Piling it on...

The ideal Fine Fescue area might be described as thin and wispy, yet penal.  However, achieving this balance has been an on-going challenge for us.  Despite our efforts to keep fertilizer and irrigation water from entering these areas, the Fescue becomes quite dense throughout the growing season, and lost balls are a common occurrence.

It's now become clear that the primary cause of this turf density is the soil in which the Fescue was planted.  As much of the property was apple and peach orchard prior to construction, there was a nice layer of rich topsoil available to spread throughout the course.  As a matter of fact, with the topsoil stockpiled on the perimeter of the property during the shaping process, there is often more topsoil in the Fescue than in the fairways.  While this heavier, nutrient rich soil may be beneficial for growing a dense stand of turf, a sandier, more droughty soil would have been better for the Fine Fescue areas.

The bunker area reduction of the Master Plan has become a great example of the impact which a growing medium can have.  The sandier soil from the old bunker locations makes a dramatic difference in the density of the Fescue when compared to surrounding areas.

The outline of the old bunker on the back left of #3 can be seen in the thinner stand of Fescue.

In order to replicate these growing conditions, in areas where we have recently sodded Fescue, we are heavily topdressing them.  In the short run, we're basically burying the turf in sand, and forcing the grass to grow through it.  In the long run, we hope to create a sandier growing medium.

So, yes, we are piling it on, and one thing is for certain:  Referring to these naturalized areas as "low maintenance" is just not right...