed shaping of surrounds and bunkers on holes 3 and 11
• New drainage and irrigation installation on greens in progress
• Shaping in progress around the greens on 1 and 8 as well as 17 tee
• Sod installation on #3 complete
• Sod installation on #11 in progress

Sod Removal on #1

Our focus over the next few days will be sod installation on the holes that have been disrupted so far. In addition, we will begin work on the green surrounds and bunkers on holes 10 and 17 along with the tee on hole 11. 

Irrigation Installation #3

Sod Installation #3

The golf course will be closed May 17- 21. This week will be the peak of disruption to the golf course. The week following the closure, we hope to begin opening some of the holes that were sodded first. We expect all of our construction to be completed the week before Memorial Day with all holes back open for play in early-June. 

Sod-lined Bunker #11

One of the most common questions I have been asked is "Are we making grass bunkers?" The answer is no. We install sod in the bottom of the bunkers to create a barrier between our native sandy soil and our clean bunker sand. This helps to prevent our bunkers from becoming contaminated with seashells and the less desirable beach sand. Without a barrier, a single thunderstorm could be enough to mix the two sands and deteriorate a bunker. We used this process in our 2018 and 2019 projects and have had great success so far.

Filling bunkers with sand will be the last step and should occur mid-June. We wait to fill these bunkers in order to allow the sod barrier to establish itself and create a dense barrier between the native sand and bunker sand. 

We thank you for your patience and all the positive comments you have shared.

2021 Golf Course Renovation Project

April 28th marks the official start date for the 2021 golf course renovation project. This is Phase III of projects originally started in 2018 focusing on renovating green surrounds, bunkers and tee boxes. This year we will be working on green surrounds/bunkers on holes 1, 3, 8, 10 , 11 and 17 along with new tees on 11 and 17. As in previous years, once construction begins on a hole it will become necessary to shorten that hole and play to a temporary green during construction and grow-in. The work will first begin on the 11th green and 17 tee which means these areas will be moved to temporary on day 1 of the project. It is estimated they will remain as temporaries for approximately 3 weeks until ready to reopen. This timeframe is true for all features being renovated. Once closed, it will take approximately 3 weeks until a hole is fully reopened. This allows time for the new grass to root in and be healthy before we start impacting it with foot traffic. 

#2 Under Construction in 2019

The golf course will be closed the week of May 17th. This week will be at the peak disruption point of the project. We will use this time to renovate the cart path on hole 7 as well as perform other applications on the golf course that require closure. 

It is our goal to complete the work as quickly as possible without compromising quality. Please be patient as we perform our work as it will be completed before you know it.

Scores from rounds played at Isla should not be posted for handicap purposes while the golf course has temporary greens.

Out With The Old... Flowers

You will notice some changes around the entrance and clubhouse this week as our Grounds team focuses on these areas. First, this has been one of the best years we have had with our winter flowers. I have received numerous compliments from all of you. However, these annual flowers are different than perennial shrubs and have a limited life expectancy, typically lasting only a season. Due to their large size, we are beginning to see these flowers blow over, break off or wilt due to increased water needs. Like you, I hate to see these flowers go, but in order to avoid watching these beautiful flowers deteriorate, we will be changing out our flower beds this week.

Second, as a result of the Sugarcane Mosaic Virus affecting the area's Saint Augustine grass, we killed off what was left of our infected grass and encroaching weeds last fall. In order to keep the lawn green over the winter we seeded it with ryegrass. As summer approaches, the ryegrass will be susceptible to death from the inevitable high heat and humidity. Over the next two weeks, we will be replacing the overseeded turf with new bermudagrass sod. We also plan to extend the concrete around the center circle to minimize damage caused by the numerous semi-trucks that service the club and neighboring condos. Due to timing, the concrete work will occur later this summer. 

Isla Entrance Lawn

For the past three years, we have battled a virus in our St. Augustine grass lawn along Sun Blvd. and surrounding tennis courts. If you live close by, you may be familiar with Sugarcane Mosaic Virus. We have seen it wreak havoc on St. Augustine grass all around the surrounding area. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this virus and the best bet if contracted is to replace with a less-susceptible grass variety. You can learn more about the Sugarcane Mosaic Virus here:  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp313

At Isla, we got to the point where the St. Augusine just wasn't hanging on. It would die back, recover, then die back again. Each time it came back weaker with a larger weed infestation. We have made the decision to kill off all the St. Augustine and weeds at this time, overseed with ryegrass and renovate to a new grass variety in the spring when growing conditions are more optimal. While you will see the entrance turn brown over the next few days, it will slowly start to green up as the new grass seedlings emerge in the coming weeks.

Enough is enough!

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK FOR THE FULL ARTICLE - This summer started out extremely dry. We only had rain on two separate events throughout the months of June and July. No rain in summer months is unheard of in Florida and we needed rain. That all changed during the middle of August. In fact, we have experienced rain on 22 of the past 27 days, 13 days so far in September, and in the past 5 and a half weeks it has rained on 28 separate days. The total rainfall hovers around 15" for the time span which isn't too extreme for our location but the fact that it has come in consistent doses has prevented the golf course from having any chance to dry. 

One of many days with standing water. When you encounter water on a path, slow down but remain on the path. The surrounding grass is extremely wet. Keep in mind, you wouln't drive your car through someone's front yard to avoid a puddle on the street.

Obviously, the consistent rain has had an impact on the golf course and its playability. While I've lost track, I am confident we have set a record for the number of days being "Cart Path Only." Under normal conditions, we often will implement Cart Path Only restrictions after a significant rainfall, usually one that leaves standing water. It normally doesn't take long for the ground and turf to soak up the moisture and we resume normal 90-degree cart operation. This time it's different. We have had so much rainfall that the top 4-6" of the ground is saturated across much of the golf course. So while you might notice areas of standing water are drying up, it is important to understand turf that looks perfectly dry may actually be mushy underneath. 

Dry soils have better structure than wet soils making it easier for them to support the load of a golf cart. When you add moisture to the soil, you make it easier to compact which in the long run is detrimental to the health of the turf. Compaction reduces the available space needed for air and water movement through the soil as well as room for the roots to grow. Cart Path Only restrictions aren't only for the purpose of preventing getting stuck in the mud or leaving tracks. Preventing compaction, the unseen damage, is just as critical as preventing tracks. In a year where every golfer has their own cart, the need for these restrictions becomes even more significant. 

Not only has the rain presented challenges with soggy playing conditions and cart restrictions, it has also made it difficult to keep up with the mowing. Right now I have the U.S. Open on my TV and I would say our rough challenges theirs in some locations. Of course, we have no rough around our greens which is very fortunate during a time like this. I couldn't imagine losing a ball 5 feet off the edge of the green. Mowing the golf course is not as simple as spending an hour in the back yard on the old Cub Cadet followed by a lemonade on the porch. Rather, under normal conditions it takes close to 35 hours to mow our rough just one time. When it's deep and wet, it takes much longer to mow and results in scalped grass and piles of clippings. Even once the rain slows down, it will take some time to get the rough under control.

U.S. Open on Golf Channel

 

Uncut Rough at Isla

 

Our fairways are in a little better shape than the rough but they too are getting much taller than desired. Under normal conditions with minimal golfers, it takes about 35 hours to mow our fairways one time. Just like the rough, once they are too tall it adds significantly more time to accomplish the mowing. We typically mow all of the fairway height grass two times per week to keep them at the proper level without scalping or producing an abundance of clippings. Over the past month we have mowed them a total of 4 times versus the normal 8-10.  

13 Fairway looking more like rough!

There are times when it is Cart Path Only for golfers but mowers are still out operating. Please understand that before sending out mowers, we evaluate the current conditions to decide whether there are areas that the mowers can safely operate. It may be possible for them to mow some locations while avoiding others. At times, they may even get into areas we wish were avoided. We use these instances as training opportunities for the next time. When we decide to send mowers out during wet conditions, we have made the decision that it is more critical to minimize overgrowth of the grass than it is to manage wear and tear from wet conditions. We don't like to do it but when weighing the options sometimes it is the only choice. What we don't want to do during these circumstances is compound the situation by sending out an additional 50-100 golf carts.

As I look to the forecast ahead, it is predicted that our weather will turn drier next week. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if we are praying for rain in 10-14 days. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and support.

Laboring Before Labor Day

If you have been around Isla over the past few weeks, you have most likely noticed a lot of "laboring" done by the Grounds Department.

First of all, we are beginning to wrap up our summer cultural practices that we have discussed in previous posts. As the calendar flips to September, we begin to put all the pieces back together in preparation for cooler weather and our winter golf season. We appreciate your patience as we verticut, aerified and circle mowed the golf course.

Hole #9 Recovering Well from the Cultural Practices

We've been inundated with invasive vines across much of the property this summer, especially growing in the ficus hedges that surround the golf course. These vines are very difficult to control. There is no selective herbicide to safely remove them from landscaping. This means we have to hand-pull all the vines. The next step is to trim the hedges back. Using special equipment, we are able to trim the hedges and clean up their shape to reign in their size. At the same time, it makes it easier to identify where new vines are starting from the ground up. This will allow us to use a brush killer targeting just the new vines as they start from the ground before they grow into the hedge.

Fernando Trimming Back the Hedge on 16

As mentioned in previous communication, we are in the process of updating the landscaping around the clubhouse and other select areas of the property. A significant amount of work was completed this week as much of the old landscaping was removed and new plants installed around the clubhouse. While many plants have been changed out, there is still more work to do that will be ongoing for the next few weeks. We will be removing the annual flowers next week and those beds will be empty until early October. While empty, we will be able to target the weeds that like to grow among the flowers. We are hoping that targeting weeds for 4 weeks without fear of damaging flowers will provide us with cleaner beds going forward. New sod will be placed in a few select areas next week. New mulch is scheduled for installation on September 22 to allow time to complete all new plantings. 

Old Plants Being Removed from Clubhouse

Some of the New Plants Added to the Center Circle

Due to recent rains, it has been a challenge to keep up with the rough mowing. During normal conditions, it takes almost 40 hours to mow the rough just one time. Once it gets wet and overgrown, it takes significantly more effort to get through the rough, often resulting in scalping and an abundance of grass clippings. As we move towards fall, conditions will become more conducive to keeping the rough maintained. In the meantime, a premium is placed on staying in the fairway!

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend.