Spring is here and with it, a very busy schedule. I have been consumed with work and scheduling and have not posted lately. This post will provide a quick insight into the last week or so.
Last Saturday was the 'Meet me at The Rock' event. I hope everyone who played received a new ball mark repair tool. We appreciate the initiative the golf committee has taken in course care and member education. I enjoyed reconnecting and meeting many of you on Saturday. Monday was a Mid-Atlantic PGA tournament here at the club. Some of the best club pros in the region played and competed and our very own Richard White and Patrick Hawkins won the event with a best ball 65. Congratulations. So between prepping for those two events and sodding collars 9-18, we have been busy. The remaining poor areas in collars will be stripped and sodded on Monday, May 7. We have also taken the opportunity to finish the fescue conversion on the inside of the cart path on #9. There is also a large project going on on the driving range to construct a new entrance path to the parking areas behind the back range tee and a lot of drainage being installed on #10 and 12.
Two other things that I need to discuss. First, I would like to apologize to the gentleman who was on the driving range green this morning when the sprinkler heads came on. This was an error when a command was being keyed into the system. I apologize and I tried to get up there but you were already gone.
The other is greens speed. We are currently growing grass like crazy. It is in an effort to be as healthy as possible. The greens have received a huge amount of play and this is starting to show on a few practice putting greens. These greens will be closed for one week at a time beginning on Monday. This is a practice that the green committee has approved and has been in place in for two years now. We have limited practice green space and we need to protect these areas. The greens on the golf course are slower and softer than we have been used to this spring. First off, we are being very conservative due to the issues last year. We have a lot of young grass out there and need to be focused on turf health. Second, we have been wet. In the last two weeks, we have received over 3.5" of rain. This causes us to spray fungicides which have to be watered in and the cycle continues. Our number one concern right now is turf health and with higher temperatures right around the corner, we have to be conservative with mowing and rolling. This leads to slower speeds. I know this is not as fun but slow greens are better than poor turf. Wet conditions have also slowed our mowing efforts but as of today all tees, fairways, and approaches have been mowed and the golf course is really starting to take shape. Please be patient with green speeds and continue to enjoy the golf course.
Thanks and have a great weekend,
Jordan Booth
jbooth@willowoakscc.org
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| Sod that was left over from the collars project has been utilized on #9. This completes the fescue conversion down the cartpath. We ran out of sod at the end but this will be completed on Monday. Our next area of conversion is down the cartpath on #14. |
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| 5-3-0, an organic slow release fertilizer has been drop spread around the greens to provide a safe, slow release of Nitrogen to the collars. The dark color also attracts heat and in turn helps with green up. |
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| This is the very beginning of a drainage project on #12. The sod has to be removed before any work can begin. This is part of the ongoing project between 10 and 12. Sod continues to move down both sides of that tree line. |
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| This project is renovating the cart parking area for the range tees. Carts now have one entrance and exit point and this area will be more aesthetic. Space is limited around the range so please park in this area to avoid traffic congestion or injury. This project is far from finished but you can start to see the idea. |
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| Another picture of the range path project. The fence has been removed and the mulch areas along the road have been grassed. These areas will be partitioned off with ropes and stakes. |
