More of the good stuff

Wow, so much for the La Nina that forecasters predicted. YTD we are at 4.75" and nearly ten inches since November 1st. While our routine maintenance has been hindered, we have been concentrating on making the course its best on each particular day. A major hurdle with every big rain event is the natural drainage that runs down the left side of #5 and across the fourth hole. It takes some hard labor to clean the mud that is deposited on the cart path before it is usable. Otherwise, the rains have been a welcomed nuisance.

Here we go.....again

Last year I lost my rhythm and stopped posting. This year my goal is to post a couple times a month, to keep the information fresh without being too much of a time burden. As I sit down to write this, we have just received 1.10" of rain with more on the way. Since mid October we have a total of 6.75".......finally a legitimate rainy winter.

In an effort to maximize the rain, we have been deep-tine vertidraining the fairways every chance we get. This not only helps reduce compaction, but also increases soil oxygen and rooting depth. The beauty is that it creates little to no surface disruption. Employing this strategy along with a summer topdressing program, we hope to increase soil infiltration rates and improve the growing environment. Time will tell.....

Sod Installation

West Coast Turf began installing our new Santa Ana Bermudagrass on #6 yesterday. They will move on from there to #7, saving #8 for last. Right now they are planting about an acre a day, which should see the project complete on Monday (7/18).

With some sunshine, water and fertilizer we hope to open all of the holes by August 1st.

Phase 2 Begins!

Phase 2 of the Fairway Improvement Plan began yesterday. We completed removing the old turf on #6, moving on to #7 today. If all goes as planned, we will complete #7 today and start #8. We will begin to install sod tomorrow, which will continue into the weekend.

Project Prep

Phase 2 of the Fairway Improvement Plan begins next week. We are just finalizing all of the project details, gathering the necessary equipment, and going through the schedule with a fine tooth comb. The Kikuyu on # 6 has been sprayed with a selective herbicide and we are seeing great results.

Kikuyu 1 week post herbicide (Drive XLR8)

We continue to water holes 6-8, as many of the heads that water the fairways also irrigate the rough areas. We also want to avoid creating a surface that is so hard that we will have problems aerifying.

Aerification and stripping will begin on Monday the 11th and sod will begin to be installed on the 13th.

I will keep you updated as the process moves along.......

Project Work

Spring is a very busy time for us, as the warmer, longer days increase the growth rate our the turf. Even with increased mowing frequency it never seems like we get fully caught up. Aside from our routine mowing schedule, we continue to plug away at our never ending projects list. Over the last few weeks we have been focusing some of our attention upon front nine sod patching, spot aerification / seeding of bare rough areas, and topping off greenside bunkers with new sand.

We should complete the front nine by Friday, moving to the back nine beginning next week.

Tree Removals

We removed two trees on Monday. Both were in really bad shape and had been designated for removal long ago. On #5 we took down the large Blue Cedar in the right rough. It was previously in really poor health and the drought seemed to push it over the edge. It was completely dead and nothing more than an eyesore. We also removed a large Stone Pine behind the 14th green. Although it was relatively healthy, our Certified Arborist noted that it was very dangerous due to its really unbalanced growth habit. There was not an option to trim, as it was too far gone.