If you're thinking that this isn't the first time we have worked on the Fescue on #8, you are correct. A few years ago, we amended the heavy topsoil in this area with sand, in order to provide a growing medium which would help produce the thin, wispy stand of grass we were looking for. We followed this up with seeding the area at a very low rate.
The results might best be described as, "be careful what you wish for" since the limited number of Fescue seedlings had trouble competing with the weed population. Because of this, we have switched to using sod when renovating these areas. As we've seen on #7, 13 and 16 the last couple of years, the sod's thatch layer helps to act as something of a barrier for weeds to establish.
The seeding versus sodding of Fescue, points to the challenging balancing act of trying to find that Goldilocks zone of not too thin and not too thick a stand of turf. There is an old saying that a dense, healthy stand of grass is the best protection from weed encroachment. Of course, too thick in the native areas results in lost balls, slow pace of play, and often some sore wrists from trying to hack out of the tall grass.
When it comes to a project like this, even many hands doesn't exactly make "light work" but the team did a great job getting these areas prepped for sod this week!
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