September/October Update

We are only a few days away from the Pro Shop closing for the season and its hard to believe that another golf season has come and gone. We had another successful season as many great projects were accomplished. August and September were both very busy months for our department.

Greens aeration took place the last week in August right before all of our students went back to school. We completed the front 9 and practice holes on a Monday and the back 9 on a Thursday. We performed this process for many reasons. Some of these reasons include reducing compaction from golf and equipment traffic, reducing thatch (dead and decaying plant matter at the surface), stimulate new plant growth, increase green speed and playability, and to improve water, nutrient and air exchange and infiltration into the soil.

The aeration process

We put out fungicide applications the first and last week of September as a part of our winter protection and fall take-all patch prevention programs. The fungicide is applied to fight against or prevent conditions favorable for the disease pathogen (pest) to grow and produce. Our final winter protection fungicide applications on greens and tee boxes will be applied the week of October 17.  

Our first fungicide application

We have continued with bunker reconstruction work through August and September and now have rebuilt six greenside bunkers. Through this process we are installing all new drainage to remove standing water and then installing all new sand to the bunker. We also installed new weeping tile around two sets of tee boxes to help dry up the surrounds as you walk on to the tee box. We hope to possibly do another bunker and tee surround if weather and time allows yet this fall. 

A rebuilt bunker at 10 green

We will be completing our final cut of the year this week for fairways, tee boxes and rough and then most of our operators will be done work for the season. We hope to complete aeration to tee boxes and fairways this week if the weather cooperates.

Tee box aeration

 
We will be blowing out the irrigation system the week of the 17th and then snowfence will be installed on tee boxes following blowout. We will be tarping greens the last week of October and then installing snowfence on all of them. 

As you can see we have a lot of work planned for October as it should be a very busy month but it is great to be coming off another very successful year for the turf care department. We would also like to thank everyone for their continued support and business. 

Beautiful September morning on the golf course