Post Aerification Update

The greens are continuing to get better and we will be treating them with some light sanding over the next few weeks. Due to the problem with the weather during our aerification, some of the greens did not get enough sand making for some uneven and bumpy conditions. We have verticut them and applied a moderate sanding, but we need to do more to get them where they need to be. Please be patient as we will try to do this during the week on days with less play.

The crew has recently finished edging all of the greenside bunkers and we will be going back in some places to put more sand down. We try and make sure we have at least 4 inches of sand in the entire bunker, but we do miss places and sand can move around, so if you experience an area that needs more sand please let me know and we can jump on it right away. Our next chore is to get all of the fairways bunkers edged in the next week or so.


Due to the wet conditions we were not able to put down any sand in the fairways when we aerified. We will do another aerification on the fairways when it drys to a point we can get the heavy spreader out without making any ruts. We're hoping this month if possible. We will keep you posted.

We have targeted some trees for removal and will be getting some bids to do the work very soon. We have targeted a select number of trees next to the restrooms on #14 which will allow more light for #15 tee and help us solve some drainage issues as well. In addition to trees in this location, we have identified a number of trees around the course to be removed that will help us with shade issues and frost in the fall and winter. We also will be removing some trees in a couple of locations that will enhance playability. Weather may play a role in removal so lets keep our hopes up for some good weather.

Finally, we are close to opening the turfgrass levels of the range and will coordinate this with the pro-shop soon. We are very close to getting our new dividers and want to coordinate opening the range when they arrive.

Aerification Update on Plan B

Thanks to the weather over the weekend and Monday, I'm happy to report we were able to successfully drag and add some more sand to the greens. Unfortunately though, due to the changes in our original plans, it has left the greens in a really bumpy and uneven condition. This is not uncommon when sand can't effectively get down into and fill the holes. Our strategy now is to verticut the greens and mow them a little closer and apply some growth regulator to try and heal the holes and get the greens to tighten up. It may even require more sand topdressing. One of the problems after aerification is keeping the blades on the mowers sharp in order to make good cuts. This can typically take several mowing attempts until the sand has worked it's way down lower in the canopy of the turfgrass. In the mean time, we do all we can to sharpen and keep trying to make good cuts in order to smooth out the turf. Please be patient as this spring aerification was hampered by some bad weather and it will take longer to get them back into shape.

We've also noticed our old friend fusarium disease pop up recently on the greens. This also is not uncommon after aerification. We anticipated this and applied a preventative fungicide application and it still is showing up. That's how active this disease can be. The good news is with treatments and turfgrass growing faster during this time of the year, it should recover very quickly.

We apologize for Monday and Tuesday of this week when we failed to put some tee markers back out on the tees. This was a mistake on our part. We were trying desperately to finish up sanding and dragging the tees, which requires us to remove them from the tees. We just missed putting them back out on a couple of tees.

Hang in there everyone we will be applying every tool in the tool box to get us back to the greens we all know and love.

Aerification Update Plan B

Due to the weather we've had to go to plan B, which is to remove some of the sand off of the greens. Pictured below is a machine we use to remove the aerification plugs from the greens. Because the sand is not drying and going down into the holes, removing some of the sand will allow the expected rain to wash a portion of the sand into the holes. When we get a better stretch of sunny weather, which looks like next week, we will spread more sand to fill the holes completely. Unfortunately this will drag out the process.

Removal of excess sand

After the machine picks up the excess sand we drag the greens with a brush unit to smooth out the surface and attempt to get the sand to fall into the holes.

Brush drag mat

Below is a picture of what to expect on the fairways until we can get the plugs screen dragged and blown off to the side. This can only be done when the plugs dry out so please bear with us.

Fairway aerification plugs

Aerification Update

We are into day three of aerification, which has some good and some bad news. The good news is, we have successfully aerified all greens, collars, approaches, tees and fairways. Starting Sunday afternoon really gave us a head start and we appreciated the cooperation of the membership to be able to do this. The bad news is, the weather has not cooperated and we are having a hard time getting the sand dry enough to be dragged into the aerification holes. What this means is, the greens will have a significant amount of sand on top of the greens and it will take longer for them to be in really good putting condition. We are applying every means possible to try and get the sand down and into the holes. Unfortunately, this may take several days to accomplish. Please be patient as this process is very labor intensive. I really want to commend the crew thus far as they have covered a lot of ground in a very short period of time. In the next few days we will be trying to continue to get the sand down into the holes on the greens and start to sand the tees as well. The fairways have all been aerified, but due to the wet weather, the plugs have not had a chance to dry out. Until we can effectively drag, mow, and blow them off to the side, walking the course is going to be a little messy. Additionally, until we get some sun??????? and/or some wind, conditions are going to be, well lets just say "different". Spring aerification is always a little tricky due to the unpredictable nature of our weather and events that are scheduled in advance. Feel free to contact me or the pro shop for course conditions as we move forward the rest of this week and into next week.

#14 Green aerification

#1 Fairway aerification

Aerification

Just a quick reminder we will be conducting aerification on the golf course. Our plan is to start on hole #10 at approximately 4pm this Sunday April 15th after the last group playing in the team tournament. If you have questions regarding course availability contact the pro shop.

Thank you

Spring Irrigation system pressurization

We are currently pressurizing the irrigation system and there may be isolated leaks that we are unaware of. If you should happen across an area that you feel is too wet and may be leaking, please don't hesitate to call me (John) at 805-433-4643 or the pro shop 851-1745. Location is important, so please be as specific as possible when describing the area.

Thank you.

Spring Aerification Schedule

Weather permitting, the tenth tee will close at 4:00pm on Sunday, April 15th and the Golf Course and Putting Green will be CLOSED for aerification of greens, fairways, and tees Monday, April 16th through Wednesday, April 18th. The Course will re-open on Thursday, April 19th. Additionally, aerification of the fairways and rough will continue through the week until finished.
Please note that the Driving Range will be CLOSED, Tuesday, April 17 until NOON to complete aerification of that area. If you have any questions please call the Golf Shop at 253.851.1745.

Please be patient during this process as the end result in a couple of weeks afterwards will be great playing conditions. As always, the weather can play a major factor in getting aerification finished. If we are delayed we will be posting and letting people know what our modified schedule will be, stay tuned.

Thank you.