Fine Fescue

In late April we treated over 28 acres of Fescue for a number of uninvited guests.  This included products to control grassy weeds, broadleaf weeds, insect pests, as well as a plant growth regulator to limit the plant density.

Several years ago, it was believed that golf courses could reduce costs by adding additional acres of these "low maintenance" areas.  Perhaps this is true if it is a truly out of play area allowed to go through the stages of ecological succession.  

However, if the goal is to keep these areas playable (allowing a ball to be found and advanced), and relatively weed free, it is now being stated that they actually require greater resources than mowing them once or twice per week as we do in the primary rough.  The time and expense of our latest multi-product application certainly helps to confirm this view.

So would removing all of the Fescue be a good idea?  Probably not, since it provides wildlife habitat and slows runoff.  Additionally, for a links style course, these areas are important aesthetically, as they help to frame the hole.  

The bottom line is that you can call this eye-catching turf outer rough, native areas, naturalized areas, or the Fescue area, just please do not refer to it as a low maintenance area... 

I should have made a left at Albuquerque...

Just when you think you've seen it all on a golf course, you're greeted by something jaw-dropping. Such was the case when the team arrived at 5:00 on Sunday morning and discovered a vehicle--with the driver still inside--in one of the greenside bunkers on #8.

In looking at our security cameras, we found that the car arrived shortly before 1:00 a.m., so you can only speculate as to whether or not a festive Saturday night led to some incredibly poor navigating skills.  

Fortunately the driver was unharmed, and there was no damage to the course.  We may never know the exact reason why the individual thought they were on a road, but perhaps some additional signage might be helpful:

  

The finishing touch

We always appreciate member feedback on how we may possibly improve the golf experience at the Club.  A good example of this was when someone had seen logoed cups at another venue and asked if we might be able to do the same.

After a quick check, we had the answer:  Yes we can.  

What made this idea even better was that it was inexpensive and very easy to implement.