The Golf Course Maintenance staff has been busy recently with renovations of the landscape beds around the clubhouse. We removed the large bed of Ivy leading into the clubhouse and replaced it with new sod. We also are in the process of renovating the bed in and around the flag pole as you approach the club. New plants are scheduled to be planted in the area leading into the banquet entrance as well. We hope you like the improvements as we continue with updating many of the planter beds.
On the golf course you will notice some of the lakes have the diffuser systems working again. The lack of oxygen in a lake or pond contributes to the layering of muck on the bottom, which act as fertilizer for weeds and can contribute to excessive algae growth. By introducing oxygen to the lake at various depths, from the bottom to the surface, it is absorbed and organisms will deteriorate much faster, thus reducing the layers of "muck" and in theory help keep the algae and weeds from getting out of control.
We are fast approaching greens aerification, which is slated to take place on April 16th. The greens currently are starting to gain some ground in growth as we approach warmer temperatures. They continue to be a little bumpy and uneven in growth. The dark spots you see on the greens are a result of the fall aerification. The holes provide for more air and water movement resulting in a much healthier environment for grass to grow. These will fade out as we get into drier and warmer temperatures. These also can contribute to some of the unevenness and/or bumpy conditions on the greens. We are doing the best we can to keep them as smooth as possible by mowing and rolling when appropriate. The weather on occasion has kept us from regularly mowing so there are some days when the greens are definitely a challenge. When we get to a point where we have sufficient growth and recovery we will be verticutting and lightly sanding, which will smooth things out better.
Please don't hesitate to email or call me with any concerns or questions you may have.